Ichiran 天然豚骨拉麵專門店一蘭 - Causeway Bay - Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a vibrant city of great shopping and delicious food. It's an amazing place to visit with lots to see and do. We were in Hong Kong for a total of six days and five nights.

I remember going in the month of July back when I was in primary school many years ago, where it was awfully hot and humid. The weather this time around was much cooler as it was the start of Spring but it rained non-stop for three days.

Ichiran is a very popular Japanese ramen restaurant originating from Fukuoka, Japan. They have branches throughout Japan and they opened their first overseas outlet at Causeway Bay, Hong Kong in 2013 and subsequently another branch at Tsim Sha Tsui. The outlet at Causeway Bay follows the individual booth seating layout of its restaurants in Japan whereas the one at Tsim Sha Tsui offers a communal dining experience.

We chose to go to Causeway Bay as we wanted to get as close to the real deal as possible. Most of the ingredients are flown in from its headquarter in Japan. I never had the chance to go to Ichiran when I was in Japan but I've heard many good things about it from fellow friends. However, reviews  on the internet for the Hong Kong branch say otherwise. I was a bit skeptical thinking it would be ordinary tasting and bland as some said.

Arriving a bit after 12:30pm, there was already a long queue at the front of the restaurant. Even after all these years it still remains a favourite amongst both locals and tourists.

We waited for approximately half an hour before reaching the front only to be ushered in to join another internal queue which took another 15 minutes or so. Over 45 minutes wait for a bowl of ramen, it must be really good right?

In Japan you order via a vending machine. Unfortunately, they don't have that available here. 

We were handed a order sheet to customise our selection upon reaching the front. They only sell one type of ramen and that is with the tonkotsu based soup. At HKD 89 a bowl, it not cheap but in the city of Hong Kong it actually is. For any additional toppings you have to pay extra including the half boiled egg at HKD 14. My personalised choice was the medium flavour strength, lighter richness stock, with green onions, sliced meat and an egg. 

After entering our dining space behind the red curtains, we were taken to our individual booths. The purpose of these booths are to block out any distractions so you can concentrate on enjoying your ramen. 

Our neighbours.

A guide on how to order if you're unsure.

The filled out order form is handed to the wait staff behind the bamboo screen.

5 minutes later a piping hot bowl of ramen arrives resembling the photos I've seen on the internet. The waiter lowers the bamboo screen so you can enjoy your ramen to your own discretion with as much slurping as you please. 

A cold whole egg arrives separately in a bowl and I quickly add it to the ramen after cutting it in half. 

It's perfectly cooked inside with the yolk partially runny. Pure goodness.

A sip of the broth and its not too heavy but packed with a whole lot of flavour. It's creamy and consistently smooth with the right amount of thickness without being overpowering. Simply delicious!

I opted for medium noodles as I don't like it being too soft which gives it a nice chew. The two slices of slightly fatty pork just melted in the mouth. I found myself scooping up nearly every drop of the broth as it was that good.

Then you bring the order slip to the cashier at the front to pay. You can even buy a take home version of their noodles. 

A wonderful lunch and one I would have again if given the chance. It's probably rates as one of my top personal favourites. I think it's a great dining concept for individuals or small groups. I do recommend going early or avoiding peak times to avoid any long lines. 

Oh by the way it's open 24/7 so you can go there anytime to get your ramen fix.

Where?
Lockhart House Block B,
440-446 Jaffe, 
Causeway Bay 
Hong Kong 

MTR Exit C

Phone no: +85 2 2152 4040

Opening Hours

7 Days a Week
24 Hours

Website
N/A

Little Ramen Bar – Melbourne CBD – Melbourne, Australia

Little Ramen Bar is located on Little Bourke Street in the heart of CBD. My cousin is a fan of the Japanese ramen at this noodle bar and every time she travels to Melbourne she eats here. It has also been mentioned in a number of lists as having the best ramen so we added it to our must eat bucket list.

After arriving in Melbourne, we took the taxi from the airport to the city and stopped across the road from the restaurant. With our luggage in tow, we decided to join the short queue which I hear is much longer on weekdays so try going before or after the lunch hour rush. Luckily the line moved very quickly and we were in within five minutes.

The restaurant is small and cramped inside with only a few tables and chairs. Space is limited but turnover is quick so wait times shouldn't be too long.

The menu is short but there are a number of different ramen varieties to choose from. The main soup bases included shio, shoyu or a mix of both. 

