Of course Kowloon would have a shopping mall named Dragon Centre. And of course any place called Dragon Centre would have a tiny ramen stall hidden in the corner of the 7th floor, sandwiched between stores selling Pokemon plushies and cheap hair accessories. To make it even more surreal, this man exists:
 |
The first thing you see while waiting in line at Kakurega Ramen Factory is this lonely man operating the noodle-making machine in a tiny space next door. He never turned his head back once so I couldn't tell if he loved or hated his job (more likely hate), but thanks to him I now know that this place makes its own noodles everyday. I can totally see this mysterious guy in some Cantonese thriller about a silent and meticulous ramen maker who is actually a hitman/undercover cop or something.
 |
| Main entrance of Kakurega Ramen Factory |
I actually came here by myself after watching Fruitvale Station. It was a great movie but so devastating that it intensified my carb craving as it made me feel so empty inside. Nothing like noodles for a quick emotional fix. Anyway it's probably better to visit by yourself or a very small group since the place is tiny:
 |
| It's also blocked off by flimsy-looking wooden panels...which adds to the intrigue I guess |
There are only three options at Kakurega--white (regular tonkotsu broth), black (garlic) and red (spicy). The style is tsukemen, in which the noodles are served separately and you dip them into the rich broth. I loved the noodles as they were al dente and thick enough to absorb all the soup flavor. The half-boiled egg was also delicious and just right. When you finish your noodles, the waiter will add plain broth into your bowl to dilute the soup, and you are encouraged to drink not with a spoon but directly from the bowl to get the full burst of flavor (they actually have illustrated instructions for this, which I followed 100%).
 |
| Tsukemen in White |
There's something soothing about the near ritualistic act of repeatedly dipping your noodles, slurping them up and appreciating how much the broth and noodles complement each other. Never really thought much about it when I was eating with other people, but I can see why they say the Japanese can turn anything into an art. Or maybe I just think too much when I eat alone...either way, I would totally come back again, not just for the good food but to escape, if only for a half hour, into my own ramen Narnia, surrounded only by a few other hungry people and the smell of steamy tonkotsu broth.
Kakurega Ramen Factory
Room 7083, 7F, Dragon Centre
37 Yen Chow Street
Sham Shui Po, Kowloon
+852 3487 0989
No comments:
Post a Comment