Tag Archives: japanese

The Herbivores

10 Dec

4_oh

the herbivores hong kong

I love going to a restaurant with absolutely no expectations and being very pleasantly surprised. This is not often the case with vegetarian restaurants (bar MANA! And Grassroots Pantry of course), and I was certainly not expecting big things from The Herbivores. I was, however, quite wowed by this one, even if it was lacking that all-important ingredient.

The Herbivores occupies a very small space on Staunton Street that only seats 26 diners. Apart from a cosy booth at the back of the room, the only table is a long, wide wooden one that takes up most of the room, for all to share. This shared table, along with the simple décor of white-washed exposed brick walls, contrasted with black corners and hanging blackboards, gives off a relaxed and welcoming feel. To add a touch of colour and intrigue to the room, vegetarian ‘fun facts’ are scrawled onto the black part of the walls, such as “you might be better off kissing a vegetarian than a meat lover, as research has shown that vegetarians taste and smell better.” Hmm….really?!

The entire kitchen of four chefs were all previously at ROKA, which must account for a lot of the Japanese influences that have snuck in to the menu.

the herbivores hong kong

Our meal began with one such dish: a Japanese Crunch Salad. This presented itself as a light, refreshing medley of crunchy cabbage, soft abura age (a healthier version of deep-fried tofu) and rice-noodle-esque konjac jelly, smothered in an incredibly addictive sesame dressing and black and white sesame seeds. You probably know how I feel about salads, but this is a salad I would not refuse.

the herbivores hong kong

A cute bowl of crispy wedges followed, served with homemade cocktail sauce. These perfectly crispy wedges are deep-fried in super healthy Omega 9 Oil, making them almost guilt-free. Paired with the zingy and delicious sauce made with a blend of tomatoes, Parmesan, chilli powder and pepper, they were twice as tasty. Feeling greedy, we also asked if we could try the homemade truffle mayonnaise – seriously, you MUST try this!

the herbivores hong kong

To follow, came a very simple yet wonderfully tasty dish: Japanese plum pasta. Fresh linguini cooked al dente in vegetable stock was topped with a pile of shredded seaweed, dried basil and a single Japanese plum. Tossed all together until the plum disintegrated, the beautifully contrasting flavours of sweet, salty and sour set off fireworks in my mouth.

the herbivores hong kong

The daily special, not on the regular menu, was another cute dish (I love The Herbivores’ crockery!) of Baked rice with spinach cream. The fluffy rice was topped with a layer of mushrooms and tomatoes, followed by a layer of wilted spinach, finished with crumbled Parmesan before being baked to golden perfection. Despite the cream, this was a lovely delicate dish that wasn’t at all heavy.

the herbivores hong kong

The only disappointment of the evening was the NY Cheesecake. Although it had a good flavour, it was a little too dense and there wasn’t enough of a distinction between the cheesecake and the base, which could have been a lot crunchier. Its redeeming factor, however, was the delicious mixed berry and red wine purée that provided a welcome and refreshing tanginess to the rather heavy dessert.

the herbivores hong kong

The Mango yoyo, on the other hand, a dish I would normally never order, was divine: yoghurt pudding topped with strips of fresh mango, mango purée and oatmeal crumble. It was delightfully smooth and creamy, whilst still somehow light and refreshing, but the real star was most definitely the crunchy crumble.

the herbivores hong kong

As the restaurant is still in the soft-opening stage, it is still awaiting its alcohol license. There are, however a selection of delicious mocktails on the blackboard, including ‘The Herbivores’ (mint, lemongrass and honey), ‘Meditation’ (fresh lemon, fresh cucumber, white grape juice and cranberry juice) or, if you’re feeling like a celebration, a ‘Mock Champagne’ (ginger ale, white grape juice and pineapple juice) – it almost tastes like the real deal….almost!

Service comes with a smile. The small team are very personable and passionate about what they do, which is always refreshing to see in Hong Kong. Prices aren’t too unreasonable, with starters and salads around $60 and main courses between $100 and $200. The Herbivores is a lovely little place that serves delicious, hearty food, despite the rather untrue ‘facts’ – I’m pretty sure that as a meat eater I smell and taste pretty wonderful, thanks!

