Mita Seimen-sho (Causeway Bay) — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

I knew absolutely nothing about 🇯🇵Tsukemen until stumbling upon it at the food court of 🛫Haneda back in 2016.. Even when it came to Cantonese noodles, I would usually pick the “dry” or “lou mein” option rather than the 🍜soup version.. So, it was a whole new world for me to discover that there was an alternative to soupy Ramen.. That first experience - al dente cold thick noodles, drenched in a dense, gooey porky-fishy full of umami bowl of gravy; will always be my definition of Tsukemen..

📚But what’s the story of Tsukemen? How did it come about? There are a couple of different stories about when and who created “Tsukemen”, but the widely accepted “inventor” was a ramen chef named Kazuo Yamagishi in the 1960s as a creative alternative to the increasingly popular ramen. By serving cold noodles separately from hot, flavourful 🐖pork-based dipping broth (not too dissimilar from some traditional soba or udon dishes), Tsukemen became popular for its customisable, thicker, more concentrated flavours.

Naturally, since Haneda; I searched for a similar Tsukemen experience back home in 🇭🇰.. There are a couple of ramen shops that do indeed serve Tsukemen, but their gravy is either too watery or lacked the complexity & balance of pork+fish flavours.. Then, I discovered Mitaseimenjo in Causeway Bay.. and this was exactly what I was looking for, every bite of their Tsukemen takes me to that afternoon in Haneda.. and it makes sense, I didn’t realize it until recently but Mitaseimenjo is actually a franchised brand from 🇯🇵! If you crave a true authentic bowl of Tsukemen, then...

I recently tried its signature dipping noodles and it was rich and well-balanced broth blending pork bone with fish-based stock. The two smoky pork within the broth added another layer of complexity.

While the flavors were impressive, I found the soft-boiled egg slightly overcooked, bordering on well-done rather than the creamy, custard-like texture I had expected. Though this was a minor drawback, it slightly affected the balance of textures in the dish.

Overall, the quality of the tsukemen soup is the real selling point. Despite the slight issue with the egg, the depth of the broth and smoky pork make this a solid option for...

Good food here and the taste is not bad. Quite good standard for a japanese restaurant. However, the customer service there is horrible. We were told to wait outside the restaurant while it is raining heavily outside. And, this happens when there is plenty of standing space inside. When sending the dish to us, the waitress just put the bowl down loudly in a rude way. I felt very unwelcome in this restaurant and perhaps this is because I am an English-speaking foreigner here. I won't come again to this restaurant in the future and I won't recommend...