On an insatiably hot day there are few things that sound as counter-intuative as a hot bowl of noodles. However, in some bizarre way, it does quell the serpents tongue.

My tuk tuk expertly wove its way in and out of Phnom Penh's traffic on the way to Davids. A small roadside restaurant famous for their hand-pulled noodles, which the cook proudly makes outside in full view of the road. I sat anxiously reading my book as he flipped and stretched the noodles meters away. The bowl was placed down, the soup looked rather thin and insipid. I decided to proceed with an open mind, and realised very quickly that I was right. The soup lacked any real depth and had been disguised from it's potential by adding a copious amount of cinnamon or star anise (or both) to "elevate" the rather mediocre broth. It took a lot of chili oil and soy sauce to make it palatable.

The main sin here were the noodles. If you're going to spend that much time making noodles from scratch, then don't overcook them. They were soggy and without any texture.

Duck breast was tasty, pok choi was also decent. Nothing else shone unfortunately...

5/10

With my stomach worse for wear after a dodgy Thali, I decided it canny to opt for something safe. Having eaten here almost 3 years ago, and remembering good things, I headed back. It's amazing how after so long, just the first sip of a broth can take you back. Immediately I remembered what the rest of the bowl would taste like, and I was right.

The overall review of this place is a good one, however there are things to work on. Firstly the pork is a bit chewy and lacking in flavour. Secondly, with no menma, nori or beansprouts to add texture it becomes a bit vacant. Thirdly, the egg is just an overdone boiled one with no discernable marinade. 

If they tighten their apron strings and put a little more effort in, they will have a superb bowl soon. All the building blocks are there.

7/10

A tiny disaster of a ramen bowl. Overcooked eggs that were salty, menma that was inedibly salty, broth that was: you guessed it ......SALTY, and standard noodles and pork cut too thick for its level of tenderness. 

This small ramen bar in the middle of Bassac Lane may be able to tempt in the late night drinkers, but if it wants to be taken seriously it's going to have to up its game substantially.

​4/10

A hidden gem in a tiny bar area West of Mongkok. The shoyu ramen is a solid hitter without any of the added sparkle of MSG (something the ramen shop proudly displays). I personally have nothing against a little ajinomoto in my ramen, but to each their own. 

I didn't get as much time as I wanted to check out multiple ramen spots in HK so I can't measure it against anything but a couple places, it was definitely worth a visit tho. Succulent pork, melt-in-your-mouth egg, slightly larger noodles with perfect chew, and a deep comforting broth.

8/10

Cocooned in the far corner, my favourite spot, I ordered a bowl of Tsukemen and waited quite a long time for it to arrive. The ramen shop is decorated heavily with Japanese memorabilia, and customer comment cards making it an interesting place to wile away the time. 

The noodles were chewy and good, the broth had that fishy taste to it but wasn't overpowering. However, the sweetness of the broth was a tiny bit off-putting. I ended up overall enjoying the meal, but am questioning whether I would go back there or not.

6/10

20 minutes walk from Tsuen Wan MTR stop is this delightful, family run Malaysian eatery. I was tipped off about it from my local friends, who joined me for dinner so we managed to get through quite a few dishes.

The laksa was spot on! The Asam Laksa also, the rendang, literally everything on the menu was authentic and delicious. It's not a normal area for tourists to wander around but if you have the time, this place is a highlight.

9/10

Sometimes hunting a perfect bowl of noodles becomes a mini-adventure. I woke up in my hotel room in Mongkok, took the MTR to Lai Chi Kok, walked the streets temporarily lost, trying to guage my bearings, found the warehouse, found the right elevator, took it to the 1st floor and walked down the hallway until I started seeing posters and awards taped to the wall. The restaurant was JAM PACKED, so I was turned around and shown to the waiting room a little further down the hall. 

Within 10 minutes a woman came in shouting my number and I was seated at the communal long tables, ordered beef noodle soup and a mountain tea and waited. The crowd of people in there were all smashing plates like they were going out of fashion, smiling rabidly. I grew expectant.

10 minutes later I had slurped the last of the broth down and eaten my last noodle. Who knew such good beef noodle soup could be made in Hong Kong in a warehouse. The beef was succulent and tender, the noodles still had bite, the broth wasn't amazingly deep but held its own and got much better when I added the home-made chili sauce. 

This is one of those spots you have to be recommended, and when you do, you have to hunt it down! 

8/10

The mighty men at Michelin awarded this humble noodle shop a coveted star. Even before that, the place was ram packed with locals in the know, so I simply had to spend over an hour getting there from Mongkok. I ordered the 3 topping bowl and set about attacking the monster. Not a super fan of fish balls, this behemoth was fantasic, the shrimp wonton was to die for, and the beef pieces were tender as hell. The only negative was the actual broth which lacked any real flavour, but I guess it's secondary to the toppings. Noodle-wise they were springy and had good texture, but due to the broths lack of flavour they suffered a bit too. I had to add a lot of chilli sauce to pep things up.

9/10