We capped our first day in HK watching the sunset and admiring the early dusk view of the Kowloon and Central nightscape at the viewdeck of Victoria Peak. Boy, was it a chilly 19 degrees up there with the wind adding to the cold. We chanced upon Mak's on the way out of the Galleria mall, the warm lighting looked inviting and the thought of having hot soup on a chilly night sounded like a good idea.
Turns out, we came at the right moment because we've hardly warmed our seats when a slew of tourists and locals crowded the small restaurant. Hmmm, that looks like a good omen for the quality of the food. And it turned out to be a really flavorful omen. It was only later, after we've gone home, that we read about Mak's being a third-generation family enterprise specializing in wonton noodles. Wikipedia even says that the grandfather, Mak Woon-chi, served the same dish to Chiang Kai-shek.
Lagal[og] says: I must admit that we were ordering blind since we understand little of what's on the menu and we were already famished. We looked in the menu and chose the set that had Chutney Pork with Noodles, Oyster Sauce & Shrimp Roe with Noodles, Pork Dumpling & Wonton and Vegetable with Oyster Sauce (HK$139). We had to stick to a budget since fellow traveler and foodie, Nina, and I were also eyeing crepes for dessert.
Ironwulf says: I took a sip of the hot soup to get warmed up from the cold weather at Victoria Peak and I was instantly taken over by the complex yet light taste of the broth. It was different in a good way since it has that deep shrimp flavor with hints of herbs here and there. It was very good. I took a roll of Noodles with Shrimp Roe with my chopsticks and again was surprised by the rich shrimp flavor of the noodles. I liked it very much.
Lagal[og] says: I thought that the serving size was on the small side until I read that the small bowls are meant to keep the noodles from getting soggy which makes perfect sense as the noodles are cooked just right. The soup base is something else, with a deeply-satisfying flavor. The Pork Dumpling and Wonton was a winner from the first bite, with the delicious pork flavor filling your mouth. If we weren't up for crepes, I was already thinking of placing another order. It was that good.
Ironwulf says: I earnestly wiped-off some of the oyster sauce from the Crispy Kailan Vegetable and chewed on the crispy stem. It was really good and a nice way to refresh the taste buds. Then I took some of the Chutney Pork with Noodles. It was a delightful mix of sweetness and slight sourness with a light spicy aftertaste. I immediately took a liking at it as it was a perfect pairing with the firm, flavorful noodles.
Mak's
Galleria, Victoria Peak
with outlets in Olympian City, China Hong Kong City, Causeway Bay and Macau
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