When was the last time you ate at Ma Mon Luk?
My father and my grandfather used to take us to Ma Mon Luk in Manila’s Chinatown often. The unique aroma that permeated the place is something deeply etched in my memory. Established by a Chinese immigrant named Ma Mon Luk who came to the Philippines in 1918, the popularization of the restaurant’s chicken mami (noodle soup) and siopao (steamed dumplings) is probably the reason why those two dishes have become part of the Philippines’ culinary language. The man’s life story and the restaurant’s history are quite riveting. I do not know if the iconic Ma Mon Luk restaurant in Chinatown is still there but the branch in Quezon Boulevard remains.
Speedy and I brought the girls to Ma Mon Luk for lunch today. It was the girls’ first time to eat there although they are familiar with Ma Mon Luk’s siopao because their father had brought home Ma Mon Luk siopao as pasalubong many times before. As I entered the place for the first time in years, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with the same aroma that I remember so distinctly from my childhood. It felt good — really good.
The girls were not exactly thrilled with the physical appearance of the restaurant. It is old. The marble tabletops were cracked and rough along the edges but I could forgive that because the mami and siopao are still as wonderful — the same milky broth with that incomparable aroma (I’m still guessing what aromatics they put in it), the same non-greasy siopao with the pork, chicken and salted egg filling, the same bottle of siopao sauce on each table that the customer can tip and squeeze over the siopao…
Because I don’t remember having eaten anything but mami and siopao at Ma Mon Luk in the past, there were a few surprises with the siomai that my daughter Alex ordered. No one was thrilled with the siomai — to be honest, the texture and taste screamed extenders!!
We also ordered pancit canton for take-out, another Ma Mon Luk dish that I have never tried in the past — probably a much later addition to the menu which originally consisted only of mami, siopao and siomai. I had some pancit canton for my mid-afternoon merienda at home and it was delectable. No ornamental ingredients like colored quail eggs that are so popular in many Chinese restaurants these days. No uber starch-thickened sauce either. The ingredients are simple and few — noodles, pork, carrots and cabbage. But, my, it was tasty! Very, very tasty.
Okay, so we wen’t be ordering any more siomai in the future but we are definitely going back for more Ma Mon Luk mami and siopao.
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hi..i heard of ma mon luk because of my dad…but i have never been there..but i have tasted their siopao many times before..masarap nga..but sa lahat ng siopao…the best siopao for me is north park’s..
Tried Causeway’s?
hi connie. i know EXACTLY what you mean about that aroma that greets you when you enter ma mon luk! i have such good childhood memories of that restaurant. my grandparents, dad, sisters, and i would drive all the way to the ma mon luk at edsa/kamias (alas, it has been long gone…) just for a nice merienda of mami and asado siopao
i’ve never tried any other dishes (i tend to stick to what is familiar, hehe) but since you mentioned the siopao sauce, i actually like putting a little bit of that sauce in my mami. it just makes the broth flavor taste even better, in my opinion.
“i actually like putting a little bit of that sauce in my mami.”
LOL I do that too.
I do this too… It just makes the soup a lot more “bodied”. I have actually “converted” my husband into a Ma Mon Luk fan…to think that his family used to live a few blocks away from Quezon Avenue, he’s never tried it before he met me! Now we live in the south and we never miss eating or getting take-away when we pass by QC…Happy childhood memories! Haaay….
which brings me to ask
where do we take our kids aside from Ma Mon Luk so they can relate to our own memories….
or is that an impossible mission….
ahhhh, ma mon lok, reminiscing the past…my dad used to bring us there too, i shall do the same with my hubby and kids one of these days. Have you guys tried MAZUKI?, it’s also an old mami house in downtown years ago, they have a branch here in Greenhills, Ortigas, the building just outside North Greenhills Subdivision, it has abundant parking space . The aroma of the place is not so appealing, my kids didn’t even like to enter the place for at first, but after getting immuned while one’s inside, they were able to love the chicken asado mami (with its special brown sauce) that I bragged about, the Filipino waiters even shout out the customer’s orders in Cantonese…ahhhh, my childhood memories still is very fresh.
While we were eating, a couple came in with their 2 teenagers came in, when I saw them, i couldn’t help but giggle seeing their 2 kids pinching their nose, ROFL
Richard, most of the old places in Metro Manila are gone.
Hi Ms. Connie,
The old Ma mun Luk in Chinatown is still in it’s original location, Benavidez St. The name however had been changed to Masuki.
