Day 1 in Hong Kong!

Yayyy finally have time for another blog post!

I probably won't be able to post pictures of things I ate every day in Hong Kong, but I will try to show you all the highlights :)

Hong Kong is truly a foodies heaven :P

Breakfast at Maxim
Luncheon meat with egg instant noodles and iced lemon tea

 I would say this is a very "traditional" fast food breakfast in Hong Kong. I know...as a nutritional science student, I should know better than having instant noodles for breakfast :P But hey...it was REALLY good!

Dinner at Watami Japanese Restaurant in Tseung Kwan O Shopping Mall

For our Beef Udon Hot Pot

Beef Udon Hot Pot

Salmon, shrimp, scallop sushi roll

Beef and egg rice

My drink :) Passion fruit and mango bubble tea

Beef Udon Hot Pot

Ramen

I was recommended to try out Watami from my bf, Ronald (Hi!! If you are reading this :P). Basically, it is a Japanese Fusion Restaurant. I thought it was pretty good! The highlight was definitely the beef hot pot. The soup base was DELICIOUS! It was very rich in flavour; went really well with the udon :) I think there are various Watami locations in Hong Kong...not too sure; but we went to the one in Tseung Kwan O Shopping Mall.

I believe there is a Watami in Richmond (across from Lansdowne), but I heard it is not as great. Maybe someone can try and let me know :)

Thank you for the recommendation :D

Benkei Ramen on Broadway

YAY for another ramen post!!

After volunteering in North Van, I wanted a quick ramen fix before my night class at UBC. The only ramen restaurant I could think that was on the way to UBC was Benkei on Broadway. It is easily accessible from Broadway City Hall station of the Canada Line.

I was quickly greeted by the waitress and was seated immediately. The restaurant was pretty empty (around 2 more tables were seated). I was seated at the bench table; I believe the bench table is for single or two diners.

Interior of Benkei Ramen (1)

Interior of Benkei Ramen - bench table (2)

Shoyu Ramen with extra noodles

I ordered extra noodles this time because last time I went here, the portions were quite small compared to Kintaro. I was quite disappointed when I received my ramen. Basically as you can see from the picture, you can barely see any ramen. It felt like they took half of what was originally in the bowl and put it on a separate plate and counted that as the "extra noodles". The soup base was pretty much flavour-less. And I thought it was kind of odd to put spinach in the noodles. Lastly, the pork was too dry for my liking. Note to self: never order shoyu ramen at Benkei again!

Rating: ♥ ♥ 

Location: 545 West Broadway   Vancouver, B.C.
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Miso Ramen

After I finished volunteering in North Van a couple weeks later, I decided to give Benkei another try (mainly due to my ramen craving...I wish there are Kintaros everywhere!!).

This time I ordered miso ramen with no extra noodles (bad experience last time). Surprisingly, there were more noodles than the shoyu ramen and extra noodles combined! The miso soup was definitely a lot richer than shoyu. The pork was still very dry and not tender. But boy did I like the soup! I ended up drinking almost all of it (bad choice for such a hot day :'( ).

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

I gave it one more heart than last time because of the soup! The soup makes a big difference :)

Location: 545 West Broadway   Vancouver, B.C.

Kintaro Ramen

This is hands down the best restaurant for ramen! I have been having a ramen craving for the longest time, so I nagged my boyfriend to go with me :P

I have been reluctant to try other ramen restaurants because I believe nothing can beat Kintaro! The restaurant is very very small (probably fit 30-35 people max), so there is always a long line up! There used to be a Kintaro in Richmond across from Richmond Public Market...why did it close down :( I am kind of glad it did actually, otherwise I will have ramen everyday!

Outside Kintaro - line up

Inside Kintaro - open kitchen

Menu 

Shio Ramen (fat pork with rich soup base)With onions, bean sprouts, eggs, and bamboo shoots

The soup base comes in rich, medium and light. The pork is available in fat or lean. My favourite combination  of all time is Shio ramen with fat pork and rich soup base. Words cannot describe how good it tastes. I believe the soup is made from broiling pork bones. I always pick rich soup base because it has so much more flavour compared to medium or light bases. 

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

All in all, Kintaro never disappoints me. If you are in the downtown area and craving for ramen, go to Kintaro!! The wait is definitely worth it! You will know what I mean :D

Location: 788 Denman Street  Vancouver, BC V6G 2L5