A is for Ajitsuke Tamago

This post is part of my Dishing Around Auckland: A - Z Challenge.

It's been a good few months since I decided I would set myself an A - Z Challenge for eating various dishes. I've been busy, of course, but A is not exactly an easy letter of the alphabet to start with either. The only dishes starting with A I could think of, which were not desserts, were things borrowed from other countries. I haven't yet tried an arepa in South America, so I am in no position to judge what I find here in Auckland. Instead, I have picked ajitsuke tamago, which is not really a dish, but an important component of one.

Ajitsuke tamago.

For those of you who have not come across the term before, it refers to the marinated egg which is often served with ramen. As I mentioned in my previous post on Japanese eggs, the yolk should be just beginning to set: a gooey centre which is translucent, but not runny. No matter how good the ramen might actually be, I am always a little disappointed if it is served with a fully boiled egg with a powdery yolk!

1) Tanpopo Ramen

At Tanpopo Ramen, you don't automatically get egg with your noodles. You have to order it as an extra, and it arrives as a whole egg, still chilled from the refrigerator. But do it, because it is good, as is their piping hot soup base, I might add!

Miso ramen with extra egg.

Presumably named after the 1985 movie "Tampopo", a Japanese comedy featuring ramen, this basic little store now also has a branch in Howick. Owner Michio trained the young couple running Little Ramen Bar in Melbourne as well.

2) Ramen Do

When Ramen Do opened in 2012, they made exactly the kind of fully boiled egg I complain about. You can still see pictures of them on their website. By the time I blogged about the eatery, however, they had learnt to make beautiful eggs, and were at the top of their game for the ramen too. Since then, I have heard consistently bad reviews for their short-lived city branch, and on our latest visit to their original Eden Terrace branch, the soup and noodles were unfortunately also disappointing.Their business card and street signage have been changed, so perhaps there are new owners?

Egg a little too underdone.

The eggs erred on the side of liquid yolks, but this is preferable to overcooked egg. I also liked the fact that you get half an egg by default with every ramen.

3) Ramen Takara

Ramen Takara is a bit further from the central city than the other places mentioned here: all the way in Browns Bay, but with the bonus of being near the beach.

Despite being more beautifully fitted out, and having plenty of choices in the menu (thick or thin noodles, unusual combinations like spicy black sesame, clearly marked gluten free and vegetarian alternatives), the egg we ordered was slightly overcooked, pale and powdery at the edges.

Spicy black tan-tan ramen, with extra egg.

Still, the centre of the egg was a beautiful vibrant orange. And we haven't eaten here enough times to know whether this was an anomaly.

4) Maruten Ramen

Maruten Ramen is only a little stall in the Mercury Plaza food court, but it has some restaurant level touches. For example:

• there's a choice of thick or thin homemade noodles for your ramen; you can also ask for the noodles to be cooked firmer or softer as you prefer
• they have smooth, round bamboo chopsticks, rather than the pull-apart disposable ones (never mind that even some high-end Japanese restaurants like Masu use pull-apart disposable chopsticks)
• the moyashi (bean sprout) ramen we ordered came with an unseasoned chicken broth, in case we needed to thin out the thick and salty soup base; they also gave us some vinegar to adjust the flavour to taste
• they gave us complimentary dessert (not sure if this is standard practice)!
• when we asked for a takeaway container, the chef said we could ask for more bean sprouts and less noodle next time
• they had Japanese comic books you can borrow, which we saw people reading on a couple of tables
• when we walked past on the way out of the food court, they saw us and called out to us

So what about the eggs? Some ramen varieties already come with half an egg, while others do not. However, you can always ask for an egg as an extra topping. In my previous meal, there was a bit of inconsistency with the doneness of the eggs. This time, the eggs were a bit too cooked at the edges. Not quite perfect, but much better than the fully boiled eggs at most other ramen eateries here.

Syo-yu ramen with extra egg.

---

Have you come across any other ramen shops with ajitsuke tamago? Or do you not care about the state of the egg if the rest of the dish is good?

[Added 10 June 2016: The newish Ramen Lab also has some good looking eggs]

Review: Ramen Do, Eden Terrace

Ramen Do is the one of the best, if not the very best, ramen place we have sampled in Auckland , so I am not sure how I took two and a half years to write this post, after previously only giving it a quick mention. Since we first visited, this Japanese eatery not only has a new website, rearranged their furniture, and learnt to make perfect eggs with a translucent centre (originally they were simply hard-boiled), but they have also opened a new branch in the central city [Added 7 November 2014: this didn't do well and has closed]!

Small venue on Symonds St made larger by a mirror and high ceilings.

As they proudly proclaim on an embroidery on the wall, their flavourful soup bases take two days to produce, and they also make their own noodles in-store.

Wall hanging with a message for the customer.

