Mutekiya

Mutekiya
G/F, 9 Mercer Street, Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

I had high expectation for this place not least because it arrived in
Hong Kong amidst an explosion of new, high-quality ramen joints, but
because the name sounded eerily familiar: it carries the same name, if
not also same vibe, as the highly-rated ramen joint in Ikebukuro,
which I've written about back in 2009. Unfortunately, the shop manager
said that this one had no connection with the one in Ikebukuro (in
fact, she said that she had almost never heard of it -- it's like a
steakhouse manager not having heard of Morton's or Ruth's Chris...but
I digressed). The bowl here was a disappointment: the noodles were too
overcooked and soft, the chashu was too thinly cut and imparted
neither character nor flavor. The side veggies: wood ear mushrooms,
spring onions, sprouts and Chinese water spinach seemed to be thrown
into the bowl without any thoughts of how these flavors would blend
together (they didn't). Its only redeeming light was its price: at
under HKD 60 including tips, it wasn't on the surface a horrible deal
in this expensive part of town. But given its quality amongst its
peers, it needed to seriously up the ante. For a start, perhaps a
visit to the Ikebukuro temple of ramen ecstasy wouldn't be a bad idea.