I know, I know. There are a variety of ramen styles. The goal is not to find the best tonkotsu or the clearest yet most flavourful shio. That would require me to order the same style in each and every shop, which is too boring. Besides, I may have to skip the shop's special! The goal is simply to sample what Hong Kong's noodle houses have to offer, one bowl at a time. After completion, I will most definitely have become a walking ramen guide. You can ask me the address to the best Hakata ramen then. But for now, please don't complain I'm changing too many independent variables because nobody's ever said this is scientific.
Zabon Ramen 無名拉麵
This place seems to have gathered quite a number of bad reviews on Openrice. Along with Central's sky-high rent, it isn't unreasonable to assume Zabon will soon join the gang of Shops Disappeared Overnight (only in HK!). But if the lunch time queue says anything at all, it's that there's nothing to worry about... for now. (Actually, it seems that the owners have done quite an amount of advertising in foreign guidebooks. I hate over-advertising but I'll forgive Zabon for the pork toro.)
In the Battle of Ramen Houses, Zabon is perhaps the most undersung of them all. They may not have the best soup or noodles, but that pork toro is to die for!
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| 1st visit: Pork Cheek Ramen ($90) - there are almost too many pieces of pork toro. Not a big fan of the broth though. Apparently they do Kagoshima style ramen here but it's my first time having it so I have no idea what to expect. |
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| 2nd visit: Noodles with Pork in Shrimp Soup ($80) - very shrimpy, shrimp-shells-and-heads-simmered-for-8-hours kind of shrimpy. Downside: toooooo salty. A stranger whose smartphone you can see in the photo above, aka my seat neighbour / my ramen twin kept complaining about the salt level. It is THAT salty. |
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| As they advertise so much in foreign guidebooks (saw tourists holding guidebooks looking for this place), they may as well improve their English translations. "Noodles with Pork in Shrimp Soup" doesn't appeal to me much... |
Rating: 3.5/5 + bonus 1 point for that pork toro I still dream about.
大福屋 Daifukuya
In the case of Daifukuya, the bad reviews are true. Although it isn't so bad that it should be renamed 大伏屋 or 大fuq屋 as a warning, I don't want to go back. I ordered the Daifukuya Rich Broth Ramen and paid an extra $3X for gyozas and onsen tamago rice. Don't judge me it was a good deal. The Daifukuya Rich Broth is a gyokai tonkotsu broth. Ippudo has been serving gyokai tonkotsu ramen for a good two years now but I never got a chance to try it.
Here at Daifukuya, they put yuzu zest in the ramen, adding a refreshing twist. It was nice at first - sticky and gelatinous yet fresh but the citrusy taste got quite overpowering halfway through. I paid an extra $10 for bamboo shoots, thinking they would be menma like everywhere else. Turned out they were actual marinated bamboo shoots. I don't know if I should thank them for giving me at least ten pieces. I didn't enjoy my bowl at all. I still think I should go back and try their tonkotsu. After all it may just be that I'm not a fan of gyokai tonkotsu... but look at the logo for their tonkotsu series! I normally love vulgarity, but I hope the chef washed his hands after touching his genitals.
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| Daifukuya Rich Broth Ramen - Original ($68) - not sure if Daifukuya is the correct shop to lose my gyokai tonkotsu virginity to :( |
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| The saving grace is the onsen egg rice, but it's impossible to do wrong with the egg + soy sauce + rice formula. |
At $68 a bowl, the price is on the low side. But that doesn't justify the less-than-good food. For the same price I can have my all-time favourites fish tofu rice noodles and condensed milk crusty bun at the trusty Tsui Wah. Or I can slurp a better bowl of ramen at our next stop (read below).
