Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Samsen (Wanchai)

This Thai noodle specialty restaurant has now three outlets, in Wanchai, Central and Sheung Wan. It is a popular place for both locals and tourists, and today we come to their branch in Wanchai, located beside the famous Blue House in Stone Nullah Lane, slightly before their opening time at 6pm, and already see a small queue waiting, with most of them being Chinese tourists.

Soon we are seated inside, and the décor recreates an old Thai diner, with raw concrete walls, some dated movie posters and stickers. The iron sliding gate at the entrance has a familiar historic vibe, along with Tessera floors, plus having some plants hanging from the ceiling. In no time the restaurant is fully occupied, with another queue starting to form outside.

After ordering a Pineapple & Ginger Slushies ($68) and Fresh Thai Lime Soda ($46), we start with Spicy Chopped Pork & Thai Herb Salad ($138). With plenty of lettuce on the side, the chopped pork is seasoned with fresh herbs. While only moderately spicy on its own, it can become quite hot by adding Nam Jim Gai sauce, which also made the salad much more appealing in taste. A nice salad for those who like spiciness, but probably not the choice if cannot take the heat.

Each of us order our own boat noodle, with me going for Samsen Wagyu Beef Boat Noodle Soup ($158), while my wife has the Samsen Pork Boat Noodle Soup ($158). The soup is really delicious, intense in flavours and can immediately tell the effort and time needed to prepare. Apart from the slices of beef, there are also beef brisket and meatball, and the brisket is the star among them, very tender and full of flavours.  

Together there are also some crispy pork rinds which are very good soaking up the soup. Another highlight for me is the thin rice noodles, silky and perfect combination with the soup and beef. Along with Thai watercress, the taste is truly authentic and reminds me of the best boat noodles. I did not try the pork boat noodle but it is equally good too in my wife’s opinion.

For dessert, we have Thai Mango & Sticky Rice ($98). Again, true to the traditional style, the chef has scattered some green beans on top to bring in extra layer of texture. The mango slices are delicious and juicy, with the sticky rice glutinous and perfect with the coconut cream, sweet but not excessive. Another recommendation.

Service is good, while the place is packed and not exactly comfortable, the staff are friendly and try their best to help and assist. The bill on the night is $783. While it is not cheap, here one can truly bring back memories of your visit to Thailand and the amazing boat noodles you have tried there. If not traveling soon, a good place to quench the thirst with its wonderful broth.