The Herbivores

35 Staunton Street
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2613 2909

www.the-herbivores.com

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Tate Dining Room & Bar

17 Sep

 

 

tate dining room hong kong

After hearing mixed reviews about Tate Dining Room & Bar, I had to check it out for myself, firstly to see if the food exceeded the rather low expectations, and secondly, more importantly, to see if I was still hungry after nine courses, as many who had gone before me were.

tate dining room hong kong

The setting is gorgeous, elegant and girlie, designed by Candace Campos, the same amazing designer behind MANA! and Heirloom Eatery. A lot of white and cream shades with good use of lighting make the space, which seats only around 26 diners, appear much larger than it is.

Set menus come in two forms: a six-course sensualist set (priced at $680) or a nine-course gastronomy set (for a whopping $980). It is clear to see just how much thought has gone behind each and every dish, as chef Vicky Lau (formerly of Cépage), creates her ‘edible stories’, each entitled with a lovely name.

tate dining room hong kong

Our nine-course menu began with a ‘Potato Ice Cream’. This interesting contrast between the crispy hot potato croquette and smooth cold potato ice cream, broken up by a line of peanut sand, was apparently inspired by what Chef Vicky pictures when thinking of the beach on a hot summer’s day. I loved the croquette and the peanut sand but couldn’t quite work out my feelings towards the ice cream. The smoked salmon and caviar were welcome additions, although perhaps the flavours were a little too strong for the mild potato purée.

tate dining room hong kong

tate dining room hong kong

The ‘Autumn Delight’ that followed was lovely; consisting of chestnut purée, whole chestnuts, smoked eel, a quail’s egg and vegetable crisps, it was a combination of flavours and textures that I would never think to put together, yet somehow they worked to create a wonderfully comforting and definitely autumnal dish.

tate dining room hong kong

The ‘Foie Gras Terrine’ was one of the star dishes of the night; buttery smooth cubes of foie gras were paired with grapes, candied walnuts, crumbs of Sauternes jelly and goma sesame sauce, served alongside a perfect brioche. I was in foie gras heaven and definitely took advantage of the fact that I was dining with a non goose liver lover.

tate dining room hong kong

Unfortunately the dish that followed, ‘Forest Essence’, was nowhere near as good. The single scallop was overcooked and rubbery, the mushrooms were dry and tasteless and the black garlic paste was smeared so thinly on the plate that it needn’t have bothered being there at all. Possibly the most exciting thing about this dish was the line of crushed chilli.

tate dining room hong kong

A ‘Tomato Consumme’ (was the misspelling intentional?) came beautifully presented in an adorable little teacup. Although the actual soup looked rather boring, I liked the delicate flavours and found it lovely and comforting, with the basil oil and sprig of thyme serving to add a hint of summer.

tate dining room hong kong

The cleverly named ‘Hamgoustine’ consisted of ham and – you guessed it – langoustine ravioli, served in a ham broth, topped with parmesan foam and strips of Serrano ham. The ravioli were cooked to perfection, and I loved the contrast of the two distinct fillings, however my only complaint is that the broth was a little too salty.

tate dining room hong kong

The absolute star of the night was the ‘A4 – Kagoshima Beef Rib’. The medium-rare meat was melt-in-the-mouth tender and beautifully flavoured, paired with a miso potato purée and crunchy grilled asparagus: utterly faultless.

tate dining room hong kong

A pretty ‘Zen Garden’ appeared next, but unfortunately it wasn’t exactly our idea of bliss; as much as I like green tea as a drink, I’m never a fan of green tea desserts, so the matcha green tea mousse just didn’t work for me. Served on top of white chocolate mousse and alongside sesame panna cotta and peanut sand, the whole thing was just unbearably sweet for my taste.

tate dining room hong kong

‘Tate’s Mini Dessert Cart’, however, made up for it in both appearance and taste. It was a chocoholic’s dream, offering mini chocolate mousse, a rich chocolate drink, dark chocolate brownie and last but by no means least, a chocolate hazelnut truffle.

