Camper's - Hong Kong

Date of visit: Saturday, 5 July 2014

My mother and me are creatures of habit, frequenting the same restaurants even if the queues are only getting longer and the portions smaller. Though we live near the increasingly-happening Soho East, we have never dined at the many restaurants in the area. On a Saturday night we decided we should stop going to the same place (for a weekend at least) and headed to Camper's, a Japanese eatery tucked away in a street of garages. Our "curiosity" and "bravery" were well rewarded with some awesome hearty home-cooking!

Slow Cooked Pork Cartilage ($29) - in my head, pork cartilage is a chewy business. Think pork cartilage in noodle soup from Ajisen Ramen and Tsui Wah. Lots of people love that, I don't. I prefer this slow-cooked version from Camper's. There's just something magical about slow-cooked braised meat: succulent with a flaky texture and intense flavours, sitting in its own glaze... In this case, the tough cartilage had broken down into this gooey goodness. And it's only $29!

Beef Ribs in Black Sesame Curry with Mixed Rice ($63) - I eat plenty of curries, but black sesame curry is something I'd never heard of. Though lacking in a distinctive sesame flavour, it gave the curry a dark, almost blackish tone. As for the meat, it's my favourite - braised beef ribs! They could have been more generous with the rib pieces, but they were generous indeed with the vegetables. There was even sweet potato pieces in the rice. Reminder: don't eat this on a date! Unless your date is into black teeth and black bits inbetween teeth...

Hiroshima Oyster Curry with Mixed Rice ($66) - I had been craving oysters so my mother got this to share with me. From the photos it's clear that this, compared to the black sesame curry, was lighter and runnier. Personally I prefered the Beef Ribs in Black Sesame Curry, but this was tasty as well.

They charge $3 per person for tea. Sort of a strange practice... You could pay extra for juice instead but I'm not sure if refill is available.


Rating: 4.5/5

In a nutshell: Healthy and unpretentious Japanese home-cooking that your wallet will love. I especially appreciate the shop's motto of healthy eating. There's even a dish called 1-day Mixed Vegetables Curry to help you meet your 5-A-Day. I will be back!


Camper's 坐忘
13 Pan Hoi Street
Quarry Bay
Hong Kong

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This Fortnight in Eating (30 Jun - 13 Jul)

When I first started this blog, I envisioned a place where I document my eating adventures with pictures and as few words as possible, aka "let pictures do the talking". This explains the tagline "an eating log". But rambling on and on is my second nature. I find it hard to not talk when there's so much to talk about! Each long-winded post leaves me with little time for others. And I have accumulated a long list of less memorable / less writable places.

Say hello to This Fortnight in Eating! A new feature to this ever-changing blog. It's a compilation of snapshots from my restaurant / bar visit, happening every two weeks.


Mori Sushi 森壽司

Hokkaido Kaisendon 北海道魚生飯 ($98) - possibly the best thing that can happen during lunch break. The sashimi tastes fresh and there is more of it than rice. It's true there is only a small bowlful of rice (you can ask for more but it isn't going to make a difference) but the oily fish and sticky rice (along with the zensai appetiser, miso soup and ice-cream mochi) will fill you up pretty nicely. I have been for more than five times and I still want to go back. Be warned though: service isn't the best and you're advised to book two days ahead.

Sanche Modern Korean

Bossam ($138) - this is my favourite among the three dishes we ordered that day. I love Korean food and I love how Sanche does it with a twist. And it's impressive they do it all in the tiny corner in the restaurant they call kitchen.

Sevva

This reminds me of something I have read in a rooftopping article - "the coolest views are often from lower buildings nestled in between the tall ones."

Forgot what I have ordered... but it's the first time I have eaten a passionfruit.

Posto Pubblico

Linguine Vongole ($145 set lunch) - my first time having linguine alle vongole in red sauce (rosso). Loved the sauce, the big clams and the generous portion.

Frey & Ford

A few years ago there was a budding artisan sandwich craze. There were shops selling mini hot dogs and sandwiches. Memorably, a tiny shop in Wan Chai, 'wich, shut their doors before I could pay a visit. Frey & Ford is the only shop that is still around. Mind you, it isn't a sandwich shop, it's a "sandwich boutique". They sell "petite sandwich creations" which are actually "a work of gastronomic art that pleases both the tastebuds and the eye". Yes, I'm stealing sentences directly off their website.

