From the appearance of the storefront to the bamboo chairs and wooden tables inside, the restaurant has a Japanese dining style. However, the indoor vibe is quite different, with Western music playing, such as "21" by Gracie Abrams and "Slow It Down" by Benson Boone.
The air conditioning indoors is set to 16 degrees, so you won't sweat while enjoying hot ramen.
I ordered the "Secret Recipe • Aged Seafood and Black-Boned Chicken Dipping Noodles." The pork was soft and fresh, but the saltiness was slightly lacking. When I took a large piece and put it in my mouth, the texture was substantial. The seasoning of the chicken was quite good, with a slight bounce.
The dipping sauce was thin, which was somewhat disappointing compared to my expectations. The saltiness was decent, and you can add noodles once since the initial amount served is not much. The additional noodles had a better chewiness, likely because they were freshly cooked and immediately chilled.
For those used to stronger Japanese flavors, you might need to add some of the spicy miso and other sauces on the side.
Just judging the dipping noodles, the consistency of flavor and item expectations weren’t fully met, especially since most places have thicker dipping sauces and coarser noodles to better hold onto the sauce.
This place is clearly not just a ramen shop; its strengths might lie in other menu items, as internet reviews often recommend the fried chicken and pudding. If you also add a good cup of coffee, it would be more like a tea house (Japanese café) that got sidetracked by ramen.
🍜 A ramen shop
🍜 A super popular ramen shop in the Xinjuejiang business district
As soon as it opened, it was full and people had to wait for seats, indicating how popular this place is. 🔥
They provide ice-cold water for drinking, and every seat has utensils and condiments available for self-service.
This time, I ordered the chicken white broth (medium) for $250. The soup base is rich but not greasy. It comes with two slices of pork chashu and three slices of chicken chashu, both of which are very tender. The onions add a fragrant touch that elevates the dish even further. The noodles are on the firmer side, giving a good chew.
Overall, it was quite good. I recommend it to friends who love chicken white broth!
Location: Daan District, Taipei City
That day I saw someone sharing this ramen shop on YT. Since I personally prefer non-soup ramen and don't really enjoy drinking soup, when I go to eat Japanese ramen, I only take a sip or two and not much more. So, I was really looking forward to this ramen shop that seemed to focus on dry noodles.
🌟 Spicy Miso Oil Noodles
When the dish arrived, the noodles were completely unstirred, along with the extra items I ordered. I added a soft-boiled egg, char siu, and sesame scallions. We were instructed to drizzle some vinegar and fragrant oil a few times (depending on the size of the noodles we had). A special aspect is that their noodle prices are the same regardless of size. The first bite wasn’t too spicy, and the soft-boiled egg is a must-add because it makes the spicy sauce and overall noodles much smoother and more palatable. However, the portion of noodles was a bit too much for me. I couldn't finish it, and towards the end, because of the oil base, it became a bit greasy. Next time I come, I might order the smallest size, but it was still very tasty 😋 I recommend it!
🌟 Soy Sauce Oil Noodles
After mixing it well with the same vinegar and fragrant oil, I could feel the gentle taste of the soy sauce base. It wasn't as overpowering or strong in flavor as the spicy miso. This is a great introductory dish for those who are afraid of spice, but it lacks that spicy layer. Personally, I still prefer the spicy miso.
🌟 Fried Pork Cutlet
The pork cutlet looked super ordinary when it arrived, plain and unremarkable. But when paired with the pork cutlet sauce, the pork cutlet was very solid. It was fried for just the right amount of time; it was not at all dry and surprisingly quite tasty.
The meals were delicious, the temperature was adequate, but the overall flavor leaned heavily on the noodles. The prices are typical of Japanese ramen. However, there were really very few staff members. When I first entered, there were only two people, and later one of them went to take a break. It's tough to work alone. But it's not bad that there's not much of a line on Saturdays next to Dunhua Sogo. 👍
Review from a "braces person": The restroom is on the second floor, and the cleanliness is a bit lacking.
This place, "Duck to Scallion," is very popular, with good ratings on Google Maps, making it one of the must-try spots in line. We went there on a Thursday evening and waited for about an hour. The process involves ordering first at a kiosk and then getting in line.
We ordered:
That day, we could choose one type of scallion from three options. The broth is a standard clear soup, the duck meat is quite tender, but the quality of the soft-boiled egg varies; mine was decent, but I saw some fully cooked eggs in the line. The Oyako-don leans towards a more mainstream flavor.
Overall, it might not suit my taste, plus the long wait time makes it fall short compared to the other two places I’ve tried previously. The staff can speak Chinese, but sometimes they pretend not to understand. If you don’t mind waiting in line, you can give it a try.
You need to order at the entrance on the first floor. I previously visited before a holiday, and after ordering and paying, I had to wait 20 minutes. This time during the weekdays, I was able to sit down right away. After all, this is a ramen shop in the Gongguan area that stays open all afternoon without closing.
