The enduring Ma Mon Luk

In my five decades and one year of existence, I have only visited the iconic 
mami-and-siopao place Ma Mon Luk in Quiapo once, about seven years ago. So last week, I thought of making a second visit, this time with my friend, who decided to treat me 
for her birthday at the Quezon Ave. branch.

Ma Mon Luk may not ring a bell for millenials but for us Gen X members and older, it is an institution. It is even believed by some food historians that it was the Chinese man named Ma Wen-lu or Ma Mon Luk as he became known in the Philippines after whom "mami" was named (Ma, his name, and "mi", meaning noodles in Chinese). The man migrated to the Philippines from China in 1920 and thereafter opened his first noodle restaurant in Binondo. The Quiapo and Quezon Ave., Quezon City branches 
opened next but for some reasons, the original store closed down 
while the two have remained open to this day.

Anyway, my friend and I came for dinner on Saturday last week. Fortunately, the place wasn't full so we immediately caught the attention of servers. Well, I was there by myself just a few days earlier but had no luck. I waited for about 20 to 30 minutes trying to get noticed by the crew but they were all super busy! I decided to 
just leave and transfer to another restaurant because I was starving! 

Anyway, here's what my friend and I ordered:

Original mami

The broth was quite thick compared to other bowls of mami that I've had elsewhere and looked milky, too. However, it was bland for my taste, but a dash of salt 
and pepper could lend more flavor to the soup.

Bola-bola siopao

This, I loved! It was delish, with a generous amount of pork filling. 
No wonder Ma Mon Luk siopao is well loved by patrons.

Pork rice

My friend and I were surprised when this was served because we were expecting a dish of pork with rice. We thought we were given chopsuey rice by mistake. The server assured us, though, that it was their pork rice. Well, the veggies tasted good, 
although it was essentially chopsuey in both look and taste.

Pork fried noodles

We were expecting a plate of crunchy noodles but these were already drenched in sauce and already soft when it came on the table. Nevertheless, 
the pancit tasted good so my friend and I still enjoyed it.

Menu

Inside Ma Mon Luk along Quezon Ave. in Quezon City

Ma Mon Luk may be really old and quite rundown, with no air conditioning system, but the fact that it still exists decades after decades, attests to the fact that Pinoys love this Chinese restaurant. I know it will still be here for my future grandkids 
to visit, to enjoy good food and a slice of history.