Hakata Ippudo

Having developed a taste for ramen in milky pork bone broth when I lived in Bangkok, I'm always on the lookout for good Japanese restaurants that serve this comfort food. An American friend introduced me to Hakata Ippudo in Causeway Bay(2F, 8 Russell Street, Causeway Bay). She had eaten at the Ippudo in New York City and was pleased to find Ippudo in Hong Kong. This Japanese chain which can now be found globally does not disappoint and remains one of my favourites ramen restaurants in Hong Kong. They have restaurants in Central (3F, Century Square, 1-13, D'Aquilar Street) and Tsim Sha Tsui (2F, SilverCord, 30 Canton Road).

For the mother of all ramen dishes, try the Akamaru Shinaji ramen, its latest signature dish which has a really flavorful pork bone broth and comes with soft-boiled egg, char siu, seaweed, black fungus, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts.

On a recent trip to Tokyo earlier this year, I was determined to check out the Ippudo in its home country. After getting lost for a while and asking for directions from numerous people, I finally managed to find the Ippudo in Ginza. Unlike the spacious, up-market branches in HK, the Ippudo in Ginza is a typical Japanese ramen shop. Located in a small basement, there are a handful of counter seating and a few tables. I love it as this is what I remember of the other ramen shops we ate in our previous trip to Japan. In Japan, the Ippudo provides complimentary appetizers such as the spicy bean sprout, which is chargable in the Hong Kong branches. However, I am pleased to say that the quality of the food in Hong Kong is on par with the Japanese locations. I think it's time for a visit to Ippudo soon!

 

The Japanese Ryokan Experience - Shiraume Ryokan

A visit to Japan is not complete without a stay at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. A stay at a ryokan will set you back quite a lot of ¥ en, so we could only afford one night of indulgence. We picked the Shiraume Ryokan. Located in the Gion district in Kyoto, this lovely ryokan which traces its history to the 17th century used to be an ochaya teahouse. The ryokan is built by the Shirakawa stream, a serene location which is home to the birds and an inspiration artists. No wonder it's one of the best preserved traditional areas in Japan.

 

Typical in Japan, we took our shoes off at the entrance and were given house slippers to use. We stayed at the Umeichirin room which consists of a living room and a bedroom, separated by a sliding doors.  It also comes with an attached bathroom with a wooden bathtub. Typical of a Japanese style room, there is very little furniture. The living room has a low dining table with chairs, with traditional paintings on the wall, whilst the bedroom has a dressing mirror and small table in the corner. The mirror is covered with a lovely piece of cloth (to be folded over when you're grooming). The futon beds are rolled out just before bedtime. Simple and practical.

 

 

 

The ryokan experience is not complete without a taste of the Japanese Kaiseki dinner (think French fine dining with many, many exquisite small dishes). . We opted for a kobe beef set and a seafood set. I don't remember the names of what we ate but I can tell you every single dish was fresh, tasty and beautifully presented  an absolute gastronomic feast for the stomach and the eyes!

 

 

The next morning, we "feasted" again on a Japanese breakfast.  The cosy breakfast room looked out to a small Japanese garden.  After such a hearty breakfast, we skipped lunch!

 

So, was it worth the 30,000+Yen per person? Absolutely! The welcome was gracious, the rooms were elegant, the food was amazing and the experience was authentic!

 

Note: The room rate at Shiraume includes dinner and breakfast. 

 

The Best Of Takayama, Japan - On the Trail of Food and Markets

Takayama is a foodies' paradise. A compact town, the main sights of the old town are located within walking distance, which is a good thing as we really appreciated the walk to set-off our non-stop eating.


We started off the day with a visit to the Miyagawa morning market. This small market which caters to both the locals and visitors is located by the river with a row of shops on 1 side and make-shift stalls on the other side.

At one of the shops, we bought some Hida beef bun for breakfast - hot, steamed fluffy bun with minced beef filling. It was delicious. The bun was incredibly soft, and the beef, succulent. The Hida beef bun rivals the best char siu pau (barbeque pork bun) in Hong Kong.


