一風, 多風 定跟風?
魚介豚骨創新但味道一般;
東京醬油感覺很單調。
配料麻麻。份量亦小。
兩款東京拉麵的性價比很低;
多花款但點老本博多系的拉麵應較好。

Tokyo style made by Hakata ramen joint;
Very average broths;
Not too bad noodles...
Small portion. Not value for money.
Tokyo style at Hakata ~ Not recommended.

I've been too busy for the past few days to have lunch so I came here for a quick "tea". For those who hate queuing but really want to try Ippudo, I suggest coming to the Admiralty branch. It's pretty empty after 2:30 p.m.

The New Way:There is recently a new menu at Hakata Ippudo. They are serving Tokyo Gyogai Ramen (marine products ramen ), Tokyo Shouyu Ramen (soy sauce ramen) and even Sapporo Miso Ramen.

Just curious about how they would execute the "limited edition" Gyokai so I ordered it: In a relatively empty shop with less than 10 persons (this was tea time), the ramen really took quite a while (about 15 minutes).Compare the presentation of this and the poster. Alright, we know photographs of the food may differ from the real thing but there has to be a limit. Where's the egg & menma (bamboo shoots)?

After fishing the egg out with most of the yoke spilled into the broth, I could say the egg white was smooth and flavourful. Not sure about the yoke though.

However, the char siu was not good:Dry and tasteless. Some spinach for your health. No complaints.

The few pieces of menma however, were fairly limp.



Broth:

Quite interesting. It's supposed to be a mix of gyokai and tonkotsu soup. The net effect was a bit strange. It's remotely similar to the sakura ebi "tonkotsu" soup at Fujiyama 55 - which was not that good at all. It was quite salty and had absolutely NO resemblance with those at Agura, Menya Musashi or even those at Sampachi.

Some chopped white negis were added to the broth to give more complexity to it. The broth also had some fried onions like a Kagoshima style ramen in Zabon. Interesting but not how I would expect from a Tokyo Gyogai ~ perhaps it's Hakata Ippudo style Gyogai??!

Noodles:The thick eggy noodles used was quite good. I found it better than Ippeian, Ramen Jo, Musashi, Hinotori, Fujisan55 and Zabon. Remotely similar to Torihana (but those here were round. not square cut.)

The egg taste was not overwhelming. The texture was quite "al dente" and smooth. However, the size was surely the smallest out of all the shops mentioned above. Almost 1/2 the size of Ramen Jo for example.

The service was good as always and the place was spacious.

Nevertheless, the char siu, the average broth and small size means it's not really worth $88 ~ plus 10%!



Next visit:

Another busy day at work and another missed lunchtime. Thankfully seats are always available at this Ippudo during teatime.

This time, instead of doing the sensible thing - i.e. ordering Hakata ramen at a Hakata joint, I was again adventurous (possibly due to low blood sugar level which affected my senses j/k )

I ordered Tokyo Tonkotsu Gyogai:

This time it was essentially chicken soup base with shouyu.

Broth:

The taste of the broth was pretty authentic but not very inspirational. It's a "boring" type of authenticity, if you know what I mean. Remotely comparable to those at Sampachi but less oily and salty. Kind of "default".

Noodles:

The noodles were advertised as a "thick noodle" but I'm not sure whether it's the same one used in the Gyokai Ramen. Anyway, the quality of the noodle seemed to me to be worse than those used in the Gyokai Ramen. It's really average stuff. Possibly just a bit better than what one could get at a Japanese supermarket. Tasted quite like "yau mien".

The portion was even smaller than the gyokai ramen.

Comparing the two, Gyokai Ramen was much better. Nevertheless, not comparable to Agura.The chopped spring onions weren't extremely fresh so those really didn't add too much to the taste.

The menma was similar to those I had last time.The two pieces of Char Siu were slightly better than the one used in the Gyogai. It had some meat aroma.



Conclusion:

Both Tokyo style ramen faired slightly below average considering the price you're paying (plus 10%).

Noodles were so-so.

Regarding the Tokyo Shoyu: That's not recommended unless you really miss "default Tokyo Shoyu ramen". Like what you might have in some Japanese airport.

I will stick to their Hakata style ramen instead.

Like I said, I believe in specialists.

應入香港三甲之列的
正宗自家製讃岐烏冬。
天婦羅很不錯,十分抵食!
環境舒適,服務週到.
性價比極高!
誠意推介!

Possibly the most authentic Japanese cuisine in the area
Chewy, Homemade Sanuki udon
Good tempura!
Great value, Good service.
Highly recommended !



Yomiuri Shinbun:

In our search for good Japanese restaurants around the area, we saw this udon shop many times. Strange enough, it is not on Open Rice.

