📍 Zhongshan District, Taipei City (near Zhongshan MRT Station)
A specialty ramen shop with high-quality ingredients 🍜

After arriving at the entrance, you queue up to order from a machine and receive a number. You can wait near the entrance, but if your number is called and you miss it, you'll have to wait for two more groups before entering.

This time I sat at the counter. The service from the staff was very considerate, as they checked on my ramen experience and proactively asked if I needed more broth or an extra ball of noodles (free).

🍜 Premium White Truffle Chicken, Fish, and Shellfish Ramen with thin noodles, no onions, and extra hard ($370):
The first sip of the broth was quite amazing, and the ingredients mentioned in the name gradually revealed themselves in my mouth 🤤.
The broth is slightly salty, and adding some clear soup makes it easy to drink the whole bowl.

The toppings aren't usually my focus when eating ramen, but the ingredients used here are very high quality, including a scallop, a soft-boiled egg, and many clams, which go perfectly with this broth and enhanced the ramen experience significantly.

I was also very satisfied with the noodle hardness; the "extra hard" thin noodles here are much harder than Ichiran's "super hard" 🤣.

🍄
Would I return? Yes!
I would want to come back and order the same broth when the line is short. I deducted one star because the price is a bit high for ramen 😂.

✏️
Small note:
🔸 The machine for ordering only accepts cash 💰.

I've finally come to try the highly acclaimed restaurant. I grabbed a number at 11 o'clock, and I could enter promptly at 11:30! This time I ordered the porcini mushroom and pork bone soy sauce ramen, and I selected the regular saltiness (I regret it; I should have chosen the Japanese flavor)!

As a fan of Japanese soy sauce ramen, I had certain expectations for the taste. However, the 麒麟's porcini mushroom pork bone soy sauce ramen turned out to be completely different from what I imagined. It wasn't refreshing at all; rather, it had a strong pork bone flavor which overshadowed the soy sauce. For some reason, the regular soy flavor had a bit of a Taiwanese taste to it... 🥹 It wasn't unpleasant, but I had set my expectations too high...

A friend who shared a bite of my ramen also thought it was pretty average, but when I tried the same dish with the Japanese saltiness, it was much better!

Later, I tried my friend's premium white truffle chicken seafood ramen, which was truly delicious. It was full of aroma, and I've never had ramen with such a unique flavor! Unfortunately, it wasn't what I ordered. QQ

I was quite disappointed with my order this time, but it might be that I chose the wrong dish and the wrong way to have it. I might come back to try again since my friend's white truffle ramen was so good...

"Kirin Creative Ramen Shop," a new ramen restaurant located in Zhongshan District, has recently caught my attention through online platforms and food bloggers, especially their white truffle ramen with a whole piece of sashimi-grade scallop, which is visually striking. I decided to visit this highly recommended creative ramen shop.

To start with the conclusion:

👉 The system of ordering outside the restaurant and getting a number to queue is quite good.
👉 The soy sauce ramen is not delicious; it tastes a bit like Taiwanese dried bamboo shoots ramen.
👉 The white truffle chicken and seafood ramen is highly recommended! The broth is incredibly fresh and sweet.

Tips to avoid waiting in line for your meal:

I suggest arriving half an hour before opening time to place your order directly on the screen. The order number is your queue number, so if you come to order half an hour in advance, you can be among the first customers when they open!
(They open at 11:30 AM, so I recommend coming by 11:00 AM; they open at 4:30 PM, so coming at 4:00 PM is good.)

——

The dining experience at this ramen shop is quite pleasant. The ordering system is well designed, allowing me to browse around while waiting for my meal instead of just standing there idly. I arrived half an hour early and was lucky to be among the first customers to enter.

The decorations featuring lucky cats inside the shop are quite cute and add a lot of fun to the dining atmosphere. I ordered their signature "Super Premium • White Truffle Chicken and Seafood Ramen." The moment it was served, the aroma of white truffle wafted up, with a milky white broth topped with seasoned oil and a whole roasted scallop. Upon sipping the first taste of the broth, the fresh sweetness of the seafood instantly blossomed in my mouth, followed by a rich chicken broth finish that was refreshing and not greasy, giving the overall soup a greater depth. I really liked it!

I chose the normal firmness for my thin noodles, which allowed the rich broth to immerse the noodles fully, so each bite tasted flavorful and never bland. After finishing, you can get a free extra ball of noodles, but I didn’t opt for that this time.

As for the toppings, the roasted sashimi-grade scallop impressed me the most, topped with caviar. The aroma of roasting and the sweetness of the scallop deliver a strong ocean flavor.

The pork chashu slices were thick and tender, with a subtle smoky taste that added layers; the sous-vide chicken, while not particularly notable in flavor, had a nice texture, and the tender chicken breast was not dry at all. There were also plenty of clams and finely chopped ham in the broth, making the toppings of the ramen quite abundant! That soft-boiled egg was perfectly cooked, with a creamy yolk that was super delicious.

Overall evaluation of the ramen:

This bowl of white truffle chicken and seafood ramen excels in flavor and toppings, showcasing the care taken by the restaurant. Every bite is satisfying. My friend ordered the signature soy sauce ramen and felt it wasn't as impressive; the soy sauce lacked depth, especially when compared to the white truffle broth!

For those coming to Kirin Creative Ramen Shop, make sure to order their "Super Premium • White Truffle Chicken and Seafood Ramen."

As it is a popular restaurant, I arrived at 11:00 for the 11:30 opening and was the first one there! The ticket machine is outside, and I was able to choose my soup and noodle firmness, as well as toppings. I waited on a bench behind the restaurant, but it was too hot, so I think it's better not to arrive too early 💦

There was no Japanese menu, so I had to guess and make my choices based on the kanji.

I wondered if it was Japanese ramen just by the name of the restaurant, but there were many unusual ramen options, like the porcini tonkotsu that I ordered!

The ramen wasn't too salty and had a rich flavor! I didn't add extra toppings, but it was already packed with ingredients like chashu, chicken, and clams, so I enjoyed it enough without additional toppings 🍜
It really was worth spending nearly 300 yuan, haha.

The restaurant wasn't very spacious, and they were playing Japanese music at a high volume, which was a bit noisy, but I was very satisfied with the taste!

This place has been on my bucket list for a long time, and the last time I passed by, there were just too many people. Today, I specifically scheduled to check in at 11:00 at the store entrance; they use a first-come-first-served ordering method. We arrived at 11:00, making us the first group of customers, and we directly got number 1! There’s a resting area at the back of the shop, but it has no shade... Most people are still waiting under the awnings of other stores.

Around 11:25, they will start calling numbers. The shop has quite a spacious interior, and we sat at three tables; it was pretty comfortable.

The noodles come out quite quickly, and I’ll let the photos do the talking for the detailed introduction. Overall, the bowl of noodles is above standard; I highly recommend any ramen lover to come and try it!

P.S. My friend ordered the white truffle chicken and shellfish ramen; his soup is on the sweeter and fresher side, and it’s very delicious! Highly recommended too!