Among the many wonton noodle shops named “Mak’s” in Hong Kong, Mak’s Noodle Restaurant (Chung Kee) on Wing Kut Street in Sheung Wan is perhaps the oldest.
“All the Mak’s were opened by relatives of Mak Ngan,” says So Kong-shing, brother-in-law of Mak Chi-chung, the founder of Mak’s Chung Kee.
Mak Ngan was the nickname of Mak King-hung, who learned to make wonton noodles from his father, Mak Woon-chi, believed to be the inventor of wonton noodles as we know them today, with paperthin wrappers, shrimp filling and thin, bouncy noodles.
Mak King-hung arrived in Hong Kong during the second world war, says So. Mak King-hung worked at a restaurant, where his wonton noodles were a big hit. After the restaurant closed in the 1960s, he set up his own dai pai dong on Gilman Street, where Mak Chichung would later work and learn his grandfather’s method.
Mak King-hung retired in 1983 when the government offered him compensation for closing the dai pai dong. Mak Chi-chung set up shop on Wing Kut Street.
So married Mak Chi-chung’s older sister, and worked at the dai pai dong before it closed. In 1997, Mak Chi-chung emigrated to Canada, and left So in charge of the Hong Kong operation. Since then, they’ve opened an outlet in Seoul.
They dropped the “Mak’s” to call it Chung Kee. Whatever the name, So says their recipe is the original: “Our wontons are made with shrimp, no pork, and the noodle dough is kneaded by bamboo poles. That’s our speciality and why we’re different from the rest.”
Mak’s Noodle Restaurant (Chung Kee), 37 Wing Kut Street, Central, tel: 25416388. Open: 8am-7pm
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: THE MAK DADDY
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