However, they placed adverts in an old school Japanese newspaper, "yomiuri shinbun" 読売新聞! The equivalent of Ming Pao in HK and the Times in the UK, i.e. "serious" newspapers ！(◎_◎;)

So we decide to investigate...

Decor:

At 12:10 p.m., we were the only other table of customers in the shop. The staff and the chefs seemed quite excited to see us there! ψ(｀∇´)ψ

Now that's what I call motivation!

We were shown our tables by the friendly and smiling waitress. We sat next to the large panel windows.

It's really quite bright, clean and spacious with plenty of seats. The way the tables were arranged was good.All staff members were motivated, polite and friendly. Tea added frequently. Good marks for service.

Menu:

Udon specialist indeed:Many different types of udon sets, tempura (per piece), sashimi and sushi.

The menu is in Chinese, English and Japanese - accurate, formal Japanese *An important indicator ！(◎_◎;)

We ordered a number of tempura, a Mountain Yam Wasabi Udon (Tororo udon ) and a Onsen Tamago Udon.



Tempura:

HK$9 for one Tempura Chikuwa (a.k.a. Lion Dog Roll in Hong Kong). Σ（ﾟдﾟlll） Cut into half and dipped into nori and batter. Excellent quality! Similar to the very good one at Kichi. You can't beat the price!

Tempura Chicken Breast: Good! Wrapped in a tangy piece of Shiso leave, the chicken meat was succulent and tender. Again, value for money!The Shrimp Tempura was also good. HK$10 each. The shrimp had good shrimp taste. Good timing. Batter was the hard crunchy type but not too oily. Very good considering that it’s not a tempura specialist like Ana Gura or Inagiku.

Again, better than Marukame Seimen. My wife was very happy with her tempura sweet potato too. (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))

One of the authentic ways of eating tempura, and indeed, which I suggest is the best way, is to dip it into salt. That's what was suggested in Imasuke's menu as well.



Talking about salt:Imported from Japan. Proudly made of just seawater from the Okayama area.

Flavourable. Very good with tempura indeed. Try dipping your tempura into salt instead of the tempura sauce.



Udons:

Our udons arrived shortly afterwards. Looks very authentic:

！(◎_◎;)

The tororo (yam) udon and onsen tamago udon:Generous amount of Tororo which tasted really authentic. Good quality nori. Even the grated wasabi was good quality stuff.



My Onsen Tamago Udon looked similarly authentic. A lot of Tenkasu (shreds of left over tempura batter). Not extremely crispy but acceptable. The onsen tamago was flavourful but unfortunately the yoke was almost fully cooked. The sauce used was a sweet teriyaki sauce.Udon:

Very chewy (not to be confused with hard). Great quality udon even without mixing anything else.

Irregular shape - which tends to show that those were homemade. I peered into the kitchen and seemed to see a udon making machine.
Indeed, that's what they mentioned on the wall. Homemade Shikoku Saniki udon with Japanese water with Japanese sea salt.

Definitely one of the top three udon shops in Hong Kong. ！(◎_◎;)



Bill:

Sanuki Onsentamago Udon: $50
Tororo Wasabi Udon: $52
Ebi tempura: $10
Chikuwa tempura: $9
Sweet potato tempura: $9
Shiso chicken fillet tempura: $10
Plus service: $154!

Conclusion:

Excellent value for quality udon and tempura.
Good service. Comfy.

Highly recommended! (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))

鹿児島黑豚肉套餐很好
炸帶子肉厚有鮮味;
The ONE離館地點方便;
光猛寬敞,樓低高;
服務專業有禮有效率。
值得一試。

I-square. Convenient location.
Bright and spacious.
Professional and friendly service.
Good Kagoshima Royal Tonkatsu set
Good Scallop Furai



Service:

I came here alone after work at 9:00 p.m. (on a Sunday). It's quite tricky to find something decent to eat at a relaxing setting at this time of the night. I got in here immediately. Great!

I was initially allocated a table in the middle section of the restaurant, which was a bit too bright and a bit too close to other tables. I noticed vacant seats at the end of the restaurant so I asked whether I could sit there. The friendly waitress gave me a large room for 6 instead! (Since the place would be closing soon any way). That's very much appreciated. Everyone was very professional. The manageress and all the male and female staff.

Efficient and very willing to assist customers. Very good.



Decor:

Each branch appears to differ quite significantly from each other.

The CWB branch at World Trade Centre needs no introduction. Dimly lit, more cool, "dark" and grand. Some of the seats also overlook the typhoon shelter.

The other CWB branch at Hang Lung Center has a similar theme but is more out of the way and feels like an oasis in crowded CWB. Very quiet.

