I've grown up largely on western cuisine, so anytime I had an opportunity to eat it while living / staying for long periods of time in Asia, it's always a welcome sight. The deli scene in Hong Kong is next to zero, but Morty's is here to fill that void.
This Wan Chai location is not really near the MTR. They're sandwiched in between Admiralty and Wan Chai but is most easily accessible from Hennessy Rd and up a couple of blocks onto Wing Fung St. The restaurant looks like a small diner on the beginning of an street incline. Parking is a near impossibility.
It's a narrow, tight squeeze but they've still made room for all sorts of group action, including an outdoor table in their courtyard. Ventilation is quite good and there are TVs for watching sports on the inside. It's generally well lit and clean, which is sometimes all we can ask for.
The food is not going to win awards from smoked meat purists, but it'll do the job. They offer a classic pastrami as well as a reuben and some interesting smoked meat burgers and a short rib sandwich that is supposedly cooked for 72 hours via sous vide. They also have a rare item in poutine (#1), which is true to form with cheese curds, a little pastrami, and topped off with homemade gravy.
They also have hot dogs, specialty sandwiches (#3), salads, and they even a have plant based options. The latter includes a cubano, burgers, and a mushroom version of their popular reuben. I also appreciate that they care about their bread so much that they actually have ciabatta, baguette, rye, or even a bagel.
I think I'm most impressed with their drink selection, which includes
cocktails, wine, beer, and soda options. The bottomless iced lemon tee makes me chuckle, but I'm likely to shoot for their rootbeer float ($75HKD), which is totally alcoholic.
Overall, I'm not mad at the food. It's smaller than I expected (#2). I find that $160-170HKD is a little pricey for their signature sandwiches, but I get that they're also gauging prices the way they are in North America. Would likely come back when I feel like bleeding money and eating smoked meats.
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(#1) Trust me. It's rare. We barely have it in Houston, TX where I'm based!
(#2) Foodflation around the world, food shrinkage in Asia. Portions R not us. read more