Mak’s noodle – Victoria Peak, Hong Kong

Climbing up Victoria Peak in the ancient funicular has made me hungry. Actually it was the queuing to get on it that did that. In one of the malls at the top is Mak’s Noodles, a tiny little restaurant with seating for about 15-20 people. There is also a Vietnamese Pho restaurant. I love this city, soup at every turn.

Mak’s Noodles menu

I ordered the beef brisket noodles in soup. I am anticipating good things here as Mak’s noodles have a good reputation when it comes to noodle soups.

Mak’s Brisket Beef in Noodle Soup

A very short wait and a small bowl of goodness arrives. Noodles are thin and springy, cooked perfectly al dente.  Broth is beefy with undertones of star anise and ginger. Spring onions floating on surface with beads of beef fatty goodness. The beef itself has been  slow cooked and falls apart in your mouth.

Empty bowl, yum that was good.

Wow, this is a top bowl of soup, I almost licked the bowl clean. The portions are a little small, I could have easily eaten 2 bowls. Definitely up there in my soup ratings.

Words and pictures by @madgie

Chilli Sirloin Steak Ramen – Wagamama, Heathrow Terminal 5

I can’t believe we started a holiday to Hong Kong with noodle soup at the airport. Well, actually I suppose I can, as when noodle soup is on the menu anywhere it’s pretty hard to resist!

We were flying to Hong Kong on Christmas Eve and after a few drinks in the British Airways lounge, we went hunting for an early tea, knowing it would be a while before we were served food on the plane. Wagamama’s is one of those chains that always delivers – no matter which branch you go in you know what you are going to get. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you want. I’ve also got a soft spot for Wagamama, as it was the first place I ever had an asian noodle soup, 15 years ago.

Chilli Sirloin Steak Ramen

I ordered the chilli beef ramen, although I asked for it to come with the simple broth, as my chilli tolerance is quite low. You can choose different broths, which means you can tailor the soup to suit your taste. The soup arrived fairly quickly and it looked fantastic – lovely colours, fresh and inviting. I could see the beef was perfectly seared, still pink in the middle which means that as it continues to cook in the broth it never becomes over-done. 

Lovely noodles

The broth itself was rich and tasty – still pretty chilli-hot too. A big tangle of soft noodles, with extra chilli, coriander, spring onion and lime gave the soup a well balanced flavour. It felt healthy and refreshing. I took the chilli straight out but you can have this as hot as you like, if you leave the chilli to continue infusing the broth as you drink it. I had this soup, but I also tasted Madgie’s Duck ramen and I think that this one is better. The broth is richer. I’ve always loved the noodles in Wagamama, they are soft and almost pasta-like in texture – quite unlike the ones you get in a Barbecue Pork Noodle in Chinatown, but they suit this mixture of broth and super-fresh ingredients perfectly.

Noodles and Steak close up

A solid soup, you can’t go wrong with this choice!

Words and pictures by @LadyLavish

Matsumae sushi and soup noodle, Tajima Tei, Leather Lane, EC1

I don’t know whether it’s the initial umami flavour that hits your taste buds with the first sip of the broth.

Udon noodle soup

Or it’s the soft, but slightly chewy udon noodles that sit in abundance.

Or it’s the hint of seaweed that is so subtle but just right.

Or it’s the little bits of tempura batter that floats on top of the broth.

Lovely noodles

Or it’s just the perfect accompaniment to go with the beautiful mackerel sushi and the pickled ginger.

Matsumae sushi

Or it’s the simplicity of it.

But I love this little bowl of soup, it’s marvellous.

A real little gem of a restaurant, well worth a visit.

Words and pictures by @madgie

Barbecue Pork and Roast Duck Noodle Soup – Hung’s Restaurant, Chinatown, London W1

I made a trip to London’s Chinatown and thought it was time to try some new restaurants. I opted for Hung’s in Wardour Street with its soup kitchen in the window. I sat myself down right next to it. A restaurant packed with local chinese customers.