The TST branch at Canton Road looks more like a cosy, rustic yakitori joint in Japan. The tone is warmer than all other branches (a bit like Yakichi as Ashley road).

The one here at the ONE seemed more "young" and modern. Bright with light-coloured wooden decor.

A noteworthy point is the large amount of spacious compartment seats (at least 12 tables for about 6 persons) partitioned by curtains. Very high ceiling. Good privacy. Kagoshima Royal:

I ordered a Kagoshima Royal Tonkatsu Set (pork loin), plus a la carte scallop and crab croquette. Of course, a bottle of Sapporo beer. (They also servce sochu by the glass!)

Being no expert on how one should cut different parts of a pig, the one thing I observed was the very uneven distribution of fat and meat - the first 4 pieces had essentially no fat (surprisingly still very tender) while the last three pieces were quite fatty. I suppose instead of the present cutting (assuming it's done vertically), it could be cut horizontally so each piece would have more meat and a bit of fat (?) Anyway, even the lean parts were fairly tender. The one I had at the Canton Road branch was slightly better than the set here. It was also a Kagoshima Royal Katsu Set but the piece of loin had a better balance of fat and lean meat. It was a bit bigger than the one here too. But overall, it's still very good. No complaints. Batter:

The batter was thin and crunchy. Wrapping the piece of loin perfectly. Importantly, I didn't find it oily at all - which is a key requirement in any good tonkatsu.



Very good scallop. Very good timing and flavourful. Similar to the one I had in Romankan Yokohama. Crab croquette was just so so. Not very creamy. The crab taste wasn't pronounced. However, still better than the Tako croquette I had at the CWB Tonkichi. Different condiments from Saboten. Salt, Mustard and basic sauce.

The batter was also completely different from Saboten.

Those at Saboten - which literally means "Cactus" - had a lot thick cut, fried crunchy bread crumbs as opposed to the smoother and relatively fluffier batter used at Tonkichi and Romankan Yokohama.



Bill came down to $320 (including service and drinks). Not cheap but well worth it.Recommended.

除吉列外亦提供釜飯及串燒套餐。
串燒海鮮湯質素一般。
但環境舒適,座位寬敞。服務有禮。
較易入座的丼吉分店。
在鬧市中的綠洲。

Least crowded of all Tonkichi branches;
Interesting Kamameshi sets available;
Kushi set with seafood soup was just average.
Good service, comfortable and spacious decor.
Worth a visit.



After completing something important, I wanted to treat myself to a good lunch. I didn't make any appointment with anyone so I decided to explore this branch, which I understand to be the least crowded of all Tonkichi branches.

The theme was similar to the main shop but the size was possibly similar to Saboten. More than 10 partitioned rooms and about 15 tables for four. Spacious and classy. More Spacious than the main shop or both TST branches. Indeed, I got in without queuing at 1:30pm.
and was even given a table inside a partitioned room. Good service!

Dim lighting . Very Relaxing.

Other than the standard menu available at all branches (lunch and menu), they also have a special menu with a number of Kushi (skewers) sets with Seafood soup or Soba/Sashimi. They also have a number Kamameshi sets (rice cooked in iron pots). Pork, Beef, or Chicken kamameshi were available. All with at least a piece of TonKatsu in it.

Price ranged between HK$140-$250 per head.



Although the kamameshi sets looked very interesting, I felt like something "crunchy" instead. I ordered the Kushi set with Seafood soup:The set consisted of 5 different types of kushis:Kushi tomato: Very interesting. Tangy. Be careful when you eat it because of the juice.

Tako croquette: This was not as good as a normal croquette (the crab version). The shreds of tako were tough and bland.

Leek with Bacon: This was good. The leek was very fresh and the bacon was flavourful.

Mushroom: A rather thick piece of mushroom with strong mushroom. Not bad if you like mushrooms.

I have to say I was expecting more than a number of battered vegetables in my kushi set...

Prawn: Quite hard to take the skewer out. When I tried, I separated the whole thing!

The batter was quite oily. The prawn was tasteless. Below average quality. Other Tonkichi branches do much better ebi than here.

The batter used for all kushis was fairly similar, if not exactly the same, as the normal batter used for Katsu (which is not a problem but just there are many different types of batter for kushis as well. Some even have no batter. )



Seafood soup:

The soup consisted mostly of the kushi ingredients, namely tako, tomato and prawns. Very smart. Today's kushi's is tomorrow's seafood soup !?

Furthermore, it had a lot of clams, cabbage and Shiitake mushrooms.

The soup base was very sweet, which essentially tasted a dashi soup pack. I would treat it as a mini seafood pot than a soup per se. The prawns were similarly tasteless but the clams were acceptable.

