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2009-02-24
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Wasn't expecting much as usually Ramens outside Japan are not worth eating. Not helped by the fact that the ubiquitous and still proliferating Ajisen Ramens in this world are so disgusting, its changed me forever!However I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of Ramen here:1) Shio-Butter Ramen. Nice perfectly balanced salty soup/broth base, some Chicken taste (?), great butter which is barely salted but has a nice long, cultured butter like finish, although slightly too 'beefy' in taste but
Wasn't expecting much as usually Ramens outside Japan are not worth eating. Not helped by the fact that the ubiquitous and still proliferating Ajisen Ramens in this world are so disgusting, its changed me forever!
However I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of Ramen here:
1) Shio-Butter Ramen. Nice perfectly balanced salty soup/broth base, some Chicken taste (?), great butter which is barely salted but has a nice long, cultured butter like finish, although slightly too 'beefy' in taste but that's also its positive character? Same as the ones in Hokkaido.
Noodles are very good, one of the best I've had not just in HK, but including Japan. Actually has noodle taste, with a springy and also chewy texture. Just the right thickeness.
2) Miso-Butter Ramen. Very light miso taste which is probably mixed with the Shio soup base, and has some sweet corn flavour in the background. Probably not enough miso taste for people used to darker Miso based ramens, but remember that in Hokkaido, they have several interpretations of Miso ramens as well.
3) The Chashu (Char Sius) in the noodles are also very good quality. Nice balance between fat and meat ratio, has a soft texture and also pork taste. Very unlike most other Chashus served in other Hong Kong ramen shops - here it is completely Japanese authentic in taste.
By the way, Chashu in Japan's ramens are mostly 'boiled'... so I don't understand why people complain it is nothing special and its like boiled pork - its supposed to be that way!
4) Gyozas - not bad, but slightly too oily. Gyoza skin is definitely Japanese type, with a chewy texture that is so unlike Chinese ones. A lot of shops in Hong Kong use the wrong, Chinese gyoza skins to make the Japanese gyozas. Here its authentic, although the feelings had slightly too much cabbage taste for my liking.
Overall, very good Ramen experience, albeit a bit oily.
I heard a lot of HK people order the Tonkotsu ramen here.
That is actually more of a Kyushu or Yokohama ramen style, but here its suppose to be Hokkaido ramen. So if you ask for my recommendation, you have to try the Shio and Miso based ramens instead to judge correctly.
I don't really think Tonkotsu pork based soup works that well with the Hokkaido noodles they use here - Kyushu style ramen noddles are completely different, more like Northern Chinese ramens.
You can really detect that the Chefs/Owners here have tried to make the noodles as close to 'perfection' as possible, its in the broth, noodles, chashu and even the menu itself. Obviously. according to their own preferences. This type of adhesion to perfection is what Japanese people are famous for - and us Hong Kong people are missing. WE HAVE A LOT TO LEARN FROM THEM!
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