Aoi Ramen Time 葵 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Starting from the end of last year, I began noticing two types of restaurants creeping up in almost every neighborhood in Hong Kong - ramen shops from Japan and bubble tea shop from Taiwan. The pace of these new openings has been really astonishing.



Aoi (葵) is yet another new Japanese ramen shop in bustling Tsim Sha Tsui district though it's tucked away at Ichang Street (宜昌街), a relatively quiet alley just off busy Hankow Road. Judging from the menu displayed outside, looks like the rich white chicken ramen (雞白湯) is the restaurant's bread and butter. 



I decided to give their famous chicken ramen a go.



This came with sweet corn, mixed mushrooms, soft-boiled egg and a couple slices of meat all served in a creamy and umami-rich broth.



The golden-colored broth looks really rich and flavorful thanks to the amount of chicken fillet and bones used.



I wish there was a little more bite with the noodles though.



There were two types of meat served with the ramen, first a thin sliced char siu with slightly smoky flavor and then this chicken roulade slice (borrowing a term from French cuisine) which was a bit peppery.



When I said there's a lot of new ramen shops opening everywhere, I really mean it. Look, there's another one just across the street from Aoi (葵). I think I will check it out next time.



Back to Aoi's rich white chicken ramen for a moment, I thought there's still a lot of improvements to be made. Bite of the noodles, flavors of the chicken roll and mostly importantly, I just thought the broth could've been a little sweeter too.


Food Rating: 4/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop B, G/F, 6 Ichang Street, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui