Mak’s Noodle Westgate, Jurong East

Mak’s Noodle, the famous wonton noodle restaurant from Hong Kong has opened another branch in Jurong East Singapore. Mak’s Noodle Westgate is their second outlet in Singapore, after the first one at Centrepoint. Thankfully, this time round, there was no queue when I decided to go check out this well-known noodle shop. At 11 plus on a weekday, the restaurant was half full (which is pretty good by any standard), the flow of patrons was regular but there was no queue, unlike the case of the first outlet at Centrepoint.

Mak’s Noodle Westgate is quite a compact restaurant on the second level. It is next to the Four Fingers fried chicken shop, near the Jurong East MRT station. Half of the dining space is indoors and air-conditioned. The other half is not air-conditioned but it is not a warm place. There are fans and air-coolers to create some nice cool breezes. In fact I prefer the outside part as the inside area looks cramped and claustrophobic.

The menu of Mak’s Noodle Westgate is dominated by the noodle dishes (soup or tossed i.e. dry) and the congee items. The remaining items are the side dishes. Having tried their noodles at an earlier visit to Centrepoint, I decided to try something from their congee selection this time. Feeling rich that day, I decided to go for the signature item – the Mak’s An Congee ($12).  With GST and service charge, the total cost of this porridge was $14.10.

The Mak’s An Congee looks like a normal bowl of congee garnished with some shredded ginger and greens. The differences among the different congee items lie beneath the surface. Different ingredients are buried inside. The signature congee contains the works – a prawn, two slices of liver, two slices of fresh shiitake mushroom and some pieces of chicken.

To me, the porridge itself was the main attraction. It was silky smooth and has a very finely blended taste of all its ingredients. The ingredients in the porridge seem to be freshly cooked in the porridge and cooked to the correct extent. The chicken, liver and prawn were not overcooked and retained their natural tastes and had a good texture. It was a good porridge. This is not to say that it is streets ahead of other congee in Singapore. No, what is different here is just the added degree of refinement in the congee.

The tables have pull-out drawers that contain the usual things that you need. Saucers, chopsticks, spoons and serviette. This self-service method is such a good idea. The staff are better deployed to do more important tasks than to fetch these things. The diner can cut out waiting time and the restaurant enjoys a higher turnover at its tables.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 3
Value: 2
Atmosphere: 2
Overall Rating: 3 TOPs

Mak’s Noodle Westgate
#02-06, 3 Gateway Drive
Singapore 608532

Tel: 62503858