I had fried chicken there once. its a no fuss no fancy taste chicken. just an honest to goodness fried chicken like we do it in our homes, crispy and tasty. no extra starch.
the one in quiapo is still standing.
their siopao is still the best in my opinion.
I went there too about 1 month ago, after like maybe 25yrs
The branch we frequented when I was child was the one along Aurora Blvd in Cubao. It was walking distance (then no fumes and the street was clean) from the business of my parents.
My mother said she craved for soup from the Mami when she was carrying me. Just soup..my dad can have all the noodles.
Jo Wong, thanks. No wonder I couldn’t find it.
Beng, okay, next time we’ll try the fried chicken. I like fried chicken without coating and gravy.
Solraya, when I was a student in U.P., we frequented the Cubao branch. By the way, I was looking for your chicken stall at the Market at the Hills and couldn’t locate it.
Have never eaten at Ma Mon Luk, but, the best siomai I’ve had was from Far Eastern/ Royal Garden Restaurant (Gandara St., Binondo). Ling Nam’s wonton’s are also top notch.
Marie, my father used to bring me to Far Eastern too! That was where I had my first taste of taro puffs and it was unforgettable. Ooooh, memories…
Connie, I am right by the entrance, with an obvious sign. I can’t be missed
If I wasn’t there it may mean we ran out of stocks. I hope you asked some stall owners where the Sunshine Chickens were. They will point you to the entrance 
Hope to see you soon!
We used to go to the kamias branch of Ma Mon Luk and after reading your post, it makes me want to go to a Ma Mon Luk. I surelly miss their mami and siopao, but it looked a little smaller on the photo. I remember their siopao was really big.
I got that impression too, Jeng. But it’s also possible that the siopao appeared larger when we were children.
Same reaction – parang lumiit nga yung siopao.
Parang wala na yata yung branch nila sa Cubao? The one at EDSA/Kamias is gone too.
Solraya, okay, got that.
Matagal na wala yung sa Cubao, Nikita. Aircon pa naman sa second floor nun.
masuki na ang name ng ma mun lok sa downtown
ibang generation na kasi ata ang naghahandle. pero yung mga servers nila nung bata pa tayo 
nandun pa din.
i love the mami with the sauce in every subo. as in noodles sa chopstick tapos lagyan ng sauce yung noodle bago kainin.
yummy!!!
may branch na din sa may malapit sa greenhills. forgot the name of the street…ortigas ata…heheh. sorry
pero iba ang lasa sa manila…:) ewan ko kung bakit…siguro kasi mas may childhood memories sa manila? 
ito pala address sa greenhills area
Sekai Center building at the corner of Ortigas and Madison near Greenhills
there is also a ma mon luk here in illinois, in a town called niles, a suburb of chicago. their siopao is also good, but , as far as i remember, the mami in manila is much better. you know what i really miss? the special siopao and chicken siopao of kowloon restaurant all over metro manila. is it still there? i hope i’ll find a recipe that can simulate the kowloon siopao.
wala na yatang makakatalo pagdating sa childhood memories ang MAMONLUK.
di ko na nga marecall kung san mga branches pero sa tingin ko sa cubao kami dinadala ng tatay ko nun. sikat yata cubao dati. andun na fiesta carnival, christmas play sa cod tapos andun din ang 3m pizza na kinakainan namin. bata pako nun, pero tumatak sila sa isip ko.
natakam tuloy ako sa shopaw.
dee, I always had this feeling that people’s definition of good food has a lot to do with childhood memories.
maila, Kowloon along West Avenue is still there. The siopao is still as great as ever.
I heard though that a couple of years back Kowloon split into Kowloon WEst and just Kowloon (primarily the Ermita place) and the kiosks all over Metro Manila selling siopao had to specify whether they are a Kowloon West outlet or not.
Joey, the Cubao branch was in Aurora Boulevard. Sobrang tagal na ba hehehe
ay naku totoo lahat ang sinasabi nyo, walang tatalo sa ma mun lok, kami ng Mister ko dumadaan yung pasiklaban kung saan yung the best na pagkain hindi talaga ako papayag na hindi masasali ang ma mun lok na isa sa pinaka the best, ika nga. umalis ako ng Phils. ng 1991 at nang bumalik ako ng 2001 wala na yung sa may Edsa, I promised myself na the next time I visit kailangan talaga makakain sa Quezon Blvd. branch, hopefully nanduon pa sila. thanks for posting the picture, para na rin akong nakakain.
For a while nagkaron ng Ma Mon Luk sa may tapat ng Ateneo pero nagsara na rin yata yun. That’s the only one I went to but yes, the mami was the best!