The rice was just as good as other Tonkichi shops as well as the shredded cabbage. Don't forget to all the interesting vinegar sauce with nori on your table. Quite tasty. I believe it's unlimited refill but I didn't ask.



No complaints about the service here. All staff members were friendly and efficient. There is a button on the table for you to press if you wish to ask for services.



The bill came down to HK$160. I think it's pricey considering the average quality of the kushi set and the seafood soup. However, it's hard to find a place with some peace and quiet in the city.

I will definitely return but I will stick to what Tonkichi do best - Tonkatsu.

從英國來的日本餐廳;
環境優美。服務有效率。勝在夠快。
午市套餐又貴又不抵食。
超袖珍壽司比半隻手指更細。
英式日本餐...
不推介!

"Japanese" restaurant from London;
Authentic London style Japanese food;
Expensive sets.
Super mini sushi smaller than half a finger;
Efficient service. Nice decor but
Not recommended.



Fools rush in:

I've actually tried Roka ages ago when they still had yakisoba, 5-6 times more expensive than anywhere else but least likely to go wrong. My wife was in the area one day and wished to have lunch. Since I was trying to complete something urgent at work, I suggested having a quick lunch around the area.

I didn't know what I was thinking at the time but I completely forgot about the Great Food Hall, L16, Grappas, Shiki or Nadaman (that's how rushed I was at work!), instead I suggested Roka...



Decor and Service:

Very nice decor, spacious with a pretty high ceiling. Counter seats, bar table seats, sofa seats and normal tables seats were available. The staff members were very polite and efficient.



Menu:

To my utter dismay, they don't serve yakisoba anymore.

The lunch menu was not comprehensive, as far as I could recall, two different types of sushi/sashimi set, black cod set and possibly some wagyu sets. All have top up options at extra costs (extra miso soup or a salad...etc.)

We ordered a Black Cod Saikyoyaki Set ($248) and a Sushi Set ($238).

We were asked whether we'd like something to drink. We ordered two cups of tea. Those were genmaicha.



Black cod:Salad: Very average quality veggies with almost no dressing, Japanese or not.

Rice: Possibly Japanese rice with some black sesame. Nice presentation. The taste was fine.

Eggplant: Quite good.Marinated in light soy sauce. Best part of the meal.

Miso soup: Normal miso soup with I believe tofu and kelp.

Cod: The cod was cut into three small chunks. You'll know most of the fish oil much have already disappeared. Indeed, the three small pieces of cod were dry and tasteless. Luckily the miso next to it was smooth and sweet. It significantly eased the task of finishing those cods.

The red pickled ginger sprinkled on top of the cod is a defining feature of "Japanese" food served mostly in English speaking countries, like what I had in many disappointing meals in London. Somehow, some people felt that add pickled ginger or wasabi rendered a dish "Japanese", just like adding soy sauce and ginger turned the dish into "Chinese" cuisine.





Sushi set:

First came the steamed egg:A bowl of miso soup was served together with it.

To be fair, the egg was not bad. It also came in a bamboo container and a wooden spoon, with spring onions, ginger and coarsely grounded soy bean with miso (the essence of "Oriental" cuisine ).The egg was quite smooth but I can't remember what was inside the steamed egg, if any.

Then came the sushi:

Mini me sushi:The first thing that struck us was the size of the sushis. Those were very small.

It's smaller than half of my wife's index finger!

Talk to the finger:The "Edomae" sushis, salmon, two white bodied fish and egg, were small and the quality of the fish was no better than any takeaway sushi you get at supermarkets. Even those at supermarkets or takeaway sushi specialists serve bigger and possibly better quality sushis.

The hamachi sashimi and tuna sashimi were bad. Even Ihashi at Jordan and at NOBU served better sushi than here.The maki had avocado, salmon and fish roes, which for some reason were green instead of orange. The taste was fine though.



Lieber ein Ende mit Schrecken als ein Schrecken ohne Ende:

The best thing about lunch that day was that it was over really quickly. The lunch sets arrived in a flash. Because of the ultra small portion, the food was consumed in a flash as well. Very efficient service so we got the bill very shortly after we asked for it.

The Black Cod Saikyoyaki Set was HK$248 and a Sushi Set HK$238.
The two cups of tea cost us HK$38 per cup!

The bill came down to HK$610 plus service.

Way too expensive for the quality.



Better an end in horror than a horror without end:

This meal we had quite a while ago but I'd really like to get it out of my system, in all sense of the word.

As I checked the introduction to this restaurant, I realized that ROKA came from London.

No wonder it reminded me of the Japanese restaurants there 10-15 years ago...

Not recommended.