I can’t believe we started a holiday to Hong Kong with noodle soup at the airport. Well, actually I suppose I can, as when noodle soup is on the menu anywhere it’s pretty hard to resist!
We were flying to Hong Kong on Christmas Eve and after a few drinks in the British Airways lounge, we went hunting for an early tea, knowing it would be a while before we were served food on the plane. Wagamama’s is one of those chains that always delivers – no matter which branch you go in you know what you are going to get. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you want. I’ve also got a soft spot for Wagamama, as it was the first place I ever had an asian noodle soup, 15 years ago.
I ordered the chilli beef ramen, although I asked for it to come with the simple broth, as my chilli tolerance is quite low. You can choose different broths, which means you can tailor the soup to suit your taste. The soup arrived fairly quickly and it looked fantastic – lovely colours, fresh and inviting. I could see the beef was perfectly seared, still pink in the middle which means that as it continues to cook in the broth it never becomes over-done.
The broth itself was rich and tasty – still pretty chilli-hot too. A big tangle of soft noodles, with extra chilli, coriander, spring onion and lime gave the soup a well balanced flavour. It felt healthy and refreshing. I took the chilli straight out but you can have this as hot as you like, if you leave the chilli to continue infusing the broth as you drink it. I had this soup, but I also tasted Madgie’s Duck ramen and I think that this one is better. The broth is richer. I’ve always loved the noodles in Wagamama, they are soft and almost pasta-like in texture – quite unlike the ones you get in a Barbecue Pork Noodle in Chinatown, but they suit this mixture of broth and super-fresh ingredients perfectly.
A solid soup, you can’t go wrong with this choice!
Words and pictures by @LadyLavish