The staff at Tate are very welcoming and knowledgeable about each dish. Service is swift, but not to the point of feeling rushed. With Chef Vicky’s creativity and passion it has the right tools to be something really special, but there are still a number of issues that need resolving first.

Now to answer the question you’ve all been waiting for: Was I hungry after my nine-course meal? No, but neither was I bursting at the seams, and I’m not sure I agree with paying $980 and to not feel like I’m going to pop.

Tate Dining Room & Bar

59 Elgin Street
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2555 2172

www.tate.com.hk

 

 

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se sa me

5 Mar

Mark Cholewka and Cathal Kiely, the guys behind successful restaurant and bar Shore in L Place, have opened up another venture. se sa me, also in L Place, just one floor below Shore, serves delicious ‘Japanasian’ cuisine in a modern, stylish setting.

se sa me doesn’t officially open until 7th March, but naturally I jumped the gun and snuck in during the soft opening to try their tasty treats.

Rock shrimp tempura

The menu, put together by Chef Rodelio Aglibot (known as the ‘Food Buddha’ due to his disciplined approach to cooking) and Dominic South (with restaurants such as NOBU London under his belt), combines traditional Japanese dishes with ingredients from all over Asia, serving food you would never come across in your average Japanese eatery.

Sweet corn crunch

Whilst choosing the rest of our menu, we nibbled on some rock shrimp tempura – delicious, soft morsels of prawn mixed with caramelised nuts – and the sweet corn crunch, similar to the Yardbird sweet corn fritters but somehow the batter seemed much lighter. Dipped in a Vietnamese nuoc cham sauce, to give them a salty-sour taste, these were definitely something special.

Sashimi platter

To follow, a platter of beautifully fresh sashimi – scallops, umi, toro – awaited us. We were advised to eat them in the aforementioned order, perhaps because each one got better and better. I particularly loved the way the platter was adorned with pretty, edible flowers.

Buddha crispy rice with spicy tuna

The Buddha crispy rice with spicy tuna is something you won’t find elsewhere – here the sushi rice is fried lightly on each side to give it a crispy outer layer, topped with delicious melt-in-the-mouth spicy tuna, although actually its only down side was that it wasn’t as spicy as I anticipated.

Alaskan snow crab handroll

The Alaskan snow crab handroll with dynamite sauce came wrapped in rice paper as opposed to seaweed, making it phenomenally fresh. I was expecting the dynamite sauce to blow my mind, but again was ever so slightly disappointed by the lack of spice.

Pork and duck gyoza

A plate of Pork and duck gyoza followed. Crispy on the outside and smooth on the inside, these are some of the best gyoza I have tasted. Go easy on the dipping sauce as too much makes it a little on the salty side, but the combination of pork and duck works beautifully.

Seared Wagyu nigiri

We then chose the Seared Wagyu nigiri from the specials board. The most tender and flavourful beef made me sad that there were only two pieces.

se sa me

For dessert, the namesake se sa me is an incredible array of seven different textures of sesame: sweet sesame ice cream, crumbly sesame biscuit, chocolate sesame crunch, sesame sponge cake, sesame panna cotta, all enhanced by sesame paste and beautifully fluffy and velvety white chocolate mousse, garnished with a thin sheet of sesame sugar. Amazing.

Passion fruit cloud

The Passion fruit cloud however, was for me the absolute star of the evening. The fluffy ‘cloud’ made by whisking passion fruit, sugar and gelatin was deliciously tart, complemented by the juicy berries and sweet meringue pieces, topped off with fresh passion fruit and a sour lime glaze. If you like exciting and sour desserts, as I do, this will definitely make your taste buds dance.

Don’t forget to try some unique cocktails and delicious sake from sommelier and general manager Maiko Tsuji’s drinks list to complete your meal.

