Ma's Restaurant    馬家莊清真館  

Visited Ma's for the first time yesterday, and will definitely be going back.

We'd book a table so there was no wait. The service was fine given the reasonable prices (i.e. it was pretty much what you'd expect for a restaurant on this type). There was one guy (manager? owner?) around who spoke decent English, which was helpful. (They had an English menu too.)

We tried a few things:
- veal goulash. Despite being described as a goulash, these were in fact thick fried pancakes stuffed with veal. Not particularly spicy, but pretty good
- sichuan chicken. This was excellent. It was a dry (rather than curried) stir fried dish with chillies and spring onions. It was quite (though not very) spicy.
- black pepper beef. This was also excellent. It was also a dry, stir fried dish, with chilies and green peppers, and a bit of a black pepper kick
- spicy chicken friend rice. These are pretty much standard fare in Xinjiang restaurants and were OK, but nothing special
- spicy and sour soup. This was not very good and was a bit of a disappointment given everything else. Adding a bit of salt helped, but not very much and most of this remained unfinished...

Overall, the food was very good (the sichuan chicken and black pepper beef clearly the highlights) and I'll definitely be going back. I could see this becoming one of my favourite halal restaurants in HK...

I have dined here several times and have really enjoyed the meals. Having brought at least 20 people here and everyone has enjoyed their food and brought others with them which means I'm not the only fan in town.

The restaurant is mid-range in setting, decor and has a number of booths seating 4 lined around the restaurant. The large windows make the place appear 'airy' and larger than it is. It is spacious and less jostling than Islam Food in Kowloon City. Importantly, it is well situated from an MTR stop (Prince Edward, exit E, turn left & go straight).

Some of my favorite dishes, though not well described on the bilingual menus (which have pictures!)
- veal/chicken goulash - delicious xinjiang buns stuff with meat
- fried beef dumplings
- beef with pineapple
- deep fried fish with pepper and salt
- sauteed lamb with spring onions
- braised assorted vegetable chow mein
- hot & spicy chicken friend rice
- any of the wontons!
- beef samosas

Essentially, the food is well-priced, presented and prepared. Service is excellent and the food will come quickly.
They don't have much of a dessert menu & note, there is no milk tea that you woudl get from a local chaan teng.

Be sure not to be placed near the kitchen as the spaces are tight and you will find the waiters 'pushing' you a bit to to get through.

A must try for those looking for a halal meal.