JJ Hong Kong Cafe

Today was another day of wandering around wondering what to do for lunch (this lack of inspiration is really troubling to me). I came across this place and wasn't sure if I had just never seen the Hong Kong bubble tea signs before or if it was new. The data on my phone was being completely uncooperative (it was like being back at Epcot during the Saturday drinkfest at Food & Wine) so I couldn't find out much. But I ventured in anyway.


It was a little disorganized and crowded in the small shop, and a bit of a wait before they finally took my order. However, the wait time between ordering and getting my meal wasn't too bad. Their credit card machine wasn't working so they gave 10% off the bill to everyone. That was nice.

I decided to go with the lunch special which was an entree and soup, and got the black pepper chicken.


It was a container of white rice (they also offer fried rice) which seems to have the same soy-based sauce lining the bottom that I have gotten in similar dishes in Chinatown. (Chicken and tomato over rice comes to mind.) The chicken was peppery, but not spicy. (It had a spicy symbol on the menu.) It came with an assortment of vegetables - celery, peppers, zucchini, cabbage, and carrots. They probably would have included broccoli if I hadn't ordered it without it. I thought it was OK but not fantastic. I was expecting stronger flavors from the chicken and vegetables, but, while fine, it wasn't that exciting. I was, however, happy with the rice in sauce as it reminded me of the good stuff I like in Chinatown.

For the soup, I got the chicken wonton soup. It came with two of those large wontons, which had a mild but nice flavor, some lettuce and green onions. It was nice to get some soup on a cold day.


I haven't found much info on this place so I guess it's relatively new. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) I would like them to do well since I like HK style dishes and want bubble tea near the office, and if they're new (and they might be, as streetview shows me a jewelry store), the slightly disorganized nature of my experience makes a lot of sense. I would give it another try but might order something else next time. And hopefully next time, it won't be 20 degree wind chills and will be warm enough to walk around with some bubble tea!

JJ Hong Kong Cafe is located at 37th and 6th in midtown Manhattan.