Service at se sa me is second to none. The food isn’t cheap, but it isn’t outrageously priced either, and for the quality and range of flavours you’re getting, I think it’s worth every cent. Conveniently I work just behind L Place, so I will definitely be returning…with frequency!

se sa me

2/F, L Place
139 Queen’s Road Central
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2870 2323

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Robata Zawazawa (lunch)

17 Nov

Although we all love the lifestyle here in Hong Kong, it cannot be denied that sometimes, or perhaps more often than sometimes, life just shoots by far too fast and we find ourselves short of time to really take care of ourselves. This is particularly true when it comes to eating food that is actually doing our bodies good. When we’re short of time to have a decent lunch, we often opt for places that offer something quick and unhealthy, rather than taking the time to sit down and eat a meal that tastes good at the same time as filling us with goodness.

Robata Zawazawa, however, has come to the rescue as it has just started serving lunch. With set lunches starting at $160 you can get a whole feast full of goodness that leaves you feeling neither uncomfortably full nor shaking from MSG. Nothing is battered, nothing is fried – just delicious, feel-good, grilled food.

I am yet to have the pleasure of trying Robata Zawazawa for dinner, but I have heard nothing but positive feedback from everyone I know who has. Amongst the praise, I also quite often heard a few complaints that the restaurant did not serve lunch, but thankfully these complaints no longer have a leg to stand on.

 Robata Zawazawa, located down the steps opposite Solas on Wyndham Street, is Lang Kwai Fong’s only robatayaki bar. Although this means there is nowhere to compare it to, I can guarantee that this is one unique place, both in the yummy food that it serves and the beautiful design that it boasts. The restaurant seats only 18 people, most of whom will be seated around the open kitchen to watch their food being grilled, so make sure you ring in advance to reserve your front-row seat.

Appetizers

The set lunch begins with a tray of six appetisers. These vary from day to day depending on stock. Ours included shredded tofu, lotus roots (delicious), a slow-cooked egg, seaweed, aubergine and ox tongue (surprisingly moreish). There is just the right amount of each one to whet your appetite for the main course.

Main courses include Japanese pork belly, Choshu chicken, Unagi eel hot pot, Japanese Wagyu, Assorted vegetable skewers or the daily special. Feeling the need to kick-start the week with a healthy fix, I selected the vegetable skewers.

Assorted vegetable skewers

There is a common misconception that if you order a vegetarian meal, you will leave the restaurant feeling just as hungry as when you arrived. At Robata Zawazawa, this could not be further from the truth. Six sizeable skewers are presented before you alongside a plate of pickles, a big bowl of steamed rice, a cabbage and sesame salad and a bowl of miso soup. You will certainly not be hungry when you’re through with this feast. Highlights for me were the sweet potato and the aubergine, although I was not particularly taken by the jelly-like Japanese root vegetable.

Daily special - Grilled salmon

The special of the day was salmon, which looked incredibly tender and tasty, also served with the same accompaniments.

To finish off the meal, a bowl of scrumptious fresh tropical fruit, delicately dressed in a fruity syrup was served, although the dessert also changes on a daily basis.

As Robata Zawazawa is an intimate space, service perfectly reflects this and the waiters are on hand to make you feel looked after. So if you’re feeling like you need to treat yourself to an affordable yet delicious lunch that will leave you feeling like you’re actually looking after your body for a change, try the set lunch at Robata Zawazawa. You can always have some chocolate mid-afternoon if you feel like you’ve been too healthy, as I did of course!

Robata Zawazawa

LG/F, 41 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2536 9898

Date visited: Monday 14th November

 

 

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Armani/Aqua

24 Aug

I was invited to the soft opening of the new Armani restaurant by Aqua on Monday evening and was utterly spoilt rotten.

As you approach the brand new restaurant, which officially opens today, you walk down a long red and black carpet-lined corridor sandwiched between two sets of sliding doors, giving the whole experience an edge of exclusivity and you truly feel like a celebrity.

Continuing with the exclusivity, although Armani/Aqua spans a 6,000 square foot space, it seats only 140 guests, avoiding any chance of the overcrowding we experience every day here in Hong Kong.

In the same way as the original Aqua restaurant in TST, Armani/Aqua offers a choice of Italian or Japanese cuisine, cooked in two separate kitchens, led by two very talented chefs. There is also a kaiten-sushi bar where you can watch the chefs preparing only the freshest and highest quality sushi before your very eyes.

