Ma Wen-lu, known in the Philippines as Ma Mon Luk, was a Chinese immigrant best known in the Philippines for his eponymous restaurant and the creator of mami and siopao.
Ma was born in 1896 in Zhongshan, Guangdong in Qing China. Because of poverty, he was only able to finish junior high school. He self-studied in the Chinese classics to improve himself. He later became a schoolteacher in Canton but earned a lowly salary. In 1918, Ma left for the Philippines to seek his fortune in order to win the hand of his sweetheart, Ng Shih, whose parents disapproved of him because of his poverty.
Ma Mon Luk
Arriving penniless in Binondo, Manila, Ma decided to peddle his own version of chicken noodle soup. He soon became a familiar sight on the streets of Manila, plodding from Puente de España to as far as Intramuros and Santa Cruz with a long bamboo pole slung on his shoulders and two metal containers on each end of the pole. One vat contained his especially concocted noodles and strips of chicken meat, while the other vat stored the chicken broth heated underneath by live coals. With a pair of scissors, he would cut the noodles and meat to serve to his customers. He called his concoction "gupit", after the Tagalogword for “cut”. He would finally name the dish “Ma mi”, literally meaning, "Ma’s noodles". Later, he would add siopao and siomai to his menu. Ma became known as “Ma Mon Luk” and from a small shop along Tomas Pinpin Street in Binondo, Manila, he would open his first restaurant with the name “Ma Mon Luk Mami King” at the nearby 826-828 Salazar Street. He would promote his restaurant by giving away free samples of siopao. If he ran out of siopao samples, he would give his business card with his signature at the back to signify a free bowl of mami at his restaurant. The restaurant would transfer to Calle Azcárraga in 1948 and eventually move to 545 Quezon Boulevard in Quiapo, Manila two years later, where it still exists. By the 1950s, Ma and his food were nationally known. With his success, Ma was able to return to China and seek the hand of his beloved Ng Shih. He would establish his family home and main restaurant at 408 Quezon Avenue in Quezon City during the 1950s.
After Ma’s death, his children would continue the restaurant expanding to as many as six branches during the 1980s. By the end of the 20th century, only the original two branches established by Ma would remain. The two remaining restaurants are currently operating under the family owned Ma Mon Luk International Corporation.
