Shugetsu (Central) — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

Came here with a friend for dinner, because its was my first time here and I heard great reviews I simply ordered the house Tsukemen with fatty pork. I was thoroughly surprised that I didn't have to wait as this place is usually packed and has a long queue.

The atmosphere is very tight squeezed much like many ramen establishments that I've been to, to order you have to call instead of selecting what you want from a piece of paper with choices.

For the tsukemen I ordered, you are asked to select the amount of noodles, the broth and the noodle temperature and thickness. I chose the 200grams (medium amount) of noodles (cold/thick). I personally prefer a thick broth and I love the concept of dipping cold noodles into warm broth and slurping it up (which is why I love soba as well). The tsukemen took around 15 minutes to arrive, I had a taste of the broth first, it was deep in flavour covered with a layer of oil. If I had to describe it as well as I can I would say it has a deep richness with a salty bitterness much like a Guinness with a hint of sourness black vinegar which cuts into the oily broth, the broth includes some spring onions and some pieces of pork. Honestly it was as simple as you can find (simple doesn't mean bad) the fatty pork was just an add on as well as the soft boiled ramen egg. Additional add on's including wood ear mushrooms and other extras incur extra costs. The noodles had a good chewiness to it which was great for texture. Honestly it took me around 10 minutes to finish the whole dish, I had to order more (will order more than 200g next time), but they ran out of thick noodles and I had to unfortunately go with overcooked ramen noodles. After finishing the noodles, you can add chicken soup to the remaining broth, the chicken soup mixed with the rich broth creates a beautiful mixture of soy and chicken, the soup is like having a warm hug of chicken soup, definetly a good finish.

Now Tsukemen is a really popular dish during the winter making it a great dish for a cold winter night, I thoroughly enjoyed this style of tsukemen as I am used to having a fish broth. There wasn't much of a wow factor but I certainly won't mind coming here again to try the other dishes they...

Edit: the recent visit was not as good as the visit 3 months ago. If you visit the restaurant on your own, you are likely to be sent to some "inconvenient" seats, e.g. seat next to the kitchen's door, seat near the fridge, the most remote seat deep inside the restaurant etc., even when there are vacant seats more suitable for single customer; When I requested for a seat at bar table near the entrance (which is directly in front of kitchen counter and usually for single customers), the waitress was visibly annoyed. Tsukemen was still delicious as it used to be, but the kitchen staff forgot the bamboo shoot. In addition, the bamboo/wooden chopsticks have an unpleasant smell which distract people from enjoying the aroma of the soup.

Original review: Probably the best shoyu (soy-sauce) broth tsukemen (dipping ramen) in Hong Kong with the price range sightly above HKD$100.

Although the saltiness and mild tanginess of their shoyu broth may put some people off, once you get used to this "odd flavour" the broth is delightfully complex and rich in umami (the "fifth taste" usually associated with fresh seafood and cooked meat). The scallop-infused oil on top of the broth is very aromatic and add to the richness of the soup. In addition, their home-made noodles are fresh, chewy and also much less bitter and pungent, unlike pre-made noodles from noodle factories commonly served by cheaper ramen shops.

The shop also serves scallop-infused oil abura soba (brothless stirred noodle with oil-based sauce) which is a Central branch exclusive. It's served with raw egg along with the sauce and a lot of scallop-infused oil. This sounds strange but it is just as tasty as their dipping ramen.

The chicken karaage (Japanese fried chicken) is pretty tasty as well; the cook deep-fries the chicken only when an order is placed so the chicken is always hot and crispy when served. The shoyu based sauce is a bit too...

I last ate at Shugetsu is a top-notch Japanese ramen eatery on Gough Street in Sheung Wan district around two months ago. This is a popular but small place with regular queues of awaiting diners. So be patient if you want to eat here. Bowls are served up pretty fast, allowing rather quick turnover. Seating is along the wall and along the bar with small bar stools.

Menu is in Cantonese & English. It is small - they stick with what they do well at Shugetsu. Staff will help you understand what you are ordering and how to eat here if helpful. Basically, you order their famous Tsukemen or Ramen (4-5 flavour choices for each), toppings and a drink if you fancy something other than the Japanese tea they have on the tables.

Servings come in either 100, 200 or 300 grams of dipping noodles (hot or cold) along with a bowl of delicious soup. You dip the noodles in the soup, mix and enjoy. Be ready to use chopsticks and Chinese style soup spoon, not sure if they even have western tableware here.

During our recent visit, we very much enjoyed the Spicy Tsukemen (HK$91) which was just hot enough, flavourful and just delicious. We also ordered the Grilled Kurobuta Pork Belly (HK$115). This was a strong seaweed(ish) flavoured soup that was similarly tasty.

The dipping noodles are made from scratch, soft and just thick enough. Once you've eaten all of them, ask staff for the chicken broth which they will quickly bring to your table and pour into your remain sauce. Now you have a most delicious bowl of soup to slurp up, finishing off your meal at Shugetsu.

This is a place well worth trying if you are seeking out a ramen meal during your visit to HK. You'll leave with a full belly and smile on your face if you enjoy this type of...