Unable to decide what to choose from the never-ending, incredible menu, our very friendly waitress and the restaurant manager, Tony, said they would compose a delicious surprise menu for us, including dishes from both the Japanese and Italian sections of the menu. The only request we made was to avoid eggs and eel; the rest was in their hands.

A huge bowl of edamame and a basket of fresh bread were served while our excitement grew, preparing us for the epic platter of sushi and sashimi that was to follow: tuna, salmon and yellow fin sashimi that may as well have jumped straight from the sea onto our plates as it was so incredibly fresh; California rolls and fatty tuna rolls topped with seared tuna – little pieces of heaven.

Bone marrow risotto milanese

Gnocchi in vanilla bean and scampi sauce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I probably could have done with just the platter, but did not complain when a beautiful risotto milanese with bone marrow and an irresistible homemade gnocchi in a vanilla bean and scampi sauce were set before us. Two dishes with completely different textures and ingredients you would never think would work together but were a perfect marriage. Apparently the risotto is actually Giorgio’s favourite dish!

Brandade di baccalà

Puy lentils with salsiccia and scampi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn’t over just yet as this time we were presented with a selection of brandade di baccalà perched atop three varieties of polenta, and puy lentils with steamed salsiccia and scampi with a sea urchin foam. The baccalà (salt cod) is an acquired taste, so wasn’t to everyone’s liking but I certainly enjoyed it. Tony explained to us that the dishes he had selected ranged from Southern Italy, moving up to the north of Italy.

 

 

When asked if we had room for dessert, I carelessly responded that there is always room for dessert. We were brought not one, not two, but three desserts, each a very generous sized portion!

Crema bavarese

First to arrive was crema bavarese with fresh berries, a dish slightly similar to a panna cotta but a million times better. With a subtle hint of lemon and little dollops of berry compote, this went down a treat.

Mille foglie

The mille foglie was spectacular. Certainly not something I would have thought to order but was very glad that Tony did.

4 chocolate delights

Last but by no means least, just as I was wondering if Tony was not a chocolate fan, a platter arrived with four chocolate desserts, each a different texture and temperature: white chocolate ice cream, dark chocolate parfait, chocolate mousse with freeze-dried raspberries and, my all-time favourite, warm chocolate fondant. I ignored my stomach telling me it was full and allowed myself to be transported to chocolate heaven.

For after dinner drinks or for dancing into the early hours, Armani have also opened a fantastic nightclub. Armani/Privé comprises of a club downstairs with live DJs three nights a week, and an incredible 6000 square foot terrace upstairs with DJs twice a week playing lounge music. This terrace, open from 3pm until the early hours, is bound to rival that of Sevva. The perfect location for after-work drinks or even just a cup of peppermint tea to aid digestion of the incredible food you have just eaten at Armani/Aqua. I will most definitely be returning on a slightly less full stomach to try some of their signature cocktails.

Armani/Aqua & Armani/Privé

2/F Chater House
8 Connaught Road
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 3583 2828

Date visited: Monday 22nd August 2011

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Two Japanese restaurants in Manila

28 May

Umu at Dusit Thani Manila

I was in Manila last week for what will, I hope, be the first of many journalistic trips around Asia. I had previously heard numerous horror stories about Manila so I must admit I was a little bit nervous. I did, however, have the pleasure of staying in two very nice hotels, namely the Dusit Thani and the Makati Shangri-La, where I was treated like royalty and made to feel very welcome and safe. I don’t know if either hotel knew how much I love my food, but they both treated me to a meal at their respective Japanese restaurants and I think they might have had a slight inkling of my love for food once I was finished.

Umu, Dusit Thani’s award-winning Japanese restaurant, was renovated in 2009. It spans over a large space, accommodating over 200 diners, and has three separate traditional tatami rooms where diners can sit on mats on the floor. There is also a sushi counter, a robata counter and four teppanyaki tables. On the day I arrived in Manila, I had lunch at Umu with Danelle, the senior PR and events manager and Casey, the director of sales. We weren’t in a tatami room, but on actual chairs overlooking a beautiful garden and waterfall. At night, the garden is brought to life by strategically placed lighting and is even more beautiful.