For dessert, I tried a Sukune Kabocha pudding, a pumpkin pudding topped with a rich brown sugar syrup. It had a smooth velvety texture and was full of flavour. Yum!


Energized after a delicous breakfast, we wandered around the shops, sampling the various local offerings from the Hida district region. We came away with black bean tea, Hida beef granules and wasabi granules (both are wonderful condiments to add to cooking).


We also did some people-watching...


Next, we headed to Sanmachi Suji, the centre of the old Takayama. The three main streets - Ichi-no-Machi, Ni-no-Machi and San-no-Machi are lined with aged-dark wood traditional buildings which houses shops, sake breweries and museums. It really is quite pleasant wandering in and out of the various shops, admiring the traditional wares, sampling some sake and local food.



The exterior shop front of a sake brewery


The sake brewery at the back of the shop


Pretty sake bottles on display


A pleasant discovery - a serene indoor garden located within a souvenier shop.


Not surprisingly, we walked away with bags of Takayama goodies, ranging from Propolis essence to doggie figurines!

Later that day, we had one of our best meals of our Japan trip at Maruaki Restaurant (look out for the large cow display at the front of the shop). We splurged on a Hida beef lunch (knowing that we won't have an opportunity to taste such high quality beef for a long, long while. In any case, most restaurants have cheaper lunch sets, so if you want to enjoy a nice meal in a restaurant, it's best to eat during lunch).

We ordered the grill beef set - check out the lovely marbling on the beef.


We also tried the Sukiyaki beef set. Seeing our puzzled faces, the waitress showed us how to cook the Sukiyaki. First, she took the huge chunk of pork lard to season the shallow iron pot. She then took out the lard, poured some sauce (soy sauce, sugar and mirin) and gestured to us to start cooking the meat and vegetables. She then cracked the raw eggs into a small bowl and made dipping gestures to tell us to dip the cooked food into the raw egg before eating. It was amazing that despite the language barriers, the waitress was able communicate to us the right way to eat sukiyaki.


The Maruaki Restaurant in Takayama gets a double thumbs up!


After such a heavy meaty lunch, for dinner we opted for a simple roast pork ramen noodle at what I would call the "Red Dragon" Restaurant since I couldn't read the Japanese sign. Fortunately, they had an English menu with pictures so we had no issues ordering our meal.


This simple but delicious noodle dish was just what we needed to finish off our trail of food and markets at Takayama.

The Best of Takayama, Japan

As we made our way south from Tokyo/Hakone to Kyoto, we took a detour cum side trip to the lovely town of Takayama, in the mountainous Hida district (west of Honshu Island). The journey on the Shinkansen involves a change of trains at Nagoya. The train journey from Hakone inclusive of transfers takes about 4.5 hours, but the scenery in the Hida region is spectacular. We also discovered later that the food rivals the scenery!

One of the many beautiful gorges in the Hida district

In spring, the cherry blossoms bloom by the riverside

Upon arrival in Takayama, we made our way on foot to our hotel, The Rickshaw Inn. As mentioned in an earlier post, it makes sense in Japan to use the luggage forwarding service. The Rickshaw Inn is centrally located in town. This small narrow inn is very popular among travellers as it is clean,reasonably priced and offers a little kitchen and laundry facility.


Our Japanese room - mattress on tatami mat.

Taller individuals (6 footers and above) should be careful when exiting the bedrooms as the door is quite short. They post a notice to be careful on the outside door but not on the inside. The bedroom is spacious but the bathrooms are rather narrow, typical of Japanese hotels.

We headed out to dinner to Origin, a Japanese pub (izakaya) located close to the train station. You won't find an English signage in the front, so look out for the bamboo poles.


As you enter the pub, you will come across a bar counter. Further inside, there are more rooms for dining. Origin has English menus but the staff don't speak much English.


Before we came to Japan, we had only heard of the famous Kobe Wagyu beef. When we arrived at the Hida district, we discovered a well-kept Japanese secret - the Hida beef - titled "The best beef in Japan" at the Eighth All Japan Beef Convention". Like the Kobe beef, the breed is also the Wagyu, but raised at the Hida district. Apparently, the success of the Hida beef is thanks to one bull "yasufukugo". According to some, since the yasufukugo was born, the Hida beef has become more marbled and tasty. I have to say that the Hida beef is the best I've tasted! Our first experience with the Hida beef at this local izakaya was good, but the best was yet to come.

