(Hong Kong, Kwun Tong)
This is a noodle place
that just opened recently in the Kwun Tong area
Oh, it opened recently
It's quite clean
I went there once
Have you been there?
Yeah, I've been there just once
Actually, this area
has a lot of great noodle places
Yeah, there are a lot, so many
[Entering]
The menu doesn't have English
but if you use a translator
Actually..
It's not that hard
It’s basically just choosing
what ingredients to add to your noodles
That's right
It's kind of like Tamjai style
Yeah, that's it
Topping style
In Korea, they usually pre-pack the ingredients
but here it’s more like checking off what you want
Right
You can choose what you want to eat
[Check with a pen]
Two toppings cost 37 HKD (about 6,790 KRW)
and three toppings are 46 HKD (about 8,440 KRW)
You have to choose the ingredients
You also have to choose the noodles
And you have to choose the soup
[Order completed]
Oh, it's exhausting
[Drained]
I feel particularly stressed when I come to places like this
It's frustrating at first
Right
Since communication’s a bit tough
Others are busy choosing the menu
It's awkward to ask
There's a limit to translation
When translated
"pickled mushrooms" or "rotten fish"
It comes out like this
[Old Hong Kong Signboard]
The interior is decorated
to recreate the old Hong Kong vibe
as much as possible
[Drinks arrived]
-Thank you -Thank you
You said it's a new place, right?
Yeah, a new place
It's definitely clean
Definitely clean
Somehow
What you said is exactly right
It's not a feeling that comes from tradition
Yeah, yeah
It’s like how Seoul’s Hanok Village
Yeah, yeah, yeah
recreates a traditional Korean village
Yeah, yeah
But the interior seems pretty
Somehow the entrance
feels like an old store
But it's kind of new when you come inside
Something hard to see in Hong Kong
It's kind of like that
The drinks came out, and they even served them
- in disposable cups like this - They give disposable cups
A designed, pretty one
One downside is that
noodle places like this
often include drinks
Yeah, that's right
But here, they charge 12 HKD (about 2,200 KRW)
to 14 HKD (about 2,570 KRW) per drink
Usually, if it’s part of a set, drinks cost around 5-6 HKD (about 920-1,100 KRW)
I know
I ordered pork shoulder, dumplings, and sausage
I think they gave me this again
telling me that this was what I had ordered
They don’t give separate receipts here
Instead, they hand you the menu
and you use that to pay
That's how the system is set up
Mine is beef shank broth
The color looks pretty rich, right?
I just added all the meat toppings
I added pork shoulder
and pig’s trotters too
Pig's trotters?
Yeah, it was on the menu
Oh, they had pig's trotter
I also ordered slightly thin noodles
[Drinking the broth first]
The broth is delicious
Is it okay?
Isn't it spicy? It's medium spicy one
I got the medium spice level, but it’s not spicy at all
Beef shank broth is so rich
If you choose the the ingredients
with a star next to them
Looks like you can't go wrong
You should choose the ingredients with a star
First of all, this is so delicious
Pork shoulder
Wow, is this pork shoulder?
Yeah
I think this is better
than grilled Korean pork shoulder
It's the dumpling style I really like
Inside, there's...
corn
Dumplings with corn inside are really good
[Personal taste]
You’ll find dumplings like these at hot pot places
Yeah, they do
Actually, all the ingredients here
taste pretty good!
Personally, the sausage is a bit
[???]
not worth the cost
[Regret]
But wasn't it supposed to be cheese sausage?
I know
But there's no cheese
How's the broth?
Try it
The peanut flavor is really strong
Remember that tantanmen place we went to?
I liked it because the peanut flavor wasn’t too strong
[Understood]
Hmm, rather?
Just right
Just enough
A moderate flavor is nice
but when it's too strong
it can get overwhelming while eating
The taste isn’t bad
but the bowls and overall vibe feel more like a snack bar
than a restaurant
If I could suggest a solution
[Hong Kong's Baek Jong-won]
they should use smaller bowls
Aha
It looks too empty
even though it’s not
To be honest, the portion size isn’t exactly small
It's not small, but the bowl is too wide
Actually, that’s why
smaller bowls might work better?
But when I see other people
it looks really plentiful
Isn't it because you ordered sausages?
Oh, really?
[Problem solved]
[Observing Order Paper]
Is it an extra 10 HKD (about 1,830 KRW) if you get more than three toppings?
[Looking carefully]
Yeah
If you have a good appetite
4-5 toppings might be a good choice
Wow, but I’ve never seen anyone get 4-5 toppings
Always
[Personal Experience]
My wife always tells me
"Never order veggies at a noodle place like this"
Don't order vegetables
Yeah, there's vegetables
at the menu there
Veggies and meat cost the same here
Ah, right
Some places usually give
a bit of veggies by default
but here, it’s just one lettuce leaf
I had a lettuce leaf too
What I’m realizing while eating is that
the portion is surprisingly big
Maybe because I ordered only meat, I feel a bit full
Did you order only 3 meats?
Meats only
Oh, but I think you have to go with meat no matter what
I get worried they might take my bowl when a staff comes by
[Trauma]
The taste isn’t weird
or like I can't eat it
But it feels like it’s missing that extra 2% to be perfect
Wow, right, right
I don't know what that 2% is
but anyway, there's something a little lacking
That's right, because of that 2%
I said it felt like a snack bar earlier
But I can't find what it is
There's a slight disappointment
A bit of something missing
The meat tastes good on its own
the noodles are great by themselves
and even the broth is flavorful
But there's something lacking
Maybe it’s because they just opened
so we might need to give them some time
Or if we come back a few more times
we might figure out what that missing 2% is
Exactly, it’s not like I wouldn’t come back if someone suggested it
My bowl got taken away
[Sad Ending]
I gave it back because of the 2% lacking
[Give Away]
I really like the table
You know those slightly round ones, right?
The round ones are really uncomfortable
This is spacious
and honestly, it's okay to share a table like this
Yeah, it's okay
The total came out to 146 HKD (about 26,780 KRW)
Oh~
Actually, for a noodle place like this
it's a bit on the expensive side
Plus, seeing that the drinks are also expensive
That's right
It has a bit of a premium feel
and the taste isn't definitely bad
It's not
It’s just the price that feels a bit disappointing
Yeah, right
It's definitely a bit expensive
So next time, we'll find a tastier place
and continue our journey
Joykin
HKL's three-line review I don’t care noodles (Kwun Tong)
1. Retro Hong Kong interior
2. A clean, newly opened noodle shop
3. An almost perfect unfinished taste