The Lowdown
Restaurant Name: Kakurega Ramen Factory
Cuisine: Japanese Ramen
Average Price per Person: $80 to $120 HKD or $10 to $15 USD
Location: Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong (please refer to the map below for details)
Recommendations: White, Black and Red Ramen.Ratings (out of 5)
Taste: 4
Creativity/Authenticity: 4
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 4
Bang for Buck: 3.5
Crayscale !!!
As a “Darksider,” I was pretty stoked to hear that Meter Chan, founder of Butao King opened a ramen joint less than a four minute taxi ride away from my hood. I totally procrastinated and delayed my visit just because I thought Kakurega Ramen Factory would be even more exclusive with an even longer line than Butao. Rumor has it that similar to Butao serving 300 bowls per day, Kakurega has a limited daily supply of 100 bowls of ramen per day – 50 during lunch opening at 11 a.m. and 50 for dinner starting at 6 p.m.
Kakurega is concealed in Dragon Center, a super local mall in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon. I was pretty surprised when I heard that there was a good ramen spot up in here. Kakurega was pretty hard to find, literally hidden behind a bunch of small shops on the 7th floor. We couldn’t really tell if we were at the right spot until we noticed a small line forming wrapped around a small rather inconspicuous space. The set up is pretty ghetto and looks like it’s still under construction with super thin walls put up in a random space filled with no more than 20 seats made of recycled Coca Cola crates topped with thin cushions.
We hit up Kakurega around 2 p.m. on a Tuesday, but it was a public holiday. Unexpectedly, there wasn’t much of a line up with about 4 people ahead of us. We waited for about 10 minutes and tried to figure out the menu while we waited. Unlike Butao’s Hakata-style ramen, Kukurega is all about tsukemen steez meaning the noodles are served separately from the broth. The noodles are meant to be dipped into the soup just before eating to keep the noodles firm and preventing sogginess. Speaking of noodles, Kakurega’s noodles are freshly handmade every morning. These noodles are flat and thick intended to absorb all that soupy deliciousness.
There are three bowls of ramen to choose from and a daily special consisting of Kakurega White, Black, red and the special of the day, which happened to be curry. Each bowl is complete with a perfectly cooked half boiled egg, green onions, bamboo shoots, tender slices of bbq pork (char-siu) and strip of seaweed. The Kakurega White consists of a thick tonkotsu pork bone broth topped with bonito powder and chilli miso. The Kakurega Black is similar to the White with the addition of aromatic black garlic. Kakurega Red gets its name from its tomato broth with chunks of tomato and splash of chili oil. The Curry is a sweet Japanese curry with potatoes, carrots and pork char siu.
We ordered all four bowls of ramen so we could taste everything! The servers actually asked us repeatedly if we were serious about ordering all four bowls considering one bowl is apparently the equivalent to eating two packages of instant noodles! We had to reassure them that Eugene is a fatass at heart and that four bowls of ramen would not be a problem for us (and by us I mean Eugene). After tasting everything, the kawaii Japanese women asked me which my favorites were. I’d have to say the White was my favorite, Red was runner up, Black came in third and the curry was my least favorite.
Steps to eating tsukemen style ramen. Step 1: Not really a step, but don’t drink directly from the bowl as it’s really hot. Step 2: Dip the noodles into the soup and eat. Step 3: Add sauce. Step 4: Ask the server to add more broth to dilute the broth. Step 5: Drink every last drop of the broth from the bowl not with a spoon.
Kakurega White ($78 HKD or $10 USD). I got a little too excited and mixed everything in before photographing it (#bloggerfail #foodienewb). The thick and velvety pork broth was super legit with a strong potent bonito flavor. So good!
I added a little vinegar which added a touch of acidity to the broth thinning it out just a tad. If I didn’t eat so many bowls of ramen I would have drank every last drop. The waitress suggested to add this stuff to the Kakurega Black and White.
Their half boiled eggs are EGGCELLENT!!! SOO effing good I ate three!
Kakurega Black ($88 HKD or $11.25 USD).
We kinda effed up on this Kukurega Black. We ordered a Fireball which is an extremely spicy meatball. Once the ball is submerged and mixed in, the broth instantly becomes overwhelmingly spicy. We dropped the ball a little too soon so we only had about a few mouthfuls of the delicious garlicy broth before it was invaded by the fireball. Don’t get me wrong, the Fireball effect is delicious and perfect if you want something spicy, but it just totally changes the original flavor of the broth.
Kakurega Red ($98 HKD or $12.50 USD). The broth of the Kakurega Red was sweet, tangy and slightly lighter than the Black and Red. It didn’t seem as heavy and thick in comparison. This was my second favorite.
The waitress suggested to sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Mmmmmm cheese!
Kakurega Special Curry ($88 HKD or $11.25 USD). I wasn’t feelin’ the curry at all. I thought it was too chunky. I could have done without it.
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Room 7083, 7/F, Dragon Centre, 37 Yen Chow Street, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
p: 852.3487.0989
Loved this article – myself and team are having this for lunch today!!
I can’t tell you how happy I am as a result of your blog. We found your blog, and the amazing write-up which told us where to go and what to order and even what to expect. We found the place thanks to your directions, and honestly, it’s become one of the highlights to our trip to Hong Kong! Thank you!
Nicole
Thanks for another great review , found myself in Shm Shui Po looking for a computer power cord too early Sunday morning. With nothing to do until noon I remembered this place and was delighted it was a 5 min walk from the Golden Computer Center. Your review was spot on as usual thanks for making another Hong Kong layover lunch great. The wayward airline pilot …
Hey Sean! Glad you liked it! If you’re stuck in SSP again, you can hit up the original Tim Ho Wan and this tofu spot! http://www.thatfoodcray.com/hong-kong-cray-kung-wo-dou-bun-chong-%E5%85%AC%E5%92%8C%E8%8D%B3%E5%93%81%E5%BB%A0/
Almost went there today as I had to exchange some computer stuff …. Next time for sure for the Pineapple Buns