They presented me with a lovely looking soup packed with meat and noodles. The fragrant broth holding the whole thing together with globules of duck fat starting to float on the surface adding to the flavour. The duck is on the bone moist and tasty. Adding a small amount of chilli oil took it to another level. The duck skin was beautiful.

Two minor gripes. The noodles were overdone from the start and hence very very soft, secondly, it didn’t arrive at my table very hot so cooled down very quickly.

I would say this is a high six on the spoon rating, with a mention about the lovely duck.

Words and pictures by @madgie

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Café Yum / Chao Kitchen

Takeaway: Café Yum / Chao Kitchen, Old Street, London

There’s a new kid on the block in Old Street. And they’re serving up noodle soups jam-packed with fresh ingredients.

The guys who own Chao Kitchen in Whitecross Street have opened a new restaurant on Old Street. Serving up just 3 soups, 2 rice dishes and 2 noodle dishes, the small menu shouldn’t put you off. There’s a lot to be said for doing a few things really well.

You can place your order through the open shop front and watch the guys prepare your food in front of you. I ordered the Char Sui Pork Won Ton soup, though I declined the chilli and also the boiled egg which comes in it as standard. I know it’s popular in ramen, but I’m not much of a fan of hard-boiled eggs, especially not in soup.

On opening up the soup the first thing that hits you is a lovely aroma of fresh vegetables and rich broth. The piping hot soup is topped with pak choi. Dipping your chopsticks in brings both succulent won tons and sweet honey pork to the top. Yum. All of these are sitting on a very generous bed of egg noodles, perfectly al-dente and swimming in rich broth.

The soup is lovely, very well filled and with lots to keep you interested and filled up at lunchtime. I have no complaints with this, and it’s very different to the Pho’s served in the restaurant’s sister Whitecross branch so it’s a good addition to the lunchtime soup options. The liquid does get slightly greaser as you get through the soup, but that’s just from the ingredients being in the broth for a while and all adds to the flavour.

The shop only opened this week so I hope they do well. I think as word gets out the queues will start to grow. I’d definitely have this again, and it definitely didn’t need the egg!

Words and pictures @ladylavish

Nissin beef noodle

This Nissin brand of noodle/ramen soup is my favourite to have at home. We usually buy the chicken version, and make it with chicken and vegetables, but this time we branched out and tried the beef.

It was lovely – rich, but not overpowering. We dressed the soup with thinly sliced sirloin beef and choi sum – yum!

 

Noodle v Noodle soup-off

This weekend we did a head-to-head soup challenge on one of our favourite soups: BBQ pork noodle.

Soup 1: Wan Chai Corner, Chinatown

This restaurant features regularly, as it’s one of our Chinatown favourites. Lovely, sweet BBQ pork, with plenty of it and tons of slightly al dente noodles. The only additional ingredient is slices of crunchy spring onion, though it always goes well with a side order of choi sum.

The broth was silky smooth, though I couldn’t work out if it was pork or chicken based.

My money is on chicken. The soup tasted delicious and filling, always a good choice, especially with an ever-so-slight hangover.

Words and pictures @ladylavish

Soup 2: Wong Kei Restaurant, Chinatown

This is the sort of restaurant that you either love or hate. Personally, after coming here for over 25 years I love it. The waiters can be a touch curt but that’s part of its charm.

The soup was served in a big bowl, steaming hot. The broth was cloudy and had small globules of oil glistening on the surface. There were tasty pieces of honey Char Siu pork spread over the top of the noodles that you could just see through the cloudy stock. This lovely pork has a sweet taste and adds massively to the soup. The noodles are slightly al dente to start but soften over time. Condiment wise, I always choose a small dish of chilli oil on the side. The tangy, garlicy hotness compliments the pork perfectly. This is a great bowl of soup.

Words and pictures @madgie

Thailand – what a souper country

I do love Thailand. It’s a soup lovers paradise. I don’t think there is a town that isn’t serving some of the tastiest soups you can find on the planet. Even at the airport most of the fast food outlets have Ramen and various other noodle soups.

 

Words and pictures: @madgie