By some sheer coincidence, I reckon, two of Hong Kong’s best known wonton noodle shops are located across from each other on Wellington Street in Central. On one side, Mak’s Noodles; on the other, Tsim Chai Kee. It was late breakfast time one weekday, perhaps almost brunch, when we decided to try both of them. I hear both places fill up at lunchtime with all the financial workers in the area so it’s probably best to go either early or late.
We started at Mak’s. Two bowls of wonton noodle soup were ordered (about 25HKD each) – regular egg noodles for me and flat rice noodles for M. Lots has been said already about the size of the portions at Mak’s but even after reading about it all, it was still a bit gobsmacking to have a tiny bowl served to you. You know those Chinese soup bowls that are usually set at each place at a Chinese restaurant? Yeah, that size.
Four little wontons sat at the bottom of the bowl, under the little pile of noodles. The standard size for a wonton in Hong Kong seems to be of ping pong size but these were significantly smaller. Still, they were tasty with their prawn filling. The noodles were excellent with a great bouncy texture and the soup was very flavourful.
It was a great bowl but the size of the portion and the price of that portion is a bit hard to stomach. I reckon I could put away at least 3-4 bowls comfortably which definitely doesn’t make this a budget noodle shop. Of course, if this was in London, it would almost be a bargain for the quality evident in the bowl. They’re also famous for their dry noodles topped with shrimp roe but we didn’t have another chance to try those.
Mak’s Noodle
G/F, 77 Wellington Street
Central
Hong Kong
With lots of space still in our tummies, we crossed the road and entered straight into Tsim Chai Kee. The inside was surprisingly modern and all dark wood and a great contrast to the old-fashioned look of Mak’s. The menu is shorter than that of Mak’s with only 3 kinds of toppings available: wontons, sliced beef and fishballs. Prices were lower (about 20HKD for one topping and 23HKD for two toppings) and portions were bigger.
M chose the wonton noodle soup this time and yes, it was a generous portion. Again, excellent noodles but I thought there was more of a lye flavour in the soup which must have leached out from the noodles. Still, I would happily down a whole bowl of these noodles with their ping pong sized wontons.
I went for two toppings: wontons and fishballs. The bigger wontons made for a meatier mouthful though in hindsight, I quite like the daintiness of Mak’s wontons. The huge, bouncy, homemade fishballs were excellent – they were made of dace and studded with dried orange peel, not something I’d had in a fishball before. The noodles were just as good as in Mak’s.
Oh, I can’t pick a straight out winner. Both were great but for value for your buck (and it’s all about good value here), Tsim Chai Kee is better. When I go back one day, it’ll be all three toppings in a bowl for me (yeah, then I’ll cross the road and have a plateful of dry noodles with shrimp roe)!
Tsim Chai Kee Noodle
Shop B, G/F Jade Centre
98 Wellington Street
Central
Hong Kong
Sun, 29 Jan, 2012 at 01:03
I remember the TV program “Chua’s Choice” mentioned one of the most traditional wonton soup restaurants in Hong Kong. It didn’t say the name but it did mention the key to a bowl of authentic Cantonese wonton noodle soup. The wontons must be small, like fish-ball size. The soup must be clear with no cloudiness, and the noodles are egg noodles kneaded by a bamboo cane. The bowl must be quite small. The wonton itself must resemble little gold fishes. It seems to me that the first photo is more authentic than the others. It may be smaller but perhaps more work has gone into the preparation of the soup?
Sun, 29 Jan, 2012 at 01:16
Agreed! Thought the portion size at Mak’s was just silly (would have been willing to pay more for a bigger bowl), but I loved Tsim Chai Kee, just as delicious and a total bargain in comparison ^-^
Sun, 29 Jan, 2012 at 06:28
never been to HK but these noodles sound and look perfect for today’s weather!
Sun, 29 Jan, 2012 at 08:36
Wonton noodles is possibly my boyfriend’s all time fave dishes. These versions both look great. Do you have a favourite place for the same dish in London?
Sun, 29 Jan, 2012 at 09:17
Both are excellent, but the soup was better in Kee Noodles, but I loved the atmosphere in Mak’s, that it became my favourite when we were out there.
Sun, 29 Jan, 2012 at 14:56
I did the same as you when I was last in HK; I went to Mak’s then crossed the road to Tsim Chai Kee. In my dream world, the noodles & broth from Mak’s would be combined with the fishballs & wontons from Tsim Chai Kee! That said, I think TCK edge it on price/portion size/value and those bloody brilliant dace fishballs.
Sun, 29 Jan, 2012 at 16:46
I don’t remember the noodle soups at Mak’s being particularly small (unusual for me..!) but I loved their noodles and won tons. Wish I’d gone over the road and tried theirs too!
Mon, 30 Jan, 2012 at 15:50
I went to Mak’s back in 2010 and was so excited to eat their wonton noodles. Imagine my disappointment when the bowl came out – it was tiny! I mean I had friends telling me it was small but still, I think I ate the whole thing with one gulp. I have to say though it was the best broth I have ever tried. And the noodles were perfectly al dente. I definitely will go back there again next time but thanks for pointing out Tsim Chai Kee Noodle as I’ll go there next time too. I haven’t as yet found good fish balls in London…….
Mon, 30 Jan, 2012 at 18:43
Wish I had gone to Tsim Chai Kee, only made it to Mak’s when last in HK. SUCH a sucker for wontons and fish/meat balls!
Fri, 10 Feb, 2012 at 13:31
ysoconnor: I need to look up this Chua’s Choice! I have no idea if there was more work in the bowl but it does sting a bit to pay so much in comparison to across the street. That said, I enjoyed my goldfish like wontons (well, I can sort of see the resemblance!).
Kathy: Yeah…good point. Why don’t they just up their prices and the size of their bowls? Maybe then people will realise how expensive it really is?
kat: Yes! It’s so cold here too!
Laura: Ooh, unfortunately, I’m no expert on it in London. However, I have enjoyed the ones I’ve had at Hung’s. And their chili oil is excellent!
Mzungu: Interesting how everyone has their favourites. There must be loads more noodle shops that I just never got to try. Boo.
Mr Noodles: I adored those fishballs….sigh…
hollowlegs: Their stuff was indeed excellent but yeah…small. That *is* unusual for you!
Christine: The fish balls here are pretty mediocre, right? Still, I guess they’ll have to do in a pinch…
Hungry Female: You’ll have to go next time!