Compared with other business districts around the world, Hong Kong’s Central is one of the few that offer food as good as what you would find in more chowhoundish neighborhoods. (To think of all those lunches breaks in New York when I had to rely on the same halal vendor…) On this past trip I spent a good portion of my time there, trying new spots and revisiting favorites (okay, and shopping too.)
Mak’s Noodles (Mak Kee) on Wellington Street is an old HK standby. As with most popular establishments, it’s impossible to ignore the write-ups they taped to their windows and under the glass table tops, including one about a visit from Anthony Bourdain. You can get a bowl of just wontons, all containing one tightly packed shrimp with no pork filler, or have wontons with very fresh and springy egg noodles, the type I crave intensely after a long absence from Hong Kong.
Their shui gaow are looser, with shrimp, bamboo, and wood ear. The broth is also quite nice, flavored with dried fish and shrimp and garnished with yellow chives. The only caveat is the small portion size, about half of what you normally get from wonton noodle shops, and the relatively expensive price of $26 to $28 a bowl. On my next trip I need to try Tsim Chai Kee just across the street, supposedly another good spot, with much bigger bowls of wontons at just $16.
Not far from Mak’s Noodles is Tai Cheong, a bakery that sells egg tarts made with a short crust pastry. Unlike the typical flaky shells of most Cantonese egg tarts, this crust is a tad firmer and oilier, the type of perfect pie crust I hope for but don’t normally find in the US. The filling also seems a bit sweeter than traditional egg tarts, almost as delectable as Macanese egg tarts but without the caramelized top.
Mak’s Noodles 麥奀雲吞麵世家
77 Wellington Street, Central
Hong Kong
中環威靈頓街77號地下
Tai Cheong Bakery 泰昌餅家
35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central
Hong Kong
中環擺花街 35 號地下
I know Mak’s get a lot of write up & everybody raves about it but I personally thinks it’s overrated. I lived in HK for 9 years & it was always Tsim Chai Kee. Their bowl of noodles are cheaper & wontons way bigger & better. If you’re still in HK, you should try them.
Mei – Yeah, I meant to try Tsim Chai Kee on this trip but ran out of time. Hopefully I’ll be back soon.
There’s nothing I love more than egg tarts!
I think I tried Mak’s wonton noodles before–prior to being a food blogger, I never paid much attention to where I eat–the shop looks super familiar.
OMG, can those wontons be any BIGGER. Super-duper drooling now. I need to make shrimp wonton soup tomorrow!
Rasa Malaysia – The wontons were actually rather small, just one shimp inside each. Still good, though. I think they look big because the bowl was tiny. Think one-serving-size rice bowl.
Hi Diana
Yum! Both of these are on my shortlist. Shame the egg tart pastry isn’t the type I prefer, but I’m still going to try one. The wonton noodles I must try. I’ve read that the larger ones at the other place Jim Chai Kee, aren’t so good, but it would be good to compare the two types.
Helen Yuet Ling
Helen – Let me know how it goes. And you would probably prefer the egg tarts at Honolulu Cafe.
I’ve blogged and eaten at all three places at one time or another over the past few years. In fact, on my way to Singapore, I would often schedule a 5 hour connection through HKG so I could run into town and get some HK soul food. The SQ reservations agent would be confused about why I would schedule a layover like that until I told her I wanted to eat in town…
Mak’s is nice sit down food and excellent quality but Tsim Chai Kee mirrors the hustle and bustle of the city it calls home. And if you want something even later, Wong Chi Kei, the bamboo noodle shop from Macau is on the other end of Wellington Street (start at Mak’s, walk up and then down the hill).
And the Tai Cheong Bakery….ahhhhh yes! When they were forced to close their original location a few years back, I was part of the queue and got interviewed by ATV News. Thank goodness they were able to reopen just up the street in its current location!
Chris Patten had good taste — Tai Cheong’s egg tarts are the best I’ve had. Luckily for me, there’s a second location in Mongkok, a few blocks from my apartment, on the 5th floor of Grand Century Place. It lacks the atmosphere of the original shop but it makes up for it with a reduced price — $3.80 instead of $5!