A hidden gem in a tiny bar area West of Mongkok. The shoyu ramen is a solid hitter without any of the added sparkle of MSG (something the ramen shop proudly displays). I personally have nothing against a little ajinomoto in my ramen, but to each their own.
I didn't get as much time as I wanted to check out multiple ramen spots in HK so I can't measure it against anything but a couple places, it was definitely worth a visit tho. Succulent pork, melt-in-your-mouth egg, slightly larger noodles with perfect chew, and a deep comforting broth. 8/10
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Cocooned in the far corner, my favourite spot, I ordered a bowl of Tsukemen and waited quite a long time for it to arrive. The ramen shop is decorated heavily with Japanese memorabilia, and customer comment cards making it an interesting place to wile away the time.
The noodles were chewy and good, the broth had that fishy taste to it but wasn't overpowering. However, the sweetness of the broth was a tiny bit off-putting. I ended up overall enjoying the meal, but am questioning whether I would go back there or not. 6/10 20 minutes walk from Tsuen Wan MTR stop is this delightful, family run Malaysian eatery. I was tipped off about it from my local friends, who joined me for dinner so we managed to get through quite a few dishes.
The laksa was spot on! The Asam Laksa also, the rendang, literally everything on the menu was authentic and delicious. It's not a normal area for tourists to wander around but if you have the time, this place is a highlight. 9/10 Sometimes hunting a perfect bowl of noodles becomes a mini-adventure. I woke up in my hotel room in Mongkok, took the MTR to Lai Chi Kok, walked the streets temporarily lost, trying to guage my bearings, found the warehouse, found the right elevator, took it to the 1st floor and walked down the hallway until I started seeing posters and awards taped to the wall. The restaurant was JAM PACKED, so I was turned around and shown to the waiting room a little further down the hall.
Within 10 minutes a woman came in shouting my number and I was seated at the communal long tables, ordered beef noodle soup and a mountain tea and waited. The crowd of people in there were all smashing plates like they were going out of fashion, smiling rabidly. I grew expectant. 10 minutes later I had slurped the last of the broth down and eaten my last noodle. Who knew such good beef noodle soup could be made in Hong Kong in a warehouse. The beef was succulent and tender, the noodles still had bite, the broth wasn't amazingly deep but held its own and got much better when I added the home-made chili sauce. This is one of those spots you have to be recommended, and when you do, you have to hunt it down! 8/10 The mighty men at Michelin awarded this humble noodle shop a coveted star. Even before that, the place was ram packed with locals in the know, so I simply had to spend over an hour getting there from Mongkok. I ordered the 3 topping bowl and set about attacking the monster. Not a super fan of fish balls, this behemoth was fantasic, the shrimp wonton was to die for, and the beef pieces were tender as hell. The only negative was the actual broth which lacked any real flavour, but I guess it's secondary to the toppings. Noodle-wise they were springy and had good texture, but due to the broths lack of flavour they suffered a bit too. I had to add a lot of chilli sauce to pep things up.
8/10 (5 Gough St, Central, Hong Kong) The first thing I did upon touching down in wonderful Hong Kong was to text a friend: "Best Ramen in HK?". His reply: "Shugetsu".
We headed over from Kowloon on the star ferry and walked a fair few blocks until we hit Gough Street only to see a large crowd gathered outside waiting to be seated. We put our names down on the list and headed out to drink some beer while we waited. The expectation was growing. Finally after about a 30 minute wait we were ushered in to the back where the 5 of us could all sit together. Having read that they make their own noodles, and use a base-sauce for their broth which is fermented for 18 months in a 100 year old wooden basket just added to the curiosity. It did not disappoint. Rich, deep, flavoursome soup, great noodles, perfectly executed meat, and a 6 minute egg. No wonder they are in the Michelin Guide. If you are in Hong Kong be sure to check out this spot before the lines start getting even longer. 9/10 (51 Parkes St, Jordan, Hong Kong) It may look plain, but the devil is in the details. Those shrimp wontons are plump, perfectly cooked and delicious. The broth is rather flavoursome for being so "thin-looking". Decent noodles and not much else makes up a perfectly respectable way to spend an evening in Hong Kong.
There is always a crowd, which is proof that these cats know what they are doing. 7/10 (8 Cheong Shun Rd, Chek Lap Kok) Admit it.
You can tell from the photo right? Come on.... This was pretty gruesome. Bland broth, ok egg, stringy tough meat, boring noodles and bloody cabbage and carrots... oh dear. An experiment gone horribly wrong. My only hope is that people do not think they've had real ramen after eating this and pursue greatness in any place they can find it and stick to their guns until the end up glowing over the best bowl of damn noodle soup they ever ate. Then the circle of life is complete. 3/10 |
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