Famous Hong Kong Wonton Noodle Shop Mak Man Kee Coming To S’pore, Pork-Free Version Sold Here

A tale of two Mak’s

Mak Man Kee Wonton Noodles and Mak’s Noodle both serve traditional Cantonese wonton noodles, using a style traced back to Mak Woon-chi, who earned the title of 'Guangzhou’s King of Wonton Noodles' in the 1920s when he sold his food from a pushcart.

But they’re very much separate businesses, run by different branches of the Mak family. 

Mak Man Kee’s legacy

Meanwhile, Mak Man Kee was started by Mak Man-king and his wife, Mak Hung Siu-hor. They began their biz in the 1940s with a mobile cart in Hong Kong's Temple Street, before opening their first brick-and-mortar store at 51 Parkes Street in 1957. The shop has clinched a Michelin Bib Gourmand every year since 2018.

Pork-free recipe for diners in Singapore

For its Singapore debut, Mak Man Kee’s wonton noodle soup has been modified to be in line with Joy Luck Teahouse’s pork-free menu. The original soup recipe from Hong Kong, which included pork bones and Chinese cured ham, has been tweaked in Singapore to be brewed with dried flounder, shrimp shells and chicken bones instead. 

As for Mak Man Kee's famous wontons, the HK version traditionally contained only prawns — the same purely crustacean wontons will also be available on the Singapore menu. Need something meatier? The SG menu will feature an additional version of wonton stuffed with both chicken and prawn. 

The noodles are made fresh in Singapore using Mak’s traditional recipe, though duck eggs (used in HK) are not allowed here, so they’re substituted with chicken eggs. The final product was personally taste-tested and approved by Mak Man Kee’s current boss, Lesley Mak, the daughter of Mak Man-king and Mak Hung Siu-hor. 

Noodles slightly larger portion in SG vs HK

Mak Man Kee's offerings ($9.80 for Prawn Wonton Noodles; $8.80 for Prawn and Chicken Wonton Noodles) will be exclusive to Joy Luck Teahouse’s menu. Diners can also try their Zha Jiang Mian ($8.80), made with chicken instead of pork in a rich braised sauce.

The portion sizes in Singapore will be slightly bigger than in HK, where the noodles are famously served in a bowl a little  bigger than a Chinese rice bowl and cost from HKD$46 (about S$7.50).

To ensure authenticity, Joy Luck’s kitchen team travelled to Hong Kong to train with Mak Man Kee’s chefs.

While there won’t be a separate Mak Man Kee stall within Joy Luck Teahouse, an in-store poster will be displayed to let diners know there is a Joy Luck x Mak Man Kee collaboration.

The noodles will only be available at this branch for now, since it’s the only Joy Luck Teahouse outlet with seating. 

How the collab came about

This collaboration was brought about by Robert Chua, the Singaporean broadcaster and businessman behind Joy Luck Teahouse, who previously brought in Hong Kong brands like Kam’s Roast and Tim Ho Wan.

“Robert met with Lesley Mak, the current owner of Mak Man Kee, and the two bonded over their shared passion for preserving heritage brands. With over 70 years of history, Lesley trusted Robert to bring Mak Man Kee to Singapore for the first time,” says a Joy Luck Teahouse PR rep.

Mak Man Kee’s wonton noodles will be available at Joy Luck Teahouse at #04-01/02/03/04 Food Republic, Causeway Point, 1 Woodlands Square, S738099 from 18 July 2025. Open daily 10am-10pm. More info via  Instagram & Website.

No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.

8days.sg is now on #tiktok! Follow us on www.tiktok.com/@8dayseat