Mak's Noodle
Encyclopedia
Mak's Noodle is a traditional Cantonese
restaurant
in Central
, Hong Kong
, specialising in wonton noodles.
. It is claimed that the recipe has remained unchanged since Mak's grandfather's time.
The noodles restaurant has its roots in a Guangzhou
eaterie established pre-war by Mak Woon-chi. One of his sons, Mak King-hung , nicknamed Mak Ngan because he was extremely skinny as a child, started an open air food stall
in Central in 1968 in which his younger brother was the chef. The founder retired in 1983, and renounced his food stall license in lieu of HK$36,000 in compensation from the Hong Kong government.
The founder's eldest son, Mak Chi-chung (麥志忠), opened his own restaurant Chung Kee Noodles , in 1986, while Mak senior partnered his son-in-law in 1989 to reincarnate his original business in Wellington Street. He ran the restaurant himself and retired again in 1996. The business was succeeded by his second son Mak Chi-ming, the current proprietor.
In recent years, Mak's Noodle has established outlets at Olympian City
, China Hong Kong City
and Causeway Bay
, and one restaurant in Macau
.
Hong Kong
wonton noodles are usually equated with wonton
and noodles served together in piping hot broth
. However, the restaurant also serves noodles together with other choices in addition to the traditional wonton. These may either be served in broth or with dry noodles (撈麵) and the broth in a separate bowl, as in some other Southeast Asia
n countries such as Singapore
and Malaysia.
Cantonese cuisine
Cantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong Province in southern China and is one of 8 superdivisions of Chinese cuisine. Its prominence outside China is due to the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong. Cantonese chefs are highly sought after throughout the country...
restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
in Central
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, specialising in wonton noodles.
History
It is a third-generation family business dating back to the 1960s, and is now run by Mak Chi-ming, whose grandfather Mak Woon-chi served the dish to Chiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
. It is claimed that the recipe has remained unchanged since Mak's grandfather's time.
The noodles restaurant has its roots in a Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
eaterie established pre-war by Mak Woon-chi. One of his sons, Mak King-hung , nicknamed Mak Ngan because he was extremely skinny as a child, started an open air food stall
Dai pai dong
Dai pai dong is a type of open-air food stall once very popular in Hong Kong. The government registration name in Hong Kong is "cooked-food stalls", but dai pai dong literally means "restaurant with a big license plate", referring to its size of license which is bigger than other licensed street...
in Central in 1968 in which his younger brother was the chef. The founder retired in 1983, and renounced his food stall license in lieu of HK$36,000 in compensation from the Hong Kong government.
The founder's eldest son, Mak Chi-chung (麥志忠), opened his own restaurant Chung Kee Noodles , in 1986, while Mak senior partnered his son-in-law in 1989 to reincarnate his original business in Wellington Street. He ran the restaurant himself and retired again in 1996. The business was succeeded by his second son Mak Chi-ming, the current proprietor.
In recent years, Mak's Noodle has established outlets at Olympian City
Olympian City
Olympian City is a shopping and residential complex on the reclaimed land of Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong, next to the MTR Olympic Station. It is one of the main shopping and residential areas in West Kowloon...
, China Hong Kong City
China Hong Kong City
China Hong Kong City is a commercial complex including five office towers which have a shopping centre, office buildings, a hotel and a ferry terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is situated along Canton Road, next to The Gateway and the Tsim Sha Tsui Fire Station...
and Causeway Bay
Causeway Bay
Causeway Bay is a heavily built-up area of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, located on the Hong Kong Island, and covering parts of Wan Chai and Eastern districts. The Chinese name is also romanized as Tung Lo Wan as in Tung Lo Wan Road...
, and one restaurant in Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
.
Wonton noodles
The soup base is made of powdered dried flounder, dried shrimp roe and pork bones. The small serving bowls keep the noodles from going soggy.Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
wonton noodles are usually equated with wonton
Wonton
Not to be confused with WantonA wonton is a type of dumpling commonly found in a number of Chinese cuisines.-Filling:...
and noodles served together in piping hot broth
Broth
Broth is a liquid food preparation, typically consisting of either water or an already flavored stock, in which bones, meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been simmered. Broth is used as a basis for other edible liquids such as soup, gravy, or sauce. It can be eaten alone or with garnish...
. However, the restaurant also serves noodles together with other choices in addition to the traditional wonton. These may either be served in broth or with dry noodles (撈麵) and the broth in a separate bowl, as in some other Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
n countries such as Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Malaysia.