I ordered the creamy chicken and pork ramen, which had a rich broth, somewhat resembling a milk soup base. However, the chicken and pork portion was small and not very prominent, almost like a supporting role. The noodle portion wasn't large, but you can get extra noodles for free.
The char siu rice was of high standard with a classic flavor—savory sauce, mayonnaise, and chunks of char siu pork, all complementing each other between the white rice. It could easily earn a perfect score.
When the ramen and char siu rice arrived at the table, both ceramic bowls were extremely hot, indicating they were heated beforehand, so caution is needed when handling them.
Summary: 🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑
Dickson's Fooday Food Review #266
This time I will be commenting on a ramen special.
But you probably don’t see me giving such a low score to a restaurant very often!
That’s right, I found this ramen to be really disappointing; it might just rank among the worst ramen shops I’ve ever been to.
Like other ramen shops, this one also requires you to line up.
The upside is that you only have to wait about 15 minutes to get in—there weren’t many groups ahead of us!
Additionally, this ramen shop’s feature is probably its late-night hours.
You can see that it stays open late into the night, making it a great spot to try after a night out!
As usual, you'll order using a ramen vending machine.
This ramen shop doesn’t offer many options—
It specializes in ginger ramen flavor.
You can also choose some extra items from the menu if you want more meat,
But be aware that the original ramen doesn’t come with an egg.
So if you love eggs, don’t forget to order a soft-boiled egg!
However, on the day I visited, there were surprisingly many items sold out—
Especially the soft-boiled eggs and other types of meat,
I couldn't order them, which was a bit disappointing since it was still relatively early—
It was only around 6 PM, yet the meat options were completely unavailable!
The space inside the shop is actually very cramped;
It can only accommodate about seven to eight customers at a time,
And the walkway only allows one person to pass through!
It's a really tiny ramen shop,
And the overall atmosphere just conveys a sense of quickly filling up on ramen.
But the key aspects are still the flavor of the ramen and the quality of the food.
When my ramen first arrived, my first impression was:
Is this really the amount of meat they’re giving? It’s so little!
So does that mean if you can’t order extra meat, you won’t have much to eat?
But it’s okay; if it’s really delicious, I’d be fine with that.
But after finishing, I could only think,
“How is such a disappointing ramen shop still in business??”
In addition to the issues with the ramen itself,
While dining, the staff didn’t provide me with a spoon or water cup.
Other customers next to us also didn’t receive spoons,
And after I mentioned it to the staff,
They finally realized they hadn’t given us any spoons to use.
They hurriedly brought us some spoons….
This part felt quite outrageous to me. 😂😂😂
Overall, I believe this ramen shop really doesn’t warrant a return visit.
Setting aside the service and atmosphere issues,
Just the content and flavor of the ramen itself
Makes me feel it would be more worthwhile to just cook instant noodles instead. 😂😂😂
Friends, seriously, there's no need to come here!
Food: 🌗🌑🌑🌑🌑
Atmosphere: 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
Service: 🌕🌖🌑🌑🌑
Price: 🌕🌕🌖🌑🌑
⭐️ Food
👉 Ginger Salt Ramen $190
I originally wanted to order the ginger spicy miso ramen,
But as mentioned earlier, many items were already sold out at such an early hour,
So I had to settle for the salt ramen.
As you can see in the image,
The amount of meat included is truly pitiful—
Just a couple of bites of chashu and the largest item in the bowl was probably an egg.
The rest was just very basic ramen noodles.
The overall texture of the ramen noodles was acceptable,
But the noodles, ramen broth, and other toppings felt completely disjointed,
Like everything was just combined together in one bowl.
And because the meat portion was so small,
In the end, I felt like I was just eating starchy noodles…
It was really not acceptable…
Additionally, the shop focuses on garlic and salty broth flavors,
But overall, it was just too salty.
I couldn’t even drink much broth at the end.
So eating this bowl of ramen was quite a painful experience for me.
I had no idea why I came here!
It felt like I had two pieces of chashu, a soft-boiled egg, a piece of seaweed,
And a whole heap of noodles. 😂😂😂
By the way, the ramen didn’t originally come with an egg,
So the only part I found great was the soft-boiled egg I ordered! 😂😂😂
Therefore, in terms of food, I find it quite inadequate,
I absolutely do not recommend coming here to eat!
And because the meat portion was really too small,
I originally considered ordering more meat, but due to stock shortages, I couldn’t add any more…
So it’s really not a viable option. ~~~
⭐️ Atmosphere
The space inside the shop is indeed very cramped,
But many ramen shops have a similar feel,
It’s just that this one feels even narrower and dimmer. 😂😂
So the dining experience feels more like you’re in a ramen shop where you need to eat quickly,
And thus, the dining experience is not very comfortable!
⭐️ Service
The shop doesn’t provide any special services.
As mentioned, you order via the self-service ramen vending machine.
Also, I previously mentioned that I received no spoon when the ramen was served.
This part of the service was definitely a big drawback.
⭐️ Price
I originally thought the prices were quite reasonable for ramen in Taipei,
But when the food arrived, I realized
You truly get what you pay for. ~~~
The included ramen didn’t even come with an egg,
And only had two small pieces of meat.
