I'm going to feature one of my favorite restaurants in the metro, Ma Mon Luk. Some may not know this place, but for those who does, would agree with me that it's the best place to eat mami and siopao. The restaurant started during the 1950's with its first branch located in Binondo, Manila and was founded by, guess what, Ma Mon Luk. He was born in Guangdong, China some time in 1896. He moved to the Philippines to earn money and did so by selling chicken noodle soup, or we now commonly call mami, on the streets of Manila before he opened his first branch.
Some critics believed that the word mami was coined by Ma Mon Luk himself. "Ma" comes from his name and "mi" is a chinese word for "recipe." But according Filipino language experts, mami comes from "ma" for "manok" or chicken and "mi" for "miki" or egg noodle. Wherever the name come from, I strongly believe Ma Mon Luk made mami popular and a household name.
There were about 6 branches of Ma Mon Luk in Manila during the 1990's. The one I usually eat at is along EDSA in Kamuning, Q.C., which is now close and was replaced by an online casino of PAGCOR. Today, there are only 2 branches left open, the one along Quezon Blvd in Quiapo and the other is along Quezon Ave. near Banaue St. in Quezon City.
On cool thing about the Quezon Ave. branch is the old photos of popular individuals or celebrities that once ate at there are displayed at wall near the entrance. Ma Mon Luk, by the way, is also famous for their siopao.
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