Rating: 2/5
Hakata Ikkousha 博多一幸舎
I'd only heard great things about this place before my visit. Expectations were high. While the broth is sticky and nice, I find the smell too porky for my liking. It's that distinct porky aroma given off by kotteri broth, but only stronger. The broth at Nagahama No.1 Ramen is porky as well but here it's even porkier.. Maybe it's just me but I never like it when my pork is too porky or my chicken too chicken-y. Anyway, though the ramen didn't live up to my expectations, it's a great bowl at a fair price, I'd love to go back to sample their lighter tonkotsu and their chicken kara-age.
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| Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen ($68) + Soft-boiled Egg ($12) - the broth is thick and sticky. There is a noticeable layer of oil floating on top but it isn't as greasy as it looks. Confession: I ordered an egg thinking it would add a pop of colour to my photo... they didn't cut the damn egg. On a side note, the bowl is evidently too small, not only does overfilling look unprofessional, there's potential for spilling. |
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| Finally, the cheeky logo has come out of hiding! Really wanted to order a side of their signature chicken kara-age but as I was alone I didn't want to over-order. But man did I regret my decision when I finished my ramen. |
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| Price is on the low side. Portion size is smaller than that at Daifukuya... but quality over quantity. Memorably there's a lighter version of tonkotsu available. Perfect for those who prefer something lighter, e.g., yours truly. |
Rating: 3.5/5
Kanada-ya 金田家
This is a new ramen shop on Tang Lung Street, where Butao CWB and the aforementioned Hakata Ikkousha are located. It's a pretty brave move to open a shop among the more locally famous / acclaimed ramen establishments. Perhaps to attract crowds other than those who are tired from queueing for Butao and Ikkousha, Kanada-ya has done lots of online advertising. I keep seeing it as a Promoted Page on Facebook and unfortunately this has given a cheapened impression. But thanks to the raving reviews, the negative first impression didn't keep me from trekking out to Causeway Bay after work. Whilst my experience at Kanada-ya isn't bad, I now think the great reviews may have been part of the advertising scheme...
I got the Kanada-ya Supreme, a tonkotsu ramen with many thin pieces of chashu. I like the milky flavoursome broth, but there is an issue with the meat. Between the Classic and the Supreme, there is a $20 price difference and all I get is thin slices of dry chashu (instead of pork shoulder chashu). The best part of the meal is the service. The members of staff were lovely. I won a voucher for a free egg but I'm not sure if I'm going back to redeem it.
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| Kanada-ya Supreme ($98) - I really like the presentation but as I dug in I found a problem: the chashu was too thinly sliced. The focus of this bowl is the meat so it's a shame that the chashu is dry and sticking to the side. Slicing it thicker might combat the two problems at once. |
Rating: 3/5
Torimen
This place is not like other traditional ramen shops, as it isn't really one. They serve cocktails and yakitori and tiny side orders of ramen at night, but during the day, they do set lunches. You don't even have to hike up Soho because they will pay your cab fare, as long as you're a party of two or more and the fare is under $30. But I recommend walking... surely you don't want a big belly that quickly?
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| Ebi Miso Ramen ($88 on its own, lunch set $128(?)) - lovelovelove this. It's very shrimpy but not as salty as the shrimp broth at Zabon. There is a nice balance between the shrimp taste and miso. It's not just me, my lunch buddy sang praises of this bowl too. |
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| The ramen came with a salad and a side. I chose the yakitori platter - grilled mackerel, chicken bone sausage, shiitake mushrooms. |
Rating: 4/5
10 bowls down, I-don't-know-how-many more to go. Ramen is clearly an over-saturated market, but who'd have known even the HK Island shops alone are going to take me more than four posts to cover? Sadly, the summer of Hong Kong has forced me to go on a hiatus. Humidity and heat are sworn enemies to ramen (...more like ramen shops owners?). Unless it's cold noodles, then they can be summer flings. So until then, enjoy your soft serve and soba. We'll be back as soon as the temperature drops. Or earlier, because I'm into masochism.
i like hakata!
ReplyDeletewe can go there tgt in aug!