Is Mak's Noodles the best noodles in HK ****

Noodle places are a dime a dozen in HK. Inexpensive, warm and filling, it is indeed the ultimate comfort food. One of the must visit places in HK is Mak's. Thanks to food celebrity Anthony Bourdain's recommendation, people all over the world has come to visit this humble noodle place. We visited the branch in Lock Road at the back of ISquare Mall along Nathan Road.

Their specialty is the Wanton Noodle (HK$39) the noodles are slimmer than your usual mami noodles and fragrant, the soup is light and the wantons in light paper thin wrappers with bits of shrimp inside. It is as delicious as advertised but it comes in very small bowls. A must try. 

We also ordered dumplings which was served with soup. Loaded with bits of mushroom and pork, these were ok with the wanton tasted superior.

Being a group of 4, we also ordered the beef and wanton noodle, the beef was tender and the noodles were as good. The bowls were also small.

Since we were still hungry, we splurged a bit (ok we overspent) and ordered the Tossed Noodles with Prawns and Shrimp Roe. (Hk$90) these came with a separate bowl you can use to dip the noodles. Our server suggested soy sauce should be added a bit to the noodles for more flavor  which we followed. Just look at the those big shrimps.

Our total bill was more than HK $300. This was a bit expensive because you can order so much food for tgat amount. But the experience is worth it. Skip the expensive Tossed Noodles and you're good.

Staff were friendly and they have an English menu. (Say this if you want an english menu: ing wen choi tan)

Till then, enjoy.

Summary:

Spend about $39 - $ 50 

For a good bowl of noodles

Location:  

Lock Road near Nathan Road

Yuen Kee 源记茶餐厅 at Tsimshatsui Hongkong

Yuen Kee is one of the cha tsan ting (tea house) in Tsimshatsui

They have branches around the area, Granville Road and one near the Mira Hotel
We tried the one in Kimberly Road. They specialize in beef but we only knew of this when we already settled our bill.

We tried the Wanton Noodles and the Barbecue Pork Rice
plus some Chai Sum on Hoi sin since this was our first stop and we were really hungry.
Well lucky you they have an English menu, but we ordered based on what we were familiar with. They open late til 2 am.

The food is so-so but I can't say that for the others since they specialize in beef and tripe noodles but this place is inexpensive and still better than some Chinese restos in Manila.
Good place if you're on a budget since most of their stuff is inexpensive.

Roast Pork Rice, glazed right and tender

Wanton Mee with Choi Sum on the side

Yuen Kee Restaurant
G/F 18B Granville Rd,, Tsim Sha Tsui
尖沙咀加連威老道18號地下B

Tai Woo Seafood Restaurant 太湖海鮮城 - the repeat

This one was from almost 3 years ago and still looks the same

After almost 3 years, we returned to Tai Woo in the middle of a signal number 8 storm.
Thankfully, it was just windy and we found the place based on memory. This is just in Hillwood Street, if you're in Nathan Road just turn left to Hillwood. My tip when you first get to this place is to say no the first dish that they bring you - a teeny plate of salted cucumber. Personally I don't eat this and it cost HK$15 on your tab, so you might as well have it removed. This place has a lot of other charges on your menu, including the HK$10 tea/water charge (standard for most restos), the wet tissues ($3 each) and the 10% service charge. If you add everything up, that's roughly $40 to $50+ of just add ons. (and in HK $50 is already a meal) to your bill. But don't let this ruin your dining experience.

One of the brochure type menus

Taiwoo still has the same award-winning dishes on its menu, and they have just upped the ante with an English menu (but sadly they did it brochure style, which confused me more)

Anyway we were back for the Tofu with Seafood Vegetarian Crab Roe.  An additional bowl of steamed rice is suggested for this dish because it is very good. An order is good for two or three people.

Spareribs with real strawberry garnish

We also ordered Spareribs in Strawberry Sauce which was also good. This dish reminded me of the Champagne Spareribs in this hole-in-the-wall in Manila. But this one was unforgettably yummy and the tangy sauce complemented the Tofu dish that we ordered.

pardon the umbrella

Again, Tai Woo scores!

Spoon Rating:
4.5 out of 5 spoons

Ambiance 3.5 out of 5
Service 4 out of 5
Food taste 5 out of 5
Food servings 5 out of 5


You can read my old Tai Woo Review here
 http://kainmanila.blogspot.com/2012/08/award-wining-dining-at-hongkong.html


Tai Woo Seafood Restaurant
14 Hillwood Road, Tsimshatsui, Hongkong