Hida beef on Hoba Miso (DIY grill beef with Miso sauce on magnolia leaf)


One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.

~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

Highlights of Hakone Free Pass Route

Hakone Free Pass Loop:
Hakone Machi (Lake Ashi cruise)- Togendai - Sounzan(Ropeway) - Gora (Cable car) - Hakone Yumoto (Train) (can also be done in reverse)

On our first day in Hakone, we started our tour with a bus ride from our hotel, the Fujiya to Moto Hakone. The weather was not in our favour, with intermittent rain and wind. But armed with borrowed hotel umbrellas, we plodded on. Our first stop was the Old Cedar Highway. It was awesome walking on the footpath surrounded by 400 year old cedar trees. The tall sturdy trees provided some respite from the rain and it was lovely to enjoy the serene surroundings.


From the Cedar Highway, we made our way on foot to Hakone Machi at Lake Ashi to board the pirate cruise boat to the other side of the Lake. At this stage, it was pouring cats and dogs. We really couldn't see much and as luck would have it, a bus-load of tourists came on board the ship, turning the pirate boat into a real pirate boat of the past - loud and noisy!


We went through the rest of journey on the ropeway, cablecar and train, just going through the motion and not really able to enjoy the sights, because it was just too dark, wet and cold. Fortunately for us, the weather turned and we had beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine the next day. We decided to repeat the Hakone Loop, and we were glad we did. What a difference from the day before! Instead of looking out from blurry windows filled with raindrops, we could actually enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lake and volcano mountain.



I thoroughly enjoyed the ropeway as it gave a bird's eye view of the volcano craters at Owakudani. The hot springs water from the volcano are channeled by pipelines to the various resorts in Hakone.


Be prepared to hold your nose because the sulphur fumes smells like rotten eggs!


Whist we're on the subject of eggs, every visitor must try the "black egg" at Owakudani. These eggs are 3/4 boiled, and are cooked in the volcano hot springs. Apart from the black shell, they taste just like normal eggs.


Still a couple of volcano-boiled eggs didn't quite satisfy the hunger pangs after we completed the loop at Gora, so we headed to the Gyoza Centre, a cosy little cafe which is about 1 km from the train station for a meal of dumplings.



After that we hopped on the train for a slow ride down to Hakone Yumoto (Note: the bus is a faster way to travel, where available. From Gora, you must take the train.) At Hakone Yumoto town, we browsed around the 2 rows of shops, enjoying more food! It was particularly enjoyable seeing how the snacks were made.

The Best Of Tokyo - Ramen

I love a bowl of steaming hot ramen noodles. Apart from the springy ramen noodles, crisp fried garlic slices and sliced roast pork served in creamy white miso soup, I love the Japanese hard-boiled egg, with its bright orange yolk. Here are 2 places which I found for good ramen in Tokyo. The first ramen shop which came recommended by the Lonely Planet is called Komen. It has a chain of 12 ramen shops in Tokyo. For non-Japanese speakers, look out for the 2 Japanese words encased in a large circle above the shop. I went to the Komen in Shinjuku (3-32-2, Shinjuku-ku, corner of Meiji-Dori and Koshu Kaido). This two storey ramen shop is big by ramen shop standards. They also have a branch in Harajuku.


Komen Ramen at Shinjuku


Big pots of stock for the ramen soup


Ramen with roast pork and white miso soup set - 990 yen

I stumbled onto the second ramen shop quite by accident. We were window shopping on the busy streets of Harajuku when this sign caught our attention. Walk down the stairs to a cosy little basement shop. Unfortunately, I don't know what the English name is but this shop is further down the street from the Lotteria at Takeshita Dori. The ramen is served in a stone bowl, which keeps it piping hot. In summer, the cold ramen is also quite popular. Personally, I found the ramen at this shop better than Komen.





Sigh...I wish I was back in Japan!

"We are noodle folk. Broth runs through our veins."
Mr. Ping, Kung Fu Panda (2008)