Hong Kong Eats: Ippudo HK

Remember Butao Ramen and Ajisen Ramen?  Here's one more ramen place to add to the growing number of good ramen restaurants in Hong Kong.  For those in the know, Ippudo HK did not actually originate from Hong Kong, but rather in the land of ramen, Japan.  It was so successful that it now has branches all over the world in the US, Singapore, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia.  Wow!  

The first time I got to try Ippudo was in Singapore.  Before we went, I did a few searches about good restaurants in Singapore and Ippudo was one among others that popped up from the search.  Well, all I can say is, the recommendation was spot-on.  The moment we took that first sip of tonkotsu broth, we swore to go back to Ippudo every chance we get.

Fast forward to last month, indeed, we went back to Ippudo.   It wasn't actually our first time in Ippudo HK.  We already got to try it a little more than a year ago, but since the trip last month was with Hubby's family, we also wanted to share with them our yummy discovery.

Here's what we had:

Shiromaru Motoaji

"Ippudo's original tonkotsu broth served with thin noodles, rosu chasu (pork loin), kikurage and spring onions.  Classic Hakata-style ramen."

Akamaru Shinaji

"Ippudo's original tonkotsu broth enhanced with special blended miso paste and fragrant garlic oil.  Served with thin noodles, buta bara (pork belly), kikurage and spring onions.  A refined, modern-style ramen."

Both ramen we tried that day was still as yummy as the first time we had it.  And if given the option to choose one from these two, well... I can't.  They're both delicious in their own way!  And did I mention REALLY fragrant?

Codfish with Saikyo Miso Sauce

This one took us by surprise.  The codfish might look simple, but trust me when I say that one bite of this will send you straight to heaven, no detours.  It's THAT good.  If I could eat one fish for the rest of my life, then this is it.  This fish still haunts me to this day, and the moment I set foot in Hong Kong again, this will be on top of my list.

Aji Tamago

Another one that will send you to food heaven is their soft boiled egg.  As simple as eggs come, I don't know what they do but they manage to make the insides a bit sweet.  Research shows that the Ajitsuke Tamago is soaked in some sort of marinade to get the flavor.  Ippudo seems to have mastered the art of Ajitsuke Tamago because theirs is pretty good.  Would have stuffed my face with a dozen or so if only I didn't fear for my life.  Haha!

The verdict?  5 out of 5 stars!  If you could try one thing alone, go for the codfish.  It's 1000% good, great, fantastic, amazing... I don't think I can run out of nice adjectives to describe how superbly delicious that piece of fish is.  The ramen itself is pretty mouthwatering too.  Oh and don't forget the egg! 

Ippudo HK is at Shop 210, Silvercord Tower, 30 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong 

Hong Kong Eats: Butao Ramen

If there's one restaurant in Hong Kong that's over talked about, that's Butao Ramen.  I've heard raves about it ranging from our very own wedding photographer, down to the different food bloggers.  Everyone seemed to have the same reaction after eating in Butao:  it's good down to the last slurp.  I already regrettably passed it off during my last Hong Kong trip, so this time, I made it a point to hunt the place down and try it!  Finding the place was no easy feat, especially if you're not familiar with the streets of Hong Kong.  But luckily, after a few wrong turns, Hubby and I found ourselves in a small street and behold:  Butao Ramen.  

It was a little bit past 11AM when we got there, so imagine our surprise when we saw that the restaurant was already full and there was a line of about 15 people long.  Whoa.  They weren't kidding when they said that this place fills up FAST.  After 30 or so minutes of waiting, we were nearing the start of the line and were handed this simple menu.

...plus this simple sheet where you encircle your choices for the kind of ramen, soup base, type of pork, type of vegetable, level of spiciness, noodle type, softness of noodle, and additional toppings.   Whew!  That's a lot of decisions put into one sheet, I somehow felt that I was answering an exam LOL.

We were finally seated, and within minutes, our orders have arrived!  There was also a brief moment of confusion when they put down the wrong bowl and Hubby almost ate it!  Here's what I had:  the Black King (tonkotsu squid ink broth). 

And here's what Hubby had:  The Red King (spicy miso broth).

And the definite MUST-add.  Seaweed and Japanese-style egg.  I swear, one bite into the egg and you'll feel like you've died and gone to Heaven.

The verdict?  Everyone who raved about Butao Ramen were spot on!  5 out of 5 stars!  If only they have a branch here in Manila, they'd surely give other ramen places a run for their money!

Butao Ramen is at G/F, Wo On Building, 8-13 On Lane Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central, Hong Kong.