Shugetsu
Michelin guide rated (Bib Gourmand) Ramen Shop from 2014-2018
5 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong
Michelin guide rated (Bib Gourmand) Ramen Shop from 2014-2018
5 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong
I missed the queues (lines) at this place, and even though it was on my radar for 'ramen must haves' in Hong Kong, it was pure serendipity that I was on a food adventure that lead me to Gough St!
The service was cold and disengaged, but the sauce was unique- it's a Bib Gourmand rating after all, so do curb your expectations accordingly.
In Japan, my learned instinct was to walk into a proper ramen ya and immediately turn on the turbo diner mode.
In Japan, it is expected that you enter the establishment, after however long you've been in queue, eat quickly and without lingering conversation, then move on.
In Hong Kong, it was quite a different experience. While the woman at the host table was abrupt and rushing, once into the space and in my seat, I was perplexed as to why the two chefs in the open kitchen were taking their sweet time separating bundles of hand-pulled noodles for service.
I was expecting what I've entitled the 'ramen ballet' I've come to love during experiences in both Tokyo and the states. I'm sure (and hope that) it was simply the timing of my arrival.
You can read about one of my favorite moments, here. This is also where I indulged in my favorite tsukemen to date.
In Japan, it is expected that you enter the establishment, after however long you've been in queue, eat quickly and without lingering conversation, then move on.
In Hong Kong, it was quite a different experience. While the woman at the host table was abrupt and rushing, once into the space and in my seat, I was perplexed as to why the two chefs in the open kitchen were taking their sweet time separating bundles of hand-pulled noodles for service.
I was expecting what I've entitled the 'ramen ballet' I've come to love during experiences in both Tokyo and the states. I'm sure (and hope that) it was simply the timing of my arrival.
You can read about one of my favorite moments, here. This is also where I indulged in my favorite tsukemen to date.
The Tsukemen: Inspired Classic
I always want my dipping noodles warm and tender. Some people enjoy them firm and cold. The chef refrigerates freshly pulled noodles for 24 hours.
This allows the sauce to cling more readily. The temperature at which you prefer them served is wholly your choice and shops will accommodate.
In most places, where tsukemen is served, you will have the option of ordering your noodles cold, warm, and at any level of tenderness (firm, normal, soft).
This allows the sauce to cling more readily. The temperature at which you prefer them served is wholly your choice and shops will accommodate.
In most places, where tsukemen is served, you will have the option of ordering your noodles cold, warm, and at any level of tenderness (firm, normal, soft).
I arrived around 2 pm after the lunch time rush- there was no queue to speak of and I was seated right away.
Both the tsukemen ramen (Japanese dipping noodles) and the Abura ramen are most popular.
The noodles are hand-pulled in house and can be ordered thin or thick, just as in the original restaurant in Ehime, a coastal prefecture in southern Japan.
Tsukemen noodles get the fullness of their bouncy bite from a mixture of two different wheat flours- one used to make ramen noodles (with added alkaline solution/lye water or kansui which imparts their yellow tint) and one used to make udon noodles (simply wheat flour, salt, and water).
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| Shugetsu's signature Tsukemen ramen |
When enjoying tsukemen (Japanese dipping noodle), it is customary to taste the noodles first before dipping them in the sauce. The sauce/broth at Shugetsu is chicken based with added fish (sardine and mackerel) powder, soy sauce, and rice vinegar made in a 150 year old factory in Ehime. This is a pretty classic prep for tsukemen sauce.
It is then finished with pork belly strips imported from Kagoshima prefecture in Japan. I ordered additional chasui slices and a soft boiled, marinated egg, green onion, and bamboo shoots.
Careful attention is also paid to the sauce
At Shugetsu, they then add their signature ingredients- scallop powder and soybean oil in addition to the ingredients listed above.
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| Bamboo shoots |
The broth is a funky, slick, umami-ladened, briny formula fermented for 18 months and slow-cooked in a 100 year old wooden basket.
The fermentation and wooden vessel adds levels of both depth of richness and brackish complexity.
Once you have devoured the dipping noodles, they will happily add the base chicken broth to your sauce bowl for a delicious finishing touch. You'll likely welcome the taming of their intense, yet delectable, tsukemen sauce/broth.
Takashima Yoshihiro, chef of Shugetsu, has been quoted as saying,
"When you eat ramen, the focus is the soup. But for tsukemen, the star is the noodle. So rather than enjoy the soup – I’d rather call it a sauce – the idea is basically to enjoy the noodle.”
Shugetsu is located at 5 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong
Nagahama No. 1 Ramen Hong Kong
長浜ナンバーワン
G/F, 14 Kau U Fong, Central
Nagahama No. 1 Ramen came highly recommended by the bar manager of Three Monkeys, Sabas, where I spent the vast majority of the evenings enjoying libations with 80's tunes on the playlist (review coming soon).
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| Me, Chef Yamazaki Tsutomu, and Sabas |
He offered to take me to lunch here and introduce me to the talented Chef Yamazaki Tsutomu, who co-owns Nagahama with his wife & business manager, Leslie.