The ‘Classic Tonkotsu Ramen ($10.90)’ is made using a traditional slow cooked pork broth that is simmered over 10 hours. The soup is rich and full of flavor without being too thick.  The chashu melted in the mouth alongside the perfect soft runny egg. Though there was a bit too much seaweed in the bowl for my liking. 

The noodles had a nice bite to it.

'Spicy Miso Ramen ($13.50)' is for those who are after that extra kick. The pork soup is combined with  a homemade spicy miso and topped with cabbage and shallots. A steaming hot bowl of noodles is comforting on a chilly day in Melbourne.

The ramen at Little Ramen Bar was good but I wouldn't say it was the best I've had. Would have liked to try other variants if we were in town for longer.

This is the last post of my Melbourne trip. Till next time!

Where?

5/346 Little Bourke St

Melbourne VIC 3000

Australia

Phone no: 03 9670 5558

Opening Hours

Monday - Thursday

Lunch : 11:30am - 2:30pm

Dinner : 5:30pm - 9:00pm

Friday - Saturday

Lunch : 11:30pm - 3:00pm

Dinner: 5:30pm - 9:30pm

Sunday
Closed

Website

www.littleramenbar.com.au      

Yasaka Ramen - Sydney CBD- Sydney, Australia

I'll be off to Melbourne this long weekend and I can't wait! It's been a number of years since I last went. Will be eating lots of delicious food, sightseeing and watching the tennis at the Australian Open with a lovely bunch of friends. Hope the weather will be kind to us, as I hear it will be cold. Watch this space for upcoming posts! 

Yasaka Ramen is the new ramen joint in the Sydney CBD, located near World Square. They go by the motto 'No ramen, no life'. I totally agree with them on that. Japanese ramen has always been one of my favourite foods since university because it's cheap, filling and flavoursome. The city undoubtedly has the best Japanese ramen, even though some may say the outer suburbs have the better variations.

What differentiates them from other ramen eateries is the 'home made noodle' concept. Just before you enter, there is a whole section at the front dedicated to noodle making. I don't think I've ever see ramen freshly made in house. Now that's amazing! Even though we couldn't catch them at the time of making the noodles, we did glance into the window where the machines and utensils were stored. 

After perusing the menu outside, it's simple yet broad if that makes any sense. They've got many variations of ramen, curry rice, don (rice bowls) and side dishes available. Their specialisation is ramen with only one kind of soup available, the Tonkotsu in varying forms including miso, shio and shoyu.

We are seated at the benches, in front of where the action happens, as this is the open kitchen where the chefs prepare and cook. There are also more tables and seats upstairs.

We start off with 'Pork Gyozas ($6.50)' filled with pork mince.They are pan fried to a crispy base and steaming hot inside. This is the perfect accompaniment to the ramen. 

The 'Tonkotsu Shoyu Egg Ramen ($15.80)' includes a perfectly soft boiled egg with an oozing yolk. The noodles made in house are topped with the standard including chashu (pork), bamboo shoots, black fungus, shallots and a seawood sheet. This sits within a pork bone soup blended with a soy sauce paste. The broth is thick, but not as thick compared to Gumshara Ramen. Yasaka's version is rich and intense. Together with the springy noodles, it was delicious. 

The chasu, with striking ribbons of fat and meat, is grilled and then charred with a blowtorch. It's soft, tender and melts in the mouth. Though this seems to alter the taste of it as my dining companion, didn't seem to like it. I, however, enjoyed it very much. 

A great place for a bowl of authentic Japanese ramen. The staff are friendly and the service is prompt, though a little too much. There were queues forming outside on the Friday we went and the wait-staff were extremely eager to clear our plates a number of times even though we weren't finished. Despite this, we would love to try out the other dishes on offer. 

For those in Australia, Happy Australia Day for the coming Monday!

Where?
126 Liverpool St
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Phone no: (02) 9262 9027

Opening Hours
Open Monday - Saturday 
11:30am - 10:00pm
Sunday
11:30am - 9:00pm

Website
www.yasakaramen.com.au

Ichi-ban Boshi - Sydney CBD - Sydney, Australia

Ichi-ban Boshi

Ichi-ban Boshi has been around for quite a while. It's a chain of restaurants with locations in Sydney CBD, Bondi Junction and Southport in Queensland. I can't recall my first time eating there, but what I do remember is it first occurred when I started working in the city. The go to place for our uni lunches was at Menya in Haymarket and till today, it still remains one of my favourite Japanese restaurants. Yet, Ichi-ban Boshi has also been one of  the top places to go to when I'm in need of a quick ramen fix.