Umu’s menu is huge, ranging from traditional sushi to Japanese salads to tepanyaki dishes to wagyu steak. I handed the menu over to Danelle, told her I eat anything (apart from sea urchin – there’s something about eating a nasty little beast whose only purpose is to cause pain, which doesn’t appeal to me so much) and suggested she order the best things on the menu. I don’t know how good everything we didn’t order was, but the dishes she selected were definitely spectacular. The first dish to appear, whilst I sipped on my fresh green mango juice (amazing), was Sashimi Nanasyumori, a platter with seven different kinds of sashimi and several of each kind. This was not just a regular sashimi platter, however, as in the centre of the dish was a little box emitting dry ice, making quite the entrance. The sashimi itself was incredibly fresh and absolutely delicious, particularly the scallops which were separated by a thin sliver of lemon.

Suzuki seabass and foie gras

Next up we had miso soup, ebi tempura (huuuge prawns in perfectly crisp tempura batter), suzuki seabass and foie gras, beautifully arranged and the flavours worked well together. The wagyu steak was lovely and tender but by this point I struggled to eat more than a couple of strips! Just when I thought I might pop, I was served the most amazing seafood fried rice which somehow found a little extra hole in my stomach. I think after giving up rice for 40 days over Lent, I am still welcoming it back into my life with open arms. Finally, as I had never tasted it before, my dining companions insisted I try the sake-flavoured ice cream. It was…. interesting. Not the most delicious ice cream I have ever tasted but definitely worth trying.

The service was commendable and the company was amazing – the friendliness of Filipinos combined with the excellent Thai service employed by the Dusit Thani (a Thai branded hotel) is like no other. Even though the lunch was supposed to be business, I felt as if I was eating with great friends!

Inagiku at Makati Shangri-La

Inagiku at the Makati Shangri-La is completely different to Umu so this is by no means a comparison. Apart from the two tatami rooms, the dining area is all contained in one smaller room. I had dinner here on my second night with Mica, the Shangri-La’s assistant communications manager. I was introduced to Ichikawasan, the friendliest restaurant manager, who, upon hearing that I live in Hong Kong, was adamant that, as HK offers pretty much every kind of cuisine, he wanted to select a menu for me comprising of dishes I was most likely to have never had in HK. So our menus were taken away from us, we were told to trust him (how could anyone not?!) and we were served dish upon dish of incredibly delicious and unusual Japanese cuisine.

The only dish I had tasted before but am always more than happy to taste again were the edamame beans we were served whilst we waited. Following this, we each were given three pieces of sushi which Inagiku’s award-winning chef, Wataru Hikawa (apparently the MOST award-winning sushi chef outside of Japan) creates in his own special way: the three pieces of seafood (salmon, scallop and tuna) are marinated in a delicious sauce before being lightly grilled and served atop the sushi rice. Incredible melt-in-the-mouth goodness. Tuna tartare in a lovely sesame soy sauce (I LOVE sesame) was delightful. I neeeeeeed that recipe. The king prawns in Inagiku’s “special” sauce (I wasn’t allowed to know the secret ingredients, but was later told it was not the healthiest of sauces – oh well) were perfectly tender and the sauce was wonderfully buttery (ah, there’s the unhealthiness). Star of the show has got to be the seabass: it was placed in a large sheet of seaweed along with some shitake mushrooms and wrapped up before being covered in salt and baked. I had to stop talking at this point as it was unbelievably good. Below is a picture of our waiter carving it up for us.

Salt-baked seabass

Although we were struggling to cope with any more food, we were each presented with a beautiful lacquer box containing cold udon noodles (this is not a complaint – they are supposed to be cold!). A small pot made of the same lacquer containing a soup-like sauce and condiments we were told was the dipping sauce for the noodles. I couldn’t manage them all but I would most definitely have them again. Last but by no means least, our dessert was a combination of sweet treats: fresh mango, fresh banana, red bean, a chocolate and pistachio crisp, mochi and a little ball of clear jelly with fresh strawberries inside. A-mazing and finished every last crumb even if I didn’t need it.

