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2012-02-27
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I was trying to discover some new restaurants good for one person around Hung Hom, TST & Jordan. This shop caught my attention because of my latest urge to try out different ramen shops, especially with the Spicy Chicken Ramen! I was not sure whether the shop was still open or not as according to the web, the shop would close at 9. I don't mind walking towards the Jordan area as there are still some very good noodle shops e.g. 兰香 and soup shops, i.e. 新天地, in the vicinity. To my surprise, it was
I was not sure whether the shop was still open or not as according to the web, the shop would close at 9. I don't mind walking towards the Jordan area as there are still some very good noodle shops e.g. 兰香 and soup shops, i.e. 新天地, in the vicinity. To my surprise, it was still open at 9:30 p.m.
I stood outside to check out the shop; another customer was doing the same. The friendly boss approached him and kindly invited him in. I was still checking out the menu. To my dismay, the Spicy Chicken Ramen was all sold out! I don't really care about the chicken meatballs as long as I could have the spicy broth. So I asked the boss whether I could have the spicy ramen broth with other ingredients, such as the char siu, seafood or tofu (interesting option). He said it was fine. Great!
In fact, he explained that the spicy option was available for ALL ramen stock - it was either Soy Sauce base with added spiciness or Miso base with added spiciness. I suddenly felt a bit stupid for asking because I thought the spicy broth was specially made for the chicken, i.e. like an inseparable whole. If that option was open to all ingredients, then why specify a spicy chicken meatball ramen in particular (if you could choose a non-spicy chicken ramen)? But, whatever, I'm glad that they were open and I'm glad that I could try the spicy broth.
I really valued the opinions of other commentators so I did my research beforehand. I found that they seemed to have more ramen available now, plus quite a number of snacks:
The newspaper cuttings also introduced the deluxe seafood ramen - which looked pretty good. But I personally think that meat is better with spicy sauce or broth or whatever than seafood. That's why I ordered the Pork soft-bone ramen.The boss asked whether I prefer Soy Sauce or Miso. From my perspective, if the spicy brother consists of just adding chilli powder or shichimi, then it really doesn't matter either way (but that would be very disappointing). So, being an inquisitive customer, I asked for the boss's recommendation instead. He recommended Soy Sauce so that's what I ordered - I'm glad I did.
Well, let's deal with the egg for the benefit of the egg connoisseurs first: It's fine - 70% cooked - nothing to rave about. But it gets better afterwards.The noodle, according to many learned commentators, was apparently really something - I agree. This is not the thin Hataka type of ramen but the eggy Hokkaido think yellow ramen. It's very chewy and, in my view, good with Soy Sauce and Miso broth - well...... that's the traditional combination anyway Perhaps, with the "Yin" and "Yang" concept at play, i.e. strong flavoured noodle with light broth vs. light flavoured noodle with strong broth (like Ippudo, Hide-chan, ButaO, Tamashi ...etc).
The pork soft-bone (cartilage) was delicious Very very soft and fits in very well with the Spicy Soy Sauce broth.
I'm really quite happy with the spicy broth. From what I see and taste like, it's not made with kimchi or with spicy miso. It's completely different from Ippudo (with spicy miso) or Tatsuya (with kimchi) or with Marutame (with spicy onions only). I believe it's with spicy onions, some chilli oil, quite a lot of garlic and perhaps a hint of sesame oil. I liked the broth since my first taste of it. It's aromatic and very good with the pork and the noodle. Much better than the spicy ramen at SamPachi (triple 8 八八八) because of the boiled garlic and the soy sauce soup base.
The chef and the boss seemed nervous as both me and some other customers were taking photos of the food and everywhere else. I also asked the boss specifically when would the shop close. He said it was between 10:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. I gently reminded him that the closing time as stated at 9:00 p.m. on Open Rice. I hope he will update it soon. (Many restaurants don't update essential information such as operating times and even addresses as often enough. So I suggest dear readers to phone beforehand if in doubt!)
The interior was small just like the name of the restaurant, a "Yatai", namely, a street stall. It's a small shop which could fit about 20 persons. Brightly lit and clean.
The service was good. Very attentive. English menu is available on an I-pad upon request. I'm pretty sure that that boss listens to suggestions a lot because I note that some commentators complained that the staff did not provide water efficiently. When I was there, the boss was constantly adding water - even after I just had a sip. The ability to listen and improve is definitely one of the characteristics of a successful person. Keep it up!
I'll be back!
张贴
