Wonton noodle soup is classic Cantonese comfort food - every noodle shop covers it, but very few can claim perfection. There is something about fresh shrimp dumplings, lye water noodles and delicately fragrant broth of a well-made soup that brings out the purist in food lovers. A quest for the real thing invariably takes enthusiasts to bustling Wellington Street, where Mak's Noodles and Tsim Chai Kee have both been serving piping hot bowls of the stuff for decades.
Tsim Chai Kee is more than 50 years old, and its storefront, refurbished less than 10 years ago, is plastered with reviews in several languages including a local one dating back 19 years.
Mak's Noodles founder Mak Chi-hung first opened his stall in one of Central's open-air markets in 1968, using his father's recipe from pre-war Guangzhou. He relocated to Wellington Street in 1989 and his son, Mak Chi-ming, now runs the business.
During our Saturday afternoon taste trip, there was a steady turnover at both 35- to 40-seat eateries but no wait at either. During weekday lunch hours, however, queues around the corner are a common sight.
Tsim Chai Kee serves only noodles in soup with any combination of three topping choices: home-made ling yu (mud carp) fish balls, sliced beef and golf-ball-sized fresh wontons.
A generous bowl of the signature wonton noodle soup (HK$18) was on the table as the last word in our order was uttered. The noodles are al dente at first, softening in the broth with time; still, they are rather wiry specimens. The generous helping of broth, garnished with chopped green onion, is flavourful with a noticeable, somewhat bitter aftertaste from the lye water.