Wonderful service and great company once again. I have no idea about the prices of either restaurant but I am almost 100% certain they are a lot lower than dining in an equivalent restaurant here in HK, but I think that goes without saying. So if you happen to find yourself in Manila, I would most definitely recommend giving these two lovely restaurants a try!


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Hide-Chan Ramen

20 Apr

Most people will have heard of Butao Ramen and its ridiculous hour-long queues for a very simple bowl of Japanese ramen noodles. I haven’t actually been myself because I’m not sure I see the point in queuing for hours for a very simple bowl of ramen. Unless I had snacks to keep me going, there would be no way of shutting up my grumbling stomach and I’m sure it would disturb the other customers. Actually maybe this would be a good idea – scare off the customers with my growling stomach and head straight to the front of the queue.

However, when there is Hide-Chan Ramen, on Wellington Street, there is no need to put this experiment to the test. We went for lunch after the mad rush, at around 1.30, walked straight in and were seated immediately. This was somewhat surprising, seeing as this particular link of the Hide-Chan Ramen chain with other restaurants in Tokyo and New York, only opened its doors a mere two weeks ago.

We were presented with three sheets of paper and three pencils, resulting in three very confused expressions. When I’ve ordered ramen before, there has never been so much choice – you have your standard ramen with beef or pork or vegetables etc. and that’s that. In Hide-Chan Ramen, however, you have a choice of what kind of soup base you’d like: Hakata Original Ramen, White Hide (apparently has lots of collagen in it(?)), Black Hide (with a charred garlic taste) or Red Hide (with an added touch of Korean sweet chilli sauce). The HCR team pride themselves on the fact that they use selected pork legs and boil them for a minimum of 24 hours to create their stock – all MSG-free! You can then choose the level of spiciness you would like: low, medium or high; what consistency you would like your noodles: soft, medium or hard; if you would like any extra garlic (I found this absolutely hilarious as they give you a small bowl filled with about six garlic cloves and a garlic crusher – never seen anything like it before in a restaurant!); and what part of the pig you would like your pork to have come from: shoulder, belly or neck (if you’re a vegetarian you can skip the pork, but there doesn’t seem to be an option for any non-vegetarians who are against eating pigs). In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, you use your little pencil to tick the box next to your selection. You then have the choice of adding extras such as bean sprouts, soft-boiled egg, dumplings, more pig, and a variety of sauces – I have no idea what these sauces are as they are just called “black sauce” or “red sauce” but I’m sure they are delicious. If you’re feeling extra hungry you can even tick the box for “noodle refills!” All of these extras come at an added cost but nothing to get your knickers in a twist over.

I selected Black Hide, medium spicy (I was told the Black Hide was not allowed to be spicy but I pleaded and was brought a small dish of spicy sauce on the side), medium consistency noodles, pork shoulder with soft-boiled egg and bean sprouts. I was having a bit of an off-day – part post-7s sickness, part mid-week blues – so this was the perfect comfort food and definitely brought my spirits up. For me, there’s always something about soup noodles that makes you feel like you’re being given a great big cuddle and all is well with the world. Is that weird?!

There is also the option of adding a side dish of 10 pan-seared Hakata dumplings, which we were unable to turn down. Guess what’s in the dumplings…. pork of course! To complement your dumplings, you may choose a range of rather strange toppings: cheese (really?!), cheese mayonnaise (excuse me?!), Tarako mayonnaise or (our selection) green onion mayonnaise which I promise tastes much better than it sounds. I could probably live off those dumplings. Although obviously I would need chocolate too.

 Total bill was just over $100 each not including drinks, so a little bit pricier than somewhere like Misocool but as you can completely customise your meal without someone saying “no, cannot,” it’s definitely worth that little bit extra. I’d like to try Butao Ramen as a comparison but not until they see to their lunchtime traffic problem.

 

 Hide-Chan Ramen

Upper Ground Floor
The Loop
33 Wellington Street
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2522 5990

Date visited: Thursday 31st March 2011

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