Shea Wong Sin 蛇王善 - Delicious Snake Soup & Glutinous Rice

Rating: ❤❤❤❤

One of the best things to eat in HK to battle the wintery cold is snake soup! There are so many small shops that sell snake soup so it's hard to keep count. I've got to admit that I don't actively seek out snake soup since I don't really crave it, but if I pass by a shop that looks legit, I may be tempted to try it. That's how I ended up at Shea Wong Sin in Sham Shui Po. I was in the area running some errands when I passed by this shop, and happened to catch a glimpse of live snakes in their glass cage! It's been a while since I've seen live snakes on display as I don't recall seeing them at other snake soup places I've tried on HK Island. So I decided to go in and try their snake soup!

Their menu is relatively simple with mainly snake soup, other herbal soup as well as turtle jelly. The most popular item on their menu is the snake soup & glutinous rice set, which is perfect since I love glutinous rice! You can choose to have a bowl of S, M, or L glutinous rice for $55, $70, and $85 respectively with the snake soup. The prices were very reasonable compared with Se Wong Yee. I ended up choosing the small set to eat. 

Snake Soup & Glutinous Rice Set (S - $55)

The snake soup was piping hot when it arrived at the table, where you can put as much lemongrass and fried wonton skins as you wish. The consistency of the snake soup was pretty good as it was thick enough and not watery. The portions were decent with plenty of sliced snakes, chicken strips as well as dark mushrooms. The soup was flavorful with a strong scent of dried mandarin peels. The fragrance of the lemongrass and the crispness of the fried wonton skins helped to enhance the enjoyment of the soup as well!

My glutinous rice was next to arrive and even though I ordered a small, it was still a lot to finish. After my horrible experience with the limp glutinous rice at Se Wong Yee, I was relieved to find that the rice here was so much better as the stir-fried rice was hard and coated with flavor. There was not a lot of preserved meat though with a few chopped pieces of chinese sausage and preserved pork belly. After I had gone through all the meat, it was hard to finish the rice by itself. Still, it was a solid bowl of rice but would have been better with more preserved meat. 

While I was eating my food, I looked around the shop and noticed a lot of snake products like snake alcohol and snake bladder which is supposed to be good for you. 

Also saw some actual snakes already sitting in bottles of liquid as well. 

As I walked out, I passed by their stoves out in front where they keep the snake soup and other food they serve. I must have been so occupied with the live snakes that I didn't see this when I was walking so. So this is why their snake soup was so hot! The snake soup and other soup must be heated in these pots the entire day. 

Verdict - both the snake soup and glutinous rice exceeded my expectations while delivering on the value at only $55 for the set! I was all warmed up after my meal. Even if you are not into eating snake soup, the restaurant can also serve as a snake culinary museum where one can observe the history of snake cuisine in HK! 

Shea Wong Sin
G/F, 50 Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po
2386 1593

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