About 20 years ago, my Chinese boss brought me to Ma Mon Luk in Quezon Ave. He said that Mr Ma Mon Luk was his friend – my boss died in 2000 at age 90. I don’t know if the painting of Mr Ma Mon Luk is still there. Sa kwento nung boss ko, parang ang sarap ng buhay noong araw right after the war, especially during the 1950s, life was so uncomplicated then. Swerte ang mga nabuhay noon at nakawitness ng era na yun.
I was not aware that there are lots of Ma Mon Luk around. There are only two I know which I think are still around, the one near the Quiapo Church and the other one in Quezon Blvd.
I’ve been to the QC Blvd one last 1984 when both mami and big siopao cost around P25 each more or less. But they’re superb. (Wala pa yatang Jollibee, Mcdo, Chow King, Maxim’s during that time he he he).
I’ve got a lot of Chinese friends, and during that time, they always take me to the best mami house in Chinatown. (Kahit ngayon, you will know the good eating place there – parating maraming customers).
The other one in Quiapo, I’ve been there once around 1995. I would never think of coming back there again.
Since Chinatown is not near to my place, Chow King, North Park, Hen Lin are the places I’ll go if I want Chinese noodle soup and siopao on the go.
I’m also wondering why Luk Yen is not the same Luk Yen I know.
My parents used to take us to Ma Mon Luk (Cubao Branch) when we were kids. Then years later my dad became friends with one Ma Mon Luk and eventually became the Architect for the Katipunan branch. Almost everyday he would bring home siopao from MML, nagsawa ako nun, I would beep him back then with this message “Pa, please bring Kowloon siopao but please don’t tell Tito Alex.” hehe
Now I’m craving for an MML siopao
Sorry, this is out of topic…but I can’t help it.
Have not hear the phrase “beep him back”
I sort of miss that. I remember the laughs we had when you sort of embarass the pager operator with your message. Your realize later it had a double meaning.
The texting generation wouldn’t understand that.
Never used a beeper but my hubby did so many years ago. And my kids were like CHristine, they’d call Beeper 150 and give the operator a long list of food items for pasalubong. Almost every day hehehe
i cant even remember……
i have always ordered chicken mami and siopao. haven’t tried anything another than those two.
madalas diyan mag date ang nanay at tatay ko.6 yrs old ako ng unang makapunta sa ma mon luk.di ko talaga makalimutan ang lasa ng siopao at mami at yung highchair nila na kahoy.tulad ng parents ko dyan ko din ang unang date namin ng girlfriend ko.una parang ayaw niya kasi luma na ang place.pero ng matikman niya ang mami at siopao duon na lagi kami nag memerienda pati nga anak namin gustong gusto ang siopao kayas mag jollibee o mc do kami ma mon luk na lang daw pag kasama namin ang baby ko
Hi, Connie. The last time I went to Ma Mon Luk was middle of last year. I was with my youngest. We were in the Quezon Ave. Branch, you bet my mouth was watering already when I smelled the the aroma. We ordered Chicken Mami and two Asado Siopao, the servings were big, BUT..I was disappointed with the Mami, it tasted ‘malangsa’ for me..we weren’t able to finish the siopao either..I guess I won’t be going back there anymore. Nadala ako sa Mami.
there’s a Ma Mon Luk here in LA but they go by the name Asian Noodles but their menus talk about the beginnings of MML. The Mami and siopao are not the same as the one in Manila. I haven’t had MML for 15 years and then I saw picture- all of a sudden I remembered how good it was. Too bad I won’t be coming home for a while, I blame the bad economy. Connie, ikain mo na lang ako, enjoy!
this is my comfort place with all my comfort food there! for a time,the siomai’s quality deteriorated but now it’s okay again… siopao, siomai and chicken mami is the best triumverate there! sayang the other branches closed na the one at edsa-kamias, then the katipunan branch (na naka aircon dati, hehe)….
Ma Mon Luk is still the best. the taste of their Mami ang siopao are incomparable. until now i used to visit their quiapo branch at least twice a month,at least may 2 pang branches ang meron pa,minsan doon ako sa quezon ave corner banawe st branch nila kumakain,pero mas madalas ako sa quaipo branch nila kasi sabay na mamasyal na rin sa entire quaipo area.since i am 5 yrs old dinadala na ako ng mother ko dito, ngayon na I am already 38 yrs old Ma Mon Luk pa rin ang pinaka paboritong puntahan. nothings gonna change my taste for Ma Mon luk.
ma mon luk lumpia try it masarap din…