Set A ($58) - this included three petite sandwiches and soup/salad. I got the French Onion Soup, Salmon Sandwich Cake, Bruschetta of Tomato Salsa and Parmesan and Peking Chicken Pocket Rockets. There was a generous amount of onion in the soup, which made me happy. But the sandwiches failed me. Like jewellery in jewellery shop, the "work of gastronomic art" sat under the glass patiently waiting for your purchase. But unlike jewellery, bread would go stale and dry. And that's why these sandwiches were. It's a shame though, as I really like the concept of artisan sandwiches.

BO-LO'GNE

Deep Fried Pork Cutlet Sandwich ($?) - this place used to be pretty famous for their Danish bread. In recent years, with more bakeries selling Danish bread and "trendier" bread, BO-LO'GNE seems to have gone off the radar. Their bread was still good, but this sandwich was disappointing. The pork cutlet was too thin and dry, the breading was detaching...

BEP Vietnamese Kitchen

Pho Tai ($68) - BEP is Nha Trang group's latest concept, or you can refer it as it the hipster sister of Nha Trang. It's more expensive but in my opinion, it tastes better. The broth of my Pho Tai was distinctively clearer and more flavourful than that at Nha Trang... but MSG level was the same. Can I get some more water please?

Taco Chaca

Nachos (?) - it doesn't look like it would taste good does it? I may be biased because I had just had some world-class nachos over at Dicken Bar a few weeks before.

Baja Fish Taco ($58) - was there even fish? All I could taste was flour tortilla (weird because it said "corn" on my recipe) and guac and lemon juice.

Ping Pong 129

Who would have known under this unassuming door...

... it would be a gintonería? I know nothing about gin, but the long stairway and high ceiling and industrial hippiness of this place speak for itself.

La Terrazza bar & grill

La Terrazza is positively reviewed by the online community. So when we headed to Shatin one Sunday to run some errands (I hadn't been there for almost five years!), we decided we would go there for lunch. But disappointedly, bread was the best part of the meal...

The mussels were surprisingly not bad, but the spaghetti was soggy! I thought with the concept of "al dente" being more and more common, soggy pasta would only exist in cha chaan tengs nowadays. Apparently I was wrong.

La Terrazza operates under the Maxim's group. Its menu reminded me a lot of another Maxim's operation, Simplylife Bakery Cafe - salad, pasta, chicken burger, beef burger, roast chicken, steak... but Simplylife does it so well while La Terrazza does it so bad, it would surprise me they have the same parent if I hadn't known already. Simplylife's Beef Burger is my go-to choice when I'm feeling extremely hungry and want to play safe. This burger? It was awful. The bun was exactly the same as the oatmeal rolls I used to buy from the supermarket for school lunch. The burger patty was... wait, was it even a burger patty? Not meat-flavoured plastic? It was dry and dense from over-handling and over-compression.

Florsflor Eats Ramen (Part II): The Journey Continues

(Wow, a sequel. Still not proven to be a long-lived project but anything two-part is serious shiz in my book. Check out Part I of my journey to a ramen belly find the best bowl of ramen if you haven't already!!)

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!

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.

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.

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.

Daifukuya Rich Broth Ramen - Original ($68) - not sure if Daifukuya is the correct shop to lose my gyokai tonkotsu virginity to :(

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Florsflor Eats Ramen (Part I)

(Hello, dear readers! I'm still alive! And extremely happy to discover that I have readers who aren't family / friends whom I have forced into reading my blog! Thank you.)

I was once determined to be a ramen connoisseur of Hong Kong, sampling what the city's noodle houses have to offer in a bowl. To be a true ramen connoisseur, one should be familiar with the Spectrum of Ramen Yumminess. Thanks to Ajisen Ramen, you can get a taste of the bottom of spectrum easily at one of their seventeen outlets scattered around HK. Or can you? Is Ajisen that bad? Let's find out by filling in the rest of the spectrum! Not by going to Ajisen, mind you.