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| Nagahama No.1 Ramen Chef Tsutomu. Photo Credit: Nagahama Facebook page. |
The space was 90% full at around 2 pm- a good sign after the lunch rush.
A classic ramen ya (shop), there was a counter and family style/shared tables for most of the seating and open kitchen where you can watch the magic happen.
Chef Tsutomu simmers his pork bone broth overnight for 10 hours. This imparts a rich, silky tonkotsu style broth.
The flavor is mild with hints of black garlic.
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| The finished pork tonkotsu broth. Photo Credit: Nagahama No. 1 Ramen |
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| Charsui prior to cooking, slicing, and gracing the ramen bowl. |
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| My Nagahama Ramen with and extra Japanese soft egg, seaweed, and spring onion, topped with sesame. |
The menu is simplistic (classically Japanese), featuring and highlighting the best that Chef has to offer. After all, he spent time in Tokyo sampling over 100 ramen dishes so his palate is on point. Yamazaki ensures that the trusted cooks in his kitchen have access to his recipes so that, should he travel for business, the quality control of the dishes is maintained.
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| Me & Chef! |
Looking for well-executed ramen? One that's simple, flavorful and tradition- Nagahama No.1 Ramen should be your choice in Hong Kong.
More Comfort Food:
More Steamy Bowls!
Sing Heung Yuen
2 Mei Lun Street, Central, Hong Kong Island
Sing Heung Yuen is a classic Hong Kong dai pai dong (an open air food stall; literally translated to "big license stall"). The license level is a step above traditional street vendors.
Dai pai dongs, of which there are less than 30 remaining in Hong Kong, are characterized by their small variety of simple, low cost dishes, open air dining (no air conditioning), unkempt/unorganized appearance of their kitchens, and typical green painted walls.
Sing Heung Yuen is most notably known for their instant noodles, tomato soup, macaroni and crispy buttered buns (drool!!!!).
They were allowed, in 2009, to pass their license down one additional generation (previously it could only be passed to a spouse) and their oldest regular is said to be going there for over 30 years.
They are conveniently located in the Central district of Hong Kong Island not far from my hotel.
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| Photo Credit: Joel Shen |
Their lower budget ingredients include a brew of both canned and fresh tomatoes, instant ramen noodles or macaroni, but you will be blown away by what they do with the simple ensemble.
The noodles are cooked in different-flavored broths before the tomato soup is added.
The density of the soup is where the comfort embraces. These hot bowls of perfectly palatable acidity and toothsome textures is guaranteed to be a year round staple as a soup lover's dream.
The broth, while made daily, is vibrant and boasts of one that was composed over many, many hours.
You can order pork chop, sausage, or beef as your meat topping and the fried egg is a no-brainer.
Along with the iced milk tea, the lemon-honey condensed milk buns are also an ABSOLUTE MUST!
Kau Kee Beef Noodles
Michelin Guide 2018
21 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong
I didn't make it to Kau Kee, but my new friend, Sabas, walked me past it after stuffing our faces with ramen an Nagahama around the corner.
The queue apparently always looks this way so I snapped a quick pic on my way back to my hotel room to digest the feast I'd had that day:
Images of the dishes at Kau Kee:
Classified – Cheese Room
108 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Classified is a European style cafe with coffee options on the ground floor and the cheese and wine room on the upper level.
Hollywood Road was the ultimate people watching strip, so sitting out on the terrace was entertaining starting first thing in the morning and throughout the day.
There are several locations across Hong Kong. I happened to pass this one quite a bit on my daily ventures around the districts.
You'll find sophisticated urbanites meeting for light breakfast, a coffee, lunch or an after work glass of wine and a cheese plate.
There are a number of surrounding cafes, bars, restaurants, and an abundance of art galleries in the area should you be in the mood to roam.
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| Upstairs climate-controlled Cheese Room at Classified displaying many artisan options |
Cheese options include selections from Italy, France, Ireland, Switzerland, Holland and England.
Enjoy a cheese plate, salad, or a lovely Eggs Benny among other light, classic International fare in the rustic wine room boasting wood paneling and terrazzo flooring.
Beware, the tables are communal-a dining style of which I've never been very fond-but the atmosphere conveys more class than convenience.
It actually makes sense that many cafes and eateries in Hong Kong offer communal table set-ups with the sheer density of the population in areas such as this.
Other offers: English sausage and bacon with eggs, sourdough toast, grilled tomatoes, and beans, Bruschetta, and charcuterie selections.
A door or two down from Classified, was a wonderful coffee shop-as serious as any other I've seen. I haven't enjoyed coffee for a very, very long time, but at a place like Coffee Roastery Labs, you can't help but jump in feet first.
I grouped this particular cafe with my spa day eats.
Check out the reviews in
DrFoodie Goes Solo in Hong Kong: Part Three- Yoga Class, Spa Day & Light Bites
COMING SOON...
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