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2010-07-13
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Newly opened branch in Happy Valley, this Mak Siu Kee is on the street with the very first St. Honore cake shop, and across from McDonald's.Staff is polite and seem to value good service. However they were also sometimes not very responsive and missed out 2 of my orders! They also make tons of recommendations, especially for the more "deluxe" dishes...Dining area is not big, cramped with definitely less than 20 tables and booths.Onto the food!Cantonese style zha jiang noodles ($4x)I specify Cant
Staff is polite and seem to value good service. However they were also sometimes not very responsive and missed out 2 of my orders! They also make tons of recommendations, especially for the more "deluxe" dishes...
Dining area is not big, cramped with definitely less than 20 tables and booths.
Onto the food!
Cantonese style zha jiang noodles ($4x)
I specify Cantonese style, because it is not the northern-China zha jiang mian; this style is what you would expect when ordering 炸酱面 in wonton shops in Hong Kong. The sauce itself is of good consistency, neither too thick nor thin; stir fried with good timing and heat. The shredded pork is very dry as per usual, but not unpleasantly charcoal-like. Only complaint is that they really could have been more generous with the sauce!
The soup - I tasted this before everything else, because this was untainted, in its own little bowl. It noticeably is more deeper than soups I've had in other wonton noodle shops - I have read that Mak Siu Kee use more dried fish and white pepper in making their stock. Points for a good, strong broth.!
Noodles - hand made (not sure if it is fresh, in store, but definitely not machinery mass-produced supermarket stuff!) with duck egg and lye water. Noodles here are softer than usual, and their lye taste and smell is not as strong. Diameter also seems slightly thinner. They cook it to softer than al dente, although it still has some bite to it.
Beef tendon noodles in soup ($32)
4 measly pieces of beef tendon - 2 of which were not chewy but rubbery - too hard; the rest were gelatinous, almost melt-in-your mouth with a bigger bite. I prefer a softer texture - not too soft that it collapses, but soft enough so you don't end up swallowing lumps! Also the noodles turned out quite oily. Perhaps the grease came from the broth?
Original shrimp wontons with noodles in soup ($28)
Again, 4 teeny morsels of shrimp wrapped in fine wonton wrappers. I daresay the ingredients seem fresher than in many other noodle shops - but I wonder why they have 2 sizes for this dish only - all other noodle soups come in one size, and they are the same as this "small size" wonton noodles...?
Beef brisket noodles ($32)
Beef brisket was not very tender. Not too impressed - seems just average in taste, seasoning wasn't exceptionally unforgettable. Ordered this because I thought beef brisket would be heartier than tendons, with a little meat. But like every other dish here, the beef chunks were quite insubstantial and had either fatty strips or more tendon attached to it. White blobs of beef tallow were noticeably floating on the soup's surface after the noodles were finished.
Plain congee ($16) with an extra century egg ($10)
Congee was thick and smooth. I can't compare because I hardly eat congee, but it certainly had oil in it. Century egg was, well, like any other, and I won't comment on this dish because it's more of an assembled dish than a laborious, customized one.
Fried bread ($1x?)
Freshly fried. For dipping with congee.
Gai lan with oyster sauce ($22)
Good - still crunchy, not overcooked! It was not just blanched; can definitely feel and taste a little vegetable oil which is OK. Wonder if they use Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce?
Honestly, I thought the best dish of the night was the congee!
And they offered tissues towards the end of my meal, how helpful!
Perhaps it was all the hype that I read about it and got my expectations way too high. I was disappointed because the portions are crazily small and seating was not comfortable (hard surfaces with insufficient space). But then again, I don't usually eat at noodle shops, so it is hard for me to judge and compare in terms of the environment and portion sizes.
Don't think I will come again, and I don't really recommend it. I was just curious and therefore ate here. After my experiences with wonton noodle shops, I think I will much rather enjoy a bowl of fresh-from-frozen shrimp noodles in the comfort of my home than having them in these eateries. But then again, I am very inexperienced with this kind of eateries, so I cannot compare to the "typical" wonton noodle shop.
张贴
