Amanda Foo
Mak’s Noodles is the one place you must visit, said foodie friends when told them I was going to Hong Kong. This writer took their advice and painstakingly tracked down the elusive shop at Wellington Street at Central and finally, after a 2-hour long trek, tasted the famed noodles. And it turns out it’s really good enough to stand out in the land of endless shopping and more importantly, great food.
So imagine my delight when I found that it’s now possible to get a bowl of this at Noodle Place Restaurant in Centrepoint as they have hired the Executive Chef from Mak’s Noodles.
UrbanWire is glad to say that the Shrimp Wanton Noodles ($7.50/$8) here are similar (though not identical) to those found at Mak’s Noodles.
The noodles over at Hong Kong are have much more bite to them than what the Singaporean palette is used to, but the Noodle Place Restaurant seems to have struck a happy balance between the original noodles and what we’re used to.
Due to the special blend of flour that was specially formulated for Noodle Place Restaurant, the noodles don’t get soggy, ever. Okay, maybe not ever, but you never find out how long exactly because they don’t stand a chance of being left alone long before you wolf them all down.
The soup and the dumplings are another triumph. The broth is light, on the good side of salty, packed with flavour of chicken, dried shrimp roe and pig bones (and that’s only some of the ingredients that UrbanWire managed to get from the secretive chef).
The shrimp wantons, made of shrimp alone, no fillers here, are devoid of any fishy aftertaste, so even seafood-phobes will thoroughly enjoy their springy presence.
Another signature dish is the Noodle Place Special Congee ($11) that comes in a huge portion 2 can easily share. Despite containing premium ingredients like abalone, roast duck, prawn and chicken, you don’t actually taste their influence in the congee itself. While the congee is very smooth after having being boiled for 4 hours, it’s oddly reminiscent of another Hong Kong style eatery, Crystal Jade Kitchen, albeit a touch thicker.
Another item worth mentioning is the Mango and Aloe Vera with Sago ($4). A slight variation of the mango, pomelo and sago dessert staple of Hong Kong cha chan tengs (Cantonese for tea cafés) it’s a generous portion of refreshing dessert with plenty of shaved ice, with the mango flavour is still plentiful.
So would you get the Mak’s Noodles experience when you visit Noodle Place Restaurant? Well, you get the quality food. Perhaps it’s this writer’s love for Hong Kong, but nothing beats enjoying the bowl of deliciousness in the true blue Hong Kong eatery.
Address: 176 Orchard Road #01-53/56 Centrepoint
Telephone No.: 6733 3171
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday – 10am to 10pm
Rating: ★★★✩✩