The signature dish is the Hokkaido Miso Ramen, which contains slices of BBQ pork and pork belly, a ball of minced pork, and half a beautifully boiled marinated egg, in addition to the noodles, broth and garnishes. We particularly appreciated being given a small suribachi and surikogi set for grinding whole sesame seeds, which released a strong and fragrant aroma.

Hokkaido Miso Ramen.

Another dish we keep having over and over again is the Tsukemen, which consists of firm, cold noodles in a separate dish from a concentrated and rich soup for dipping. The first time we ordered this, we had no idea what to do, and poured the sauce over the noodles! The soup comes with pork slices and half a marinated egg, as well as a teapot of what appeared to be the noodle-cooking water, so you can thin the salty liquid and turn it into a tasty broth after your meal. A great choice if you prefer a bit of bite to your noodles, as you control how long they sit in water, though everything does tend to be more luke-warm than hot.

Many components of tsukemen.

If you stray away from the restaurant's main focus, the food you get will not be as tasty. For instance, the vegetable ramen felt thin and watery, though the vegetable toppings themselves were fine..

Vegetable ramen.

The takoyaki we tried were somewhat undercooked in the middle.

Takoyaki, a bit soft and undercooked in the middle.

The edible wild plants inari were very enjoyable, though not amazing the way the top ramen were.

Edible wild plants inari.

Moral of the story? Stick to Ramen Do's consistently excellent specialities!

Panda Recommends

We love the Hakkaido miso ramen ($13) and the Tsukemen ($15).

Vegie Pandas
There are a couple of vegetable ramen options, with plenty of vegetables in them, but the soup base is obviously less flavourful and interesting than the meaty versions.

Menu - ramen

Menu - other

Restaurant Details

Ramen Do
167 Symonds St, Eden Terrace, Auckland
(09) 377 1313

Opening hours:
Mondays to Fridays 11:30am - 3pm, 5:30 - 9pm
Saturdays to Sundays 12 - 9pm

Ramen is a little shop on Upper Symonds Street.

View Nom Nom Panda in a larger map

A Week in Hong Kong: Upmarket ramen @ Mist (創作麵工房)

(See closest Auckland equivalents)

You know how we said Hong Kong was a great place for cheap food, and you could have a filling meal for less than 30 HKD, or around 5 NZD?  Well, that's obviously the low end of the scale, and prices can go a lot higher.  We wanted to try out the other extreme with a 3-Michelin-star restaurant, but unfortunately it was booked out.  Instead, we picked a nearby ramen restaurant, one with one Michelin star.

Tucked away in a quieter part of Causeway Bay, Mist (創作麵工房) was full when we turned up for lunch, so we left our name and number and went for a walk while we waited for a table.  We barely had time to shop, as the call came surprisingly quickly.  We were seated at a bench overlooking the kitchen and presented with a beautiful hard-cover menu listing 5 or 6 choices, which you could have alone or as a set (i.e. with drinks and dessert).  There was also a recommended special, the abura soba, over which everyone had food envy.

We were seated at a bench looking right into the kitchen.

I'll tell you right now: these were probably the most expensive noodles we have ever had, at around 150 HKD a set, or about 25 NZD.  They were also probably the most delicious ramen and soba noodles we have ever had.  You get asked what extra toppings you would like, and you absolutely want to be upsold the BBQ Pork (which you can see a chef flaming with a blowtorch) and the boiled egg (which is so much more delectable than the name suggests).

The abura soba special was the first to arrive.  These were thin, dry noodles topped with meat slices, with broth on the side, as well as two little jugs of sauce for you to add to taste.  If I remember correctly, one was an oily soy based sauce, and the other was a light vinegar.  We tried not to drool as the waiter showed where the cutlery was stored, in a personal drawer underneath the table.

The abura soba (red bowl) was served with broth (black bowl) and sauces (white jugs).  We also ordered an egg and BBQ pork as extra toppings.

The ume shio ramen is recommended in the TimeOut guide, and was served with a preserved plum as well as a shiso or perilla leaf.

Ume shio ramen

We were particularly impressed by the "boiled egg", which was not quite hard boiled and not quite soft boiled, but something in between.  The yolk was neither runny nor powdery, but just set, and the white was coloured by a soy marinade.

Get the optional "boiled egg" - it's delicious.

The next day, we came across a picture of a similar egg for sale at a roadside eatery in Sham Shui Po, where it cost 4 HKD—a fifth of the price of the egg at Mist.  It was labelled 溫泉蛋, meaning "hot spring egg", so for a while there, I thought we had been eating what the Japanese call onsen tamago (温泉玉子), with the egg cooked for the best part of an hour at a low 65 degrees C.

A similar looking egg for sale at a fifth of the price in Sham Shui Po.