Even though the ramen craze has died down a bit recently, dealing with the aftermath of a full-blown food craze is easier said than done. A brave friend of mine has taken on this challenge and actually made some progress. Before the verdict is out, I guess I have to continue to slurp my non-existent-unless-I-starve-myself-for-12-hours waistline away...


Ichiran 一蘭

Instead of joining long queues, I would normally wait the opening crowds out. So waiting four hours for a bowl of ramen is out of the question for me. I visited Ichiran at 5pm in late December. The wait was about twenty minutes. I didn't wait though, my friends did, thanks!!!

For first-timers, Ichiran recommend the choice of "half" for their Original Red Sauce. I followed suit. It was a mistake because the sauce was the best part and there wasn't enough...

I was hoping to finally find the Holy Grail of ramen, but I was let down. It was tasty and reminded me of Butao, which was surprising because the broth looked lighter. Yet, Butao is cheaper and would fill me up for a whole day. Whereas my bowl at Ichiran came to $99 ($89, + $10 for woodear mushroom) and I went for desserts afterwards.

Rating: 3/5



Kenko Syokuhin Ramen 健康食品拉麵

For better or worse, I have trained my system to reject greasy and overly salty food, which is exactly what ramen is about. If it isn't for the headaches and funny stomach reactions, I'll slurp more often than I do now. For this reason, I'm glad that there's a place that serves "healthy" version of ramen. The broth here was memorably less greasy than the broth at other ramen houses. But was it healthy? Definitely no. I like the ramen here and I think it deserves more attention than it receives.

1st visit: Tonkotsu Ramen with Soy-marinated Egg ($78) - the broth wasn't greasy but the chashu was fatty.

2nd visit: Beauty Set ($80) - came with a bottle of Yakult! I enjoyed the lemon-y herb-y (pesto) taste.

Rating: 4/5



Nagahama No.1 Ramen 長浜No.1拉麵

I work in Central, where the density of ramen houses is almost as high as the density of offices. Nagahama No.1 Ramen is located in Kau U Fong, not the most convenient area to go for lunch if you aren't around the area already. I've been here twice since I started my internship in January and have plans to return. Though it isn't as good as the praises have claimed, the noodles aren't mushy, the chashu is great and the broth is milky. Not to mention I can never resist free pickled spicy beansprouts. Yum.

1st visit: Tonkotsu Ramen ($72) - two kinds of chashu! I'm a sucker for blowtorch charred-siu and good puns.

2nd visit: Tamago Ramen ($82) - some people are crazy about soy-marinated eggs and I'm not one of them. But sometimes the eggs do "complete" a bowl of ramen.

Rating: 4/5



IPPUDO 一風堂

I like IPPUDO because it's consistently good and conveniently located in neighbourhoods that I hang out in. They do great side dishes too! Pork Belly Bun, anyone? It's one of the few ramen houses that charge a 10% service charge, understandable though as it's more like a restaurant. If only the noodles aren't so MSG-laden... down 1 litre of water and you will still feel thirsty.

Special Akamaru Shinaji ($88) - came with free kakuni!

Rating: 4/5



Shugetsu 周月

This place is famous for its home-made thick noodles / infamous for the oiliness of its tsukemen. As mentioned above my stomach does funny things when I consume too much grease, I went for the good old noodle soup. My ramen was slightly salty (even I picked "regular" flavour rather than the 重口味 original level) and there was an obvious alkaline taste... almost like I was eating a bowl of wonton noodles. I had some of my friend's tsukemen. Their thick noodles are chewy and robust, much better than their thinner and straighter friend. But overall the tsukemen was too greasy and salty.

Grilled Kurobuta Pork Belly Ramen ($98) - I like the grilled pork belly and that's it.

Rating: 2/5



Coming Up - Part II: I'm going on a quest to find my favourite bowl of ramen in Hong Kong. On my to-eat list there are more ramen joints than anything else. By visiting places on or not on the list, I believe eventually I'll find the One True Bowl. In the meantime, give me a shout out if you'd like to come with me on my epic journey.


* My culinary hero J. Kenji Lopez-Alt over at Serious Eats wrote a very interesting and in-depth guide to ramen styles. Even if you're only slightly interested in ramen or think the whole of this food craze is ridiculous, this article will open a new world to you. Very good read!!