Menya Itto 麵屋一燈 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

We haven't had much to eat all day so once we're done with our seminar, we instantly hopped over to the neighboring Harbour City for dinner. This would be a very quick dinner since it's the first time we've left our little guy home with our helper this long (five straight hours, he must be fuming at home!).



I distinctly remembered there were two relatively new ramen shops here at Harbour City. Menya Itto (麵屋一燈), in particular, had been on my radar for months because of its pedigree as Tokyo's top ramen shop according to Tabelog. Wait, this really looks like one of those zen gardens in Kyoto!



Of course, there's more to why we picked a ramen shop. It'll allow us to finish quickly and most importantly, we won't have the luxury of having ramen with our little guy around.



Apart from the really nice décor, Menya Itto also offers a good mix of shio (salt-based) and shoyu (soy sauce based) ramen although I won't call it a wide selection.



Soy sauce (Shoyu) broth ramen ($148) - What set their special soy sauce broth apart from others was the addition of kelp and fish to give it more volume and flavors. This came with marinated egg, bamboo shoot, chicken fillet and smoked duck breast.

I must admit, I am no ramen specialist but this was a little underwhelming. First and foremost, I didn't like the thin noodles which weren't very good with absorbing the flavorful broth. And the bite (or lack of it). Definitely not my cup of tea.



Mixed fish broth tsukemen ($158) - Historically, I am not a fan of tsukemen (沾麵), a type of Japanese noodles which are eaten by dipping in a separate bowl of soup or broth. But I was feeling adventurous tonight.



This came with virtually the same marinated egg, chicken fillet and smoked duck breast but the noodles were noticeably thicker, which should bode well with the flavorful broth.



And turned out, I was right! The thick and slightly chewy noodles (almost in udon size) were working so well with the fish broth. The key was obviously the intensely rich and dense chicken broth which have been simmered with fish and shellfish, resulting in the umami-rich and seductive flavors. Yum~



We've got one really tasty ramen here and one that wasn't so good. That part I could live with. But not the seriously inflated price. I have my share of ramen noodles with my travel in Japan and even with some of the most well-known and highly rated ramen shops, I have never paid more than 1,600 yen (around $100 Hong Kong dollar) for a bowl of noodles. Tonight, it proves once again that Hong Kong is the most (and most ridiculously) expensive food city in the world. Even more so than Tokyo and perhaps New York City and London. That's not something we should be proud of.


Food Rating: 5/10
Address: Shop 32, LCX, 3/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 3102-3299
Website: www.facebook.com/menyaittohk