Mak Um Kee wonton noodle, Central, HK

Haven't been here for a few years but it's still maintained at its quality, though the price isn't the same.  No complaint as the labour and rent cost has gone up high.

麥兆記雲吞麵 Mak Siu Kee Wonton Noodle shop, Wanchai HK

 Read the article in the shop about its origin - quite a long article but strange that I still couldn't figure out on how it claimed to be related to Mak Um Kee on a some sort of son-in-law with this and that relationship.  Anyway, the noodle is pretty nice - very evenly thin and al-dente.  The wonton is not bad, but the worst part is the soup.  It was quite bitter (probably from the over-burnt of the dai di fish).  The veggie wasn't too fresh.  So half and half, I'd prefer to go back to Mak Um Kee.

Ho Hung Kee noodle shop 何洪記, Causeway Bay, HK

This is one of the most established wonton noodle shops in Hong Kong. The shop is now behind Lee Theatre's plaza and convenient for tourists' visit in Causeway Bay. The noodle is very nice and aromatic but the soup base is not as good as before, though it's still not bad. Tried the HK most popular stir fried noodle with shred pork and bean sprout (肉絲炒麵). Quite a classic way that they did it - crispy outside and tangy soft inside with a nice hot shred pork bean sprout sauce on top. I love putting the Cantonese chili sauce (photo 3) to go with the stir fried noodle. Full of memory.

Rip off dinner at Wing Wah won ton noodle shop 永華雲吞麵家, Wanchai, Hong Kong

This shop used to be my regular visit when I was around in Wanchai years ago. Their won ton and red bean sweet were superb. Back then their prices were at the same level as the other won ton shop.

Unfortunately, after Michelin rated this shop as a recommended visited one, their prices became rocket high. The bill for the below is HK$235. Won ton noodle at HK$34 (market average price at around $20-25 for famous shop, common one at $14-18), pig knuckle's tossed noodle HK$53 (vs. $28-35), Kai Lan with dried shrimp roe HK$35 (vs. HK$20-25, but not in such a small portion), deep fried fish skin HK$22 (vs. HK$7-12), shrimp veggie dumpling HK$34 (vs. HK$18-25), Chinese herbal tea 桑寄生茶 HK$18 (vs. HK$10-12), red bean sweet HK$22 (vs. HK$6-12). First, the noodle isn't tangy as before though it claimed to be a "bamboo rod pressed" noodle. Then the noodle wasn't tossed well. It came as a "bag" of noodle. Won ton and dumplings were already made and the wrap is too mashy. Soup base isn't aromatic at all. Pig's knuckle wasn't shimmered well. Then the herbal tea is so so. The red bean sweet is too thin. Really not the same as before. I gotta put a foot stop to this shop. My loving memory is completely washed away...

*Please check the photo no. 9. Their pomelo skin is charged crazily at HK$110. Jade Garden or similar restaurant charged only HK$72. So their bottled coke/sprite is even at HK$13 (vs. HK$5-7 for won ton shop). Crazy! Even something not made by them, but just sold at this hop can be double high. Reward and rating can make them a business but also destroy them on their ecstasy of ego. Sigh but a good mirror education for us.

池記 Chee Kee Wonton noodle shop TST

This shop is another busy shop I would miss during meal time. By luck and in between meetings in TST, as I passed by Lock Road, I grabbed a few minutes for a quick wonton noodle soup. It's still so good as I tried years ago. Really missed it a lot. This one, Mak Um Kee (麥奀記) & Ho Hung Kee (何洪記) are my favourite ones for wonton noodle. Their soup base is still maintained with the original aromatic "big earth" fish and pork bone ingredients. Don't leave the soup behind. I always empty the bowl.

Five Dragon Congee and Wonton shop, 五龍粥麵店, Central, Hong Kong

Remember the Lee Tung Street 利東街 (the so-called "greeting card street"囍帖街) of Wanchai? There was an old shop called five dragon selling some nostalgic wonton and shrimp dumplings and congee over 40 years at least. Some tycoon rich men even asked their drivers to go to this shop for a quick snack. That was my high school time I ran in this shop with school mates and noticed that, after my bicycle riding in Bowen Road. When Lee Tung Street was under re development in 2005, the shop moved to Central. So tonight I got to re-visit this old friend.

1. Ordered a satay beef on stir fried flat rice noodle HK$38. The noodle is a fresh one and stir fried aromatic but not burnt, not oily either. Personally I don't like satay sauce but this one is pretty good. 2. Phoenix city shrimp dumplings 鳳城水餃 HK$20. I think this is still the only few ones I have found they put very little bit of chicken liver in it. Very classic style of the origin. Besides, some bamboo shoot and soaked dried mushroom slices bring the shrimp taste so sweet. The only minor thing I can complain is the soup base. Should have been a bit more "five spices" to go with this one.

3. Fish patty ball congee HK$25. Wow, they still the classic way of congee boiling. High heat boiling without cover 明火。It has a very nice rice aroma indeed. The fish patty is their home made too, with some dried tangerine peel. 4. The chefs and the waiters are very senior and I believe they also moved from the old shop. The shop appeared to be a bit quiet though.
5. the new shop is on Jubilee Street.

麥奀記 Mak Um Kee Wonton Noodle Shop, Wellington Rd., Central, Hong Kong

After a long day of meetings in Central, my weary feet brought me for something hearty before the dinner. Mak Um Kee is still the best on my own chart, and their price is also the no. 1 - HK$28 for a mini-bowl of wonton noodle. In Chinese we call it "細蓉" which means it has only one handful of noodle with 3-4 wontons. It's just a very good size for a midnight supper or snack.

1. the price list and menu. 2. my long awaited wonton noodle soup. The noodle's texture is still the champion to me, so are the soup and wonton. So I don't find it expensive as long as they keep it at such a high standard. I can't find any flaw from it, except the soup is a bit salty to me but it's the real "nostalgic" taste and the balanced taste of pig's bones/ribs, dried shrimp roes and Da Dai Fish is perfect. It did cheer me a lot.

3. the open kitchen - I think Open kitchen has been widely practised for a long time but wouldn't be noticed until some western restaurants have this kind of open kitchen making it as a gimick and people find it attractive. 4. the shop on Wellington Street.

Full Moon(月滿坊), Elements, West Kowloon, Hong Kong

It's about 5pm. This restaurant is still pretty crowded as compared to the others. That told something about it. In taking a look at the style and the decoration of this restaurant, it looks like it's a medium price fashionable restaurant for noodle/rice/congee/common Cantonese stir fried dishes. When I saw the packed wet napkin, it showed it's under the United restaurant group (聯邦). So I was a bit hesitant due to the negative impression from my last visit at United restaurant. So as in a Chinese saying "good is one meal, bad is another meal". It turned out it's quite a pleasant surprise or I lowered my expectation.

1. When I opened the jar of the "Yue Kwan Yik" style chili sauce, I already smelled a nice chili aroma. I don't eat hot and spicy food often but I often like to try this kind of chili sauce or Chiu Chow style chili oil - they go so well with beef brisket noodle soup. 2. This iced coffee is excellent and I can tell it's a freshly made coffee from the bean aroma. My guess is correct when I checked back on the menu about their house coffee. 3. Wow, this one is even more surprising. In some way, it is even better than the "cold" milk tea by Kam Fung in Wanchai 灣仔金鳳茶餐廳. Yes, just like MO BKK, they serve "cold" drink which is very chilled but not iced. So the taste stays as it is. The tea leaves are pretty good and not dry/bitter but with a strong tea aroma. The sweetness is just at a normal to less sweet level. Highly recommended.

4. a bucket of chicken over rice - the chicken was cooked to a balanced texture and hot steamy. The chicken tasted good too. 5. preserved radish - this is also nice, not too sweet and not too salty and quite juicy. Good to get you appetite as a pre-meal snack.

6. mini wonton soup. The soup base is very nice with strong aroma of burnt square fish chunks and dried shrimp roe. Reminded me of the old day for those original wonton soup base. However, it's not salty at all. That's good about it as less salty would bring out the original soup taste, though it may not be the original Cantonese style. OK, at this time, you may think why I ordered this mini wonton soup with just 2 wontons. From the drink to this wonton soup, it's the shop recommended set meal at just HK$60. If you order the iced coffee/cold milk tea, the single price is HK$24 and a plate of BBQ pork or chicken over rice, it would be HK$38. Those 2 are already over HK$60, but this set offers a very nice mini-wonton soup which is very good to go with the chicken rice and a very nice snack. 7. Based on the nice food I tried, I further ordered a dish of boiled fish ball over lettuce. I really like the way they hand-made this fish ball. They didn't use any flour or cornstarch to thicken the texture. All fish meat plus the dried tangerine peel which is a perfect combination. The fish ball texture is perfect - firm but not hard to chew. HK$48 is worth it as they used some very nice dried tangerine peel. Very fragrant and not bitter at all. Cheap dried tangerine peel would be quite bitter and sometimes smelly. I'll show some nice home made sunny dried tangerine peel under separate post.

8. the shop entrance. 9. The shop is together with another Thai restaurant but separated by a corridor.

Wonton soup, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

After a nice Cova iced mocha, I then turned to a stark contrast of taste - wonton (shrimp/pork dumpling). By the way, wonton was taken for "breaking the gloomy and clumpsy stuff in the break of the Spring season" in the ancient Chinese tradition". Our old ascendants used to eat wonton in the Chinese New Year season. When you bite the dumpling, the meat and the juice inside blast in your mouth and that means "breaking". However, nowadays, it is eaten any time you want. I used to wrap wonton with my elder sister for the lunch on my grand mom's birthday. At that time my grand mom. brought an interesting dried fish and it looked like a mini-sea monster. It's the essence of the wonton soup. I don't know the proper English term and in Chinese it's 大地魚 (a fish very flat like sole).

1. Wonton soup - HK$18. I used to go to this shop when I worked in Tsimshatsui and Jordan area back in the 80's. It's around on the side street between Ashley Road and Hankow Road. It's not super good but in Tsimshatsui, it may be a pretty good one. Fish ball soup - it's also not that good but I kind of like it taste-wise, kind of the common street stall lettuce fish patty soup (魚肉生菜湯）in our school time. :) Also the little fake shark's fin soup, curry fish ball, BBQ squid.. :) Do you miss them?

3. the shop has been there over 20 years. 4. Ka Ka Lok fast food shop (家家樂快餐店) - this is one of the old fast food shops offering the orange-color tomato sauce pork chop with rice and black pepper steak over rice and of course stir fried beef flat rice noodle.... It is still there.

5. Ashley Road is now with quite a no. of restaurants from Korean to Italian.