The location of Ichi-ban Boshi couldn't get any better. Its in the Sydney CBD, located within 'The Galleries', connecting to Town Hall Station. It's a Japanese restaurant / noodle shop that specialises in ramen, but also offers a range of other authentic Japanese dishes such as donburi, fried noodles and udon. The one thing that I particularly like about this restaurant is their consistency and excellent portions. Service is friendly and efficient, and their food tastes the same regardless of whether you went today or one year later.

Compared to the traditional Japanese restaurant, that can be fairly small in size, Ichi-ban Boshi occupies half a floor, sharing the space with the famous Japanese book store called 'Kinokuniya'. Though there are plenty of tables, it does fill up and get very crowded very quickly. Queues during lunch time can be fairly long as it is popular with shoppers and office workers. I've waited in excess of 30 minutes during weekday peak hour lunch.

There is one dish that I have always wanted to try but have failed time and time again, given the limited quantities that were made each made. That was no other than the signature 'Tonkotsu Ramen'.  I know most Japanese ramen joints serve this but I really wanted to try out their version and what made it so special.

Back in the days, oh how I sound so old, they made 15 bowls per day. But now they have doubled the amount to 30 bowls per day. Given the number of people who dine at this restaurant, that is definitely not a very big number, which I guess, leads to more hype and anticipation from people like myself.

I've asked so many times and the only answer I would get is, "Sorry, we're sold out" or "Sorry, it is not ready". That deprived me of any hopes of ever getting to try a bowl of their 'Tonkotsu Ramen', no matter what time I went during the day. It just wasn't meant to be. So I asked Miss Booklover for her expert advice on this as she has tried it countless times. She said it was best to go around 4pm as she would usually get a bowl that time but I wasn't able to get to go at this odd hour of the day.

On a particular day, we were supposed to go Menya but she said to go and try our luck at Ichi-ban Boshi. I was not very optimistic as I've tried so many times after 5pm to no availability.

You will know it is available when there is a plastic A4 size of paper on your table and to my shock, it was on the table. We asked the waitress to confirm if it was available and it was. Hooray!!! One event ticked off my bucket list. After many years, my wish has come true.

The 'Tonkotsu Ramen ($11.90)' is basically a pork broth that has been simmered for many hours, said to be rich in collagen and good for the skin. It is topped with sesame seeds, shallots, half an egg, roast pork and a sheet of seaweed. See that runny, yolk egg? Just perfect. Once slice of tender and fatty roast pork that melts in your mouth. Oh so yummy. The only negative is the lack of meat but you get compensated with the abundance of noodles. It was also served with a little plate of red ginger which Miss Booklover says she's never got.

I also got a side of 'Beansprouts ($2.00)' to go with the ramen as I like that added crunch.

The thin egg noodles went very well with the tonkotsu stock. It was springy and had a nice bite to it. Great for slurping up with the delicious soup. These noodles aren't served with their normal ramen dishes.

The soup was decent and packed a whole lot of flavour. The rich broth wasn't thick like Gumshara's but it was thicker in consistency, say compared to a soy-based broth. Do eat it quickly, as a layer does form at the top as it starts to cool down. To me it was a good ramen and was it worth the wait you ask? Well, to be honest, I still prefer the Tonkatsu at Menya and I wouldn't go out of the way just for this but I'm thankful to have been able to try it.

On a previous visit to Ichi-ban Boshi, we also had some other dishes.

The 'Miso Ramen ($9.90)' uses a thick egg noodle in a miso based broth with roast pork, bamboo shoots, corn, beansprouts and shallots. The miso flavour is quite strong and you can taste it.

The 'Karaage Ramen ($13.00)' is one of my favourites. A thick egg noodle in a soy based broth with crispy deep fried chicken pieces. The chicken was requested to be separate from the noodles as it does get soft and soggy very quickly. The chicken pieces were wonderfully marinated and fried to a golden crunch.

A drink I like to order here is the 'Iced Cappuccino ($4.80)'. A bit on the pricey end, but I like the frothy top and sugar syrup on the side.

A great place for those looking for decent Japanese food at affordable prices Not only that, the food is tasty and place is clean. It's not the best out there but this casual restaurant serves simple Japanese fare with minimal fuss which keeps bringing people back. I do recommend going to their branch in Sydney CBD. They have a Ichi-ban Express located at the lower grounds of The Galleries but to me, it doesn't exactly taste the same as what is offered upstairs.

Where?
Level 2, The Galleries,
580 George St
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia.

Phone no: 02 9262 7677

Opening Hours
Open 7 Days a Week
11:00am - 9:00pm

Website
http://www.ichibanboshi.com.au/