After further research though, I discovered our eggs did not look like onsen tamago (温泉玉子, "hot spring egg"), which are more like soft poached eggs.  No, what we so enjoyed must have been ajitsuke tamago (味付け玉子, "seasoned egg") or hanjuku tamago (半熟玉子, "half-boiled egg"), marinated "half-boiled" eggs which hold their shape, which are apparently often served with ramen, though we've never seen one before (we'll definitely have to make it to Japan one day.)

All in all, we had a fantastic meal at Mist, with high quality noodles, broth and toppings all working together.  The food is well presented in a stylish dining room, and the smartly dressed wait staff complete the picture.  Just remember to request a drink and a mouthful of dessert if you order a set though, because for some reason, only those ask will receive.  It seems strange that a restaurant of this calibre will happily charge you 20 HKD extra for nothing more than having said the word "set", but this is only a small thing and the meals are well worth the money.

Closest Auckland Equivalents

There are many places where you can get ramen in Auckland, but not to the same level of excellence.  I have also yet to see hanjuku tamago offered here, though perhaps I need to try adding a boiled egg to my noodles more often.

* Ramen Do
167 Symonds Street, Eden Terrace
(09) 377 1313

The sign outside with "Japanse Noodle Bar" in some bubbly comic font doesn't inspire confidence, but this little eatery probably serves the best ramen in Auckland.  The glossy menu with coloured pictures calls them Hokkaido ramen noodles and they are very well cooked and beautifully presented, with half a hard-boiled egg in each generous bowl.

* Ramen Daikoku
Tyler Street (next to Britomart Station), Auckland Central
(09) 309 2200

Part of the Daikoku family of restaurants, Ramen Daikoku offers a good range of ramen in addition to other dishes such as donburi.

* Mentatz
28 Lorne Street, Auckland Central
(09) 357 0960

Popular with students due to its proximity to the university as well as affordable prices, Mentatz turns out tasty meals, though service can be hit and miss.

Restaurant Details

Mist
4 Sun Wui Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong (香港銅鑼灣新會道四號地下)
+852 2881 5006

Opening hours:
Mondays - Fridays 12 - 3pm, 6 - 11pm
Saturdays 12 - 11pm
Sundays 12 - 10:30pm

Review: Genzui Ramen Bar

Whenever we are at a loss as to what to eat for lunch, we always seem to end up at the same place: a sleek little eatery called Genzui, tucked away off the street.  The food is good, the prices are reasonable, and there is something for everyone, from vegetarians to those avoiding carbs.

Genzui is a popular lunch venue

Despite calling itself a ramen bar, there is actually plenty on offer other than these wheat noodles. You can order dishes on rice, as well as purely meat-based ones, or salads (with or without meat) for those looking for a vegetable fix.

Apart from the broth in the ramen bowls sometimes being a little too salty, the only disadvantage of choosing this place for a meal is that it is always full at lunchtime! Turnover is quick, however, and we have never had to wait more than a few minutes before finding a seat (though we do also try to avoid the peak hour).

As with most Asian restaurants, don't expect all the dishes to arrive at the same time.  Tuck in as soon as a dish is brought out, and enjoy!

Autumn special: Miso Butter Corn Ramen

Spicy Chicken Don

[Added 4 August 2011:

We had dinner at Genzui tonight, as we were rushing to get to the lecture on carbohydrates at the university.  I asked what the meaning of Genzui was, and was told that it is the name of the owner's son.  This owner is also the the owner of Mentatz, that Japanese eatery on Lorne Street that is hugely popular with students.  The waitress pointed to a chef in the kitchen as she mentioned him.  This guy knows how to get his hands dirty!

Oh, and you can indulge your inner health freak by ordering extra vegetables.  The mini salad only costs $2 and comes with a dob of Japanese mayonnaise and a light vinaigrette.   I don't know how they chop the cabbage so thinly... I have never managed it at home.  I guess I am easily impressed.  :)

Mini salad, with salmon sashimi in the background

]

Panda Recommends

Mains: Chicken Miso Katsu Don ($9.50), though most other dishes are good too, so just order whatever takes your fancy.  I prefer the don dishes here, while the ramen seem to be better at Genzui's sister restaurant Mentatz.

Vegie Pandas
The Vege Ramen is probably not for you, unless you are happy with chicken stock in your soup.  There are some tofu dishes (e.g. Curry Tofu Don, Tofu Steak) and suitable side dishes and salads, though.

Menu - page 1

Menu - page 2

Restaurant Details

Genzui Ramen Bar
128 Albert Street, Auckland Central (foyer of the Crowne Plaza Hotel)
(09) 358 0240

Opening hours:
Mondays to Fridays 11:30am - 10pm
Saturdays to Sundays 6pm - 10pm

Genzui is situated in the foyer of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.  Go down the escalators, right to the bottom, and you will reach the Atrium on Elliott foodcourt.

View Nom Nom Panda in a larger map