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Andrew Sun

One of Hong Kong’s hottest new restaurant openings is an 87-seat ramen shop near the top floor of Langham Place in Mong Kok.
Is it a new Michelin-star franchise from Japan? Maybe something from a famous artisanal chef renowned for handmade noodles and pork bone soup?
Nope.
Chiikawa Ramen Buta is drawing crowds as the first overseas branch of the Japanese chain based on the wildly popular Chiikawa manga series.
To be honest, I am not overly familiar with the cartoony mouse-like characters, but I do know chiikawa means small and cute in Japanese.
As you would expect, the kawaii (cute) creatures are plastered all over the place, including on walls, plates, bowls and the imitation crab slices in the noodles. Beyond food and drink, the shop also hawks all kinds of merchandise, from utensils to T-shirts and face towels.

I am not exactly in their demographic, so checking out this place is not high on my to-do list. However, plenty of fans cannot wait to visit, even though a recent Post story quoted a patron admitting the ramen’s flavour is “very average”. That has not deterred customers, as the restaurant is apparently booked solid until the end of September.
I suppose this is good news for the struggling local hospitality industry. However, if history prevails, the now bustling business will not last. As an old guy, I have seen similar novelty eateries launch to great fanfare and then flame out equally quickly.
Exactly 10 years ago, Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine opened in Jordan serving up dim sum dumplings that meticulously resembled the mouthless cat.

It also had a kitschy décor, with the kitty decked out in Chinese accoutrements, holding fai chun (lucky scrolls) and presenting bamboo baskets; her famous face was even woven into the window lattice fixtures.
When it opened, there were huge lines. From what I recall, the food wasn’t half bad because they actually brought in Cantonese chefs with the skill to manipulate Hello Kitty images into the thin har gow (prawn dumpling) wrappers.
The venture lasted roughly a couple of years before it was replaced by a vegetarian restaurant.
Investors clearly had not learned their lesson, because in the 1990s, Hong Kong was also home to a Hello Kitty Café – serving coffee and cakes with the ubiquitous character – that did not last either.

Then, a Charlie Brown Café in Tsim Sha Tsui launched in 2006, featuring all the Peanuts cartoon characters. That was a bit more successful and continued until 2019.
Early in 2000, an Ultraman Restaurant opened in Sha Tin, branded with the Japanese sci-fi superheroes battling alien creatures. That is the superhero of my geeky youth. I could not get enough of the various Ultraman TV shows featuring a guy in a skintight silver costume fighting rubber-suited monsters on a cardboard set.
I was kind of excited to try out their cha chaan teng menu, which included a baked pork chop rice with Ultraman’s face in the sauce. I might have even taken pictures with the life-size figures of the characters. Luckily, I cannot find them any more. But, even as a fan, I realised the food was not just overpriced but quite bad.

How long did that restaurant last? A couple of years at best.
In short, if you are a Chiikawa fan, go get your bowl of noodles sooner rather than later, because the ramen shop might not be around for too long.


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Food and Drinks

Chiikawa fans best visit the new Hong Kong restaurant soon, while they can

A bowl of ramen at Chiikawa Ramen Buta, a new restaurant based on the Japanese manga series at Langham Place, Mong Kok, Hong Kong. Photo: May Tse

Merchandise for sale at Chiikawa Ramen Buta in Hong Kong. Photo: May Tse

Hello Kitty dim sum at Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine in Jordan.

Hong Kong’s Hello Kitty Cafe, pictured in 1999. Photo: Edward Wong

The Ultraman restaurant in Sha Tin, pictured in 2000. Photo: SCMP

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Chef Esther Sham at work at Maison Es, which she opened in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai neighbourhood in 2015. She says giving up her goal of a Michelin star meant she could better concentrate on her staff and regular diners. Photo: Maison Es

Wagyu Wellington stewed with chu hou, or fermented soy bean sauce, at Maison Es. Photo: Maison Es

Cuttlefish noodles served with lobster in a Hong Kong-style curry sauce at Maison Es. Photo: Maison Es

The inside of Maison Es in Wan Chai. Photo: SCMP

Mes coddled egg on black truffle mash at Maison Es. Photo: SCMP

Sham with her husband and children. Photo: Maison Es

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Beef brisket in broth at On Lee Noodle Shop. Photo: SCMP

A selection of curries at Taj Mahal Club. Photo: Taj Mahal Club

A dish at Samsen in Wan Chai. Photo: Samsen

Fook Lee Cafe in Kwu Tung makes a “mean BBQ pork fried rice”. Photo: Instagram /laung_hkjp

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Tamjai Yunnan Mixian’s Hong Kong-style curry noodles with beef brisket and stuffed sausages. Photo: Tamjai Yunnan Mixian

Curried beef brisket is a popular Hong Kong dish that has adapted South Asian-style curry to local palates. Photo: Shutterstock

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Spices, herbs and curry powders on display at Anjuna Beach Flea Market, Goa, India. Photo: Getty Images

Hong Kong-style curry noodles with beef brisket and stuffed sausages at Tam Jai Yunnan Mixian. Photo: Tam Jai Yunnan Mixian

6 of Singapore’s best hidden speakeasy bars that will take you back in time – and how to find them

Bartenders at Chandu create drinks with a narrative that are loosely based on history. Photo: The Robertson House by the Crest Collection

A bartender mixes a drink at Chandu, one of our picks of six of the best hidden speakeasy bars in Singapore. Photo: The Robertson House by the Crest Collection

The Mizuwari whisky highball at Live Twice uses Hokkaido soft water rather than soda to accentuate the malt notes of the Japanese Nikka whiskies. Photo: Instagram/@livetwicesg

Chandu is inspired by Singapore’s colonial era, when opium dens flourished in the city state. Photo: The Robertson House by The Crest Collection

Chandu’s Mata Hari cocktail is named after a Dutch dancer and courtesan. Photo: Facebook/Chandu

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Oriental Elixir’s Malabar Tamarind cocktail combines the sour ingredient with roasted cherry tomato gin, dry vermouth. Photo: Instagram/@oriental.elixir

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A cocktail titled Sesame from the Korea-inspired menu at Junior the Pocket Bar. Photo: Junior the Pocket Bar

Jade Harbour is part of The Bund menu currently offered at Junior the Pocket Bar, inspired by the Shanghai district. Credit: Junior the Pocket Bar

For its Korean Joseon dynasty-inspired menu, the interiors of Junior the Pocket Bar featured dragons. Photo: Philipp Meier

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The drinks at Roxy are based on classics, but are given their own spin. Photo: Facebook/Roxy

Last Word has finessed tipples that were invented in the 1920s. Photo: Philipp Meier

Last Word’s eponymous cocktail is a classic, blending gin, maraschino liqueur, green chartreuse and lime. Photo: Instagram/@lastwordsg

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Hong Kong has a history of short-lived themed restaurants, from Hello Kitty to Charlie Brown, often serving overpriced, average food


Hong Kong has a history of short-lived themed restaurants, from Hello Kitty to Charlie Brown, often serving overpriced, average food.


Trending in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Chiikawa Ramen Buta

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Mouthing Off

Chiikawa fans best visit the new Hong Kong restaurant soon, while they can

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Hong Kong has a history of short-lived themed restaurants, from Hello Kitty to Charlie Brown, often serving overpriced, average food

Hong Kong has a history of short-lived themed restaurants, from Hello Kitty to Charlie Brown, often serving overpriced, average food