Isn’t this clearly just a setup to make us order more?
Ordering more isn’t the problem,
But on that day, not even the meat was available.
What could one realistically eat? 😂😂😂
Thus, in terms of price, I don’t find it to be cheaply priced at all. ~~~
⭐️ Overall
I believe this is a ramen shop that I cannot recommend at all.
Given how many ramen places there are currently,
There’s really no need to come here for this! ~~~
Personally, I feel there’s absolutely no value in coming here,
The only thing worth noting is that they’re open late at night. 😂😂😂
A ramen shop that is super close to Hsinchu Train Station.
On weekends around 6 PM, there is a queue, but there were only two groups ahead of me.
I waited about 10 minutes before getting in.
The shop strictly requires that everyone in the group be present to queue.
If someone is running late, you can inform the staff, and they will assist. 👍
I placed my order at 10:30 PM.
Basically, they don’t close early, but usually the rich broth isn’t available later at night.
If you want a late-night ramen fix, you can come here. XD
The seating in the shop is limited, with only about 13 seats.
However, the seats are not cramped.
Upon entering, ordering is done via a self-service kiosk.
After ordering, staff will show you to your seats.
You need to provide the order slip to the staff.
They will ask whether you want the broth to be Taiwanese or Japanese style (the latter is saltier) and what level of firmness you want for the noodles.
The food doesn’t take long to arrive, and the soup is served extremely hot, so be careful while eating! QAQ
You can get free extra noodles as long as you can finish them.
The Tokyo soy sauce ramen with Taiwanese flavor and normal noodles is more refreshing compared to the broth at Ramen House Aurora.
The chashu is tender, but there isn’t much meat.
The portion of noodles is small, so sometimes I can’t finish it.
🔅 Actual dining date: 2024/10/17
*Photos may not be reproduced or used for commercial purposes without permission.
For this trip to Japan, I originally only planned to visit this ramen place because I had heard a lot about how delicious and special it was, plus my friend had gone there twice recently, so my expectations were sky-high.
After waiting for an hour, it turned out... both my friend and I didn't love it... It might be a matter of personal taste or perhaps due to the high expectations. Additionally, I had eaten some delicious chicken white soup ramen at another place before coming here, which might have influenced my perspective.
▪️ Duck Ramen: Duck meat ramen, also with soft-boiled egg, duck meat, bamboo shoots, and wonton ¥1380
▪️ Duck Confit Noodles: Ramen with a more generous portion of duck meat ¥1260
▪️ Tamagoyaki Donburi (egg rice bowl) ¥420
We ordered two bowls of ramen with different combinations and one tamagoyaki donburi. While waiting in line, we could choose one of the three types of green onions for that day. My overall impression was that the broth wasn’t as rich as I expected, the duck meat wasn’t particularly delicious, and even the green onions tasted like something you can find anywhere. The soft-boiled egg wasn’t very flavorful; when I saw others eat it while waiting in line, theirs looked more cooked, while what I got was slightly better. The tamagoyaki donburi we added was also very ordinary... I didn’t really get it.
Overall... it seems to be a mismatch in personal taste, combined with the long wait time and high expectations. Compared to the other ramen I had on this trip, it really fell short. Interestingly, all the staff in the shop spoke Chinese, and the cleanliness of the bowls and plates was average. This is just my personal taste for reference.
The Chicken Soup Uncle Group's brand has a very comfortable dining environment. This time I ordered the truffle and porcini ramen and added a honey-flavored soft-boiled egg. The broth is quite similar to the Chicken Soup Uncle's hot pot broth; I'm not sure if they are the same. The aroma of truffle pairs well with the flavor of the porcini, complementing each other without overpowering, making it quite special as a ramen broth. Personally, I liked it a lot. However, I was a bit disappointed with the noodles; they broke easily with a bite and didn't have much chewiness. But that's a matter of personal preference, as some people might prefer that texture. Overall, I still enjoyed the ramen quite a bit.
The honey soft-boiled egg I ordered was very special; it really tasted like honey! As a honey lover, I really liked it, and I suggest trying it if you're interested. After the meal, they also offer a scoop of ice cream, which was quite tasty.
Originating from Shinjuku, Tokyo, this restaurant opened in Taiwan in 2017 and has become a classic since then, posting limited edition ramen on Instagram every weekend, which has led to long lines.
However, on weekdays during the day, as long as you avoid peak dining hours, you don't really need to queue. During weekdays, the restaurant focuses on serving only three types of ramen.
This time, I ordered the rich tonkotsu shrimp dipping noodles (deluxe version, medium portion) with a B set (cabbage and cola). The dipping soup was not overly salty, with plenty of shrimp flavor and a moderate thickness, making it not feel too salty while eating.
After finishing the noodles, the staff asked if I wanted to add more soup, but considering sodium intake issues, I declined. The portion of cabbage was quite generous, and it tasted very sweet; I recommend adding it.