Ramen Jo

My new favorite ramen place that rivals Butao and Ichiran. Tried the miso one as recommended and it did not disappoint. Also love it that they’re donating some of their proceeds to kumamotos earthquake. Happy to support Ramen Jo !!

I wandered into this place on a chilly rainy day. It is cliché that ramen places have AC/​DC playing in the background…
I ordered tsukemen, the broth was nice and hot but to me seemed to lack depth. The noodles are the thin flour kind and came with a variety of toppings plus slices of pork.
The bowl of ramen warmed me up on a chilly day which was good for me.

You’ll find a good bowl of ramen here, perfect for warming up on a cold day. The tonkotsu broth is rich and hearty, and the delicate slices of pork belly have just the right meat-​to-​fat ratio.
You order by ticking your selections on a piece of paper, then sit back and watch the chefs prepare your meal. Servers are friendly, and seating is a little cramped, but it’s what’s to be expected from a small ramen joint.
Great for times when you need to grab a quick meal (assuming there’s space available), or for solo diners.

There has been a ramen hype – perhaps perpetuated by social media, in which I case I am guilty of having contributed – and it appears to have come to Hong Kong. In all ramen hype seriousness, Ramen Jo is pretty on point in meeting the key ramen criteria: luciously rich tonkotsu broth, melt-​in-​your-​mouth fatty pork belly, al dente/​QQ/​弹牙 noodles, little mounds of artsy toppings, and a soft-​boiled egg so delicious and beautiful that you must take before/​after photos when you crack it open.
Hearing the staff conversing in Japanese and seeing the ramen master chef cooking right in front of you, there is little doubt about authenticity. Even the layout of the small store with the communal table and stools surrounding the kitchen is reminiscent of street food, the humble roots where ramen was born. However as some reviewers have mentioned, the seating is a little bit too cozy and packed together… woebegone with elbow bumps if a leftie were to sit next to a righty.
They have customizable ramen, some set combos, and rotating seasonal specials.
— Spicy ramen ($ 86): Moderate delicious spiciness, which really gave a kick to the broth. I would recommend this to anyone who likes spicy food.
— Mountain ramen ($ 93): In comparison to my now-​dwarfed spicy ramen, the mountain ramen indeed looks mountainous (真的是一座山!). However it’s a lot of vegetables (mainly cabbage and bean sprouts) so I guess it’s the closest thing there is to a ramen salad. This is good for anyone who’s hungry and wants something more non-​traditional.
— Japan egg ($ 15): I know, this one egg is like 5HK$ away from a full 大家樂 breakfast, but if you have a weakness for soft-​boiled eggs I would suggest at least trying this once at Ramen Jo. After having seen the various OpenRice complaints of fully cooked eggs, they must have spent a lot of effort to perfect it to just the right amount of runniness/​jelliness.
The verdict? A steaming bowl of absolute happiness. Ramen Jo will definitely satisfy cravings for artisan Japanese ramen, though on the pricey side and I suspect some use of MSG because we got thirsty afterwards. Also, be aware that it is piping hot steamy and best for a cold day. Thankfully they have cold ramen for the blisteringly hot summer days; after all, I ate here on quite a cold day and got so uncomfortably hot from my steamy (but extremely delicious) ramen that Via Tokyo matcha ice cream afterwards was necessary for my body temperature regulation.
Service was friendly (and decently good-​looking tongue) I’m glad they didn’t judge me for taking so many photos with my dSLR.