[Hong Kong Cuisine] Causeway Bay – The Taste of the Gods: Hakata ‘Bettenshin’ Japanese Ramen

After a chat with a good friend in Causeway Bay last night, we popped into ‘Bietian Shen’, which had opened just over a month ago, for some Japanese ramen. The flavour was my favourite—a Kyushu-style tonkotsu broth— From the very first sip, I could sense that long-missed tonkotsu aroma. Although it fell slightly short of my fondest memories, it was still of a very decent standard.

▼ The premises are quite small and can only accommodate around 10 guests


▼As soon as you’re comfortably seated, you’ll notice the shop’s attentive service; there’s a sign pointing out that there are small hooks on the tables where you can hang your personal belongings.

▼ Take a seat and have a look; Bietian Shen only serves one type of ‘tonkotsu soup’ ramen, and it’s actually quite cheap.

▼ The menu features a ‘Betsu Tenjin’ set meal: ramen, a soft-boiled egg, four dumplings and a soft drink for just HK$$100. If ordered à la carte, the original price would be around HK$$106, but the truth is that Betsu Tenjin doesn’t sell just four dumplings. That’s exactly what I ordered today.

▼In addition, beer is also available at Batenjin.

▼ When you’re eating hot ramen, ice-cold water is, of course, provided

▼I don’t like drinking water; I also have some iced tea

▼Attentive service; tissues are provided at each seat

▼I ordered a set meal and looked around whilst I waited. Inside the box were the ingredients for making ramen: chopped spring onions, an egg, wood ear mushrooms and so on…

▼I also spotted the vacuum-sealed pot they use to prepare the tonkotsu broth. I’ve heard they use 40 jin of pork shank bones every day, simmering them for six hours just to meet their daily requirements.


▼ Like at other shops, the ramen at Bietian Shen is served in a special wooden box, but as I’m not particularly keen on the texture of their noodles, I haven’t paid much attention to where they come from. I’ll ask about it next time I go.

▼ After waiting a few minutes, the tonkotsu ramen arrived. According to the shop’s description, they use 100% pork bones and pure water, simmered in a vacuum-sealed pot, with no dairy products added, so it’s only to be expected that the broth lacks that so-called rich, full-bodied texture. However, from the very first sip, I could sense that long-missed tonkotsu aroma; although it fell slightly short of my fondest memories, it was still of a decent standard. Moreover, it seems that the flavours of yesteryear are no longer to be found in the ramen served in Hong Kong today.

▼There’s a free supply of spicy bean sprouts on the table; I thought they were just the right level of spiciness.


▼You can add shichimi togarashi to taste

▼If you’d like to give it a go, you could follow the advice of the manager and Mr Otsuka, one of the staff members, and personalise the tonkotsu broth to your own taste.

▼Those two slices of Japanese char siu were wonderfully fragrant; the texture wasn’t particularly tender, but it wasn’t coarse either. Although the pieces weren’t particularly large and lacked a caramelised flavour, I did really enjoy the rich pork aroma of the char siu. As for the soft-boiled egg, it was also well done; the yolk was fragrant. Although it was perhaps a touch overcooked, it was still worth a try. The greatest pity, however, was that ‘Bietian Shen’ used extremely thin ramen noodles. Whilst they were slightly springy and smooth and delicious, I still prefer the thicker variety served at ‘Zhou Yue’.

▼ I’m not sure if they’re Japanese eggs, but they’ve got quite a rich eggy flavour.

▼The thin noodles are quite soft when you eat them; I’m not particularly keen on them, but I suppose it’s just a matter of personal taste.

▼There is a small amount of wood ear fungus in the ramen

▼The nori included as a free gift is of excellent quality; it’s lovely and crispy and has just the right amount of umami flavour.

▼The four dumplings in the set meal are two smaller than those on the à la carte menu; they’re filled with minced pork and shredded cabbage. They’re essentially the same as the Japanese-style dumplings you’d usually eat, and aren’t homemade by the restaurant, so you could say they lack any distinctive character. I’d suggest that first-time visitors order the set menu with four dumplings; it’s more than enough for one person – you won’t be able to finish any more than that.

▼Once you’ve finished your meal, you can pay with your Octopus card

A brief comment.

▼My overall rating of ‘Bietian Shen’ ramen is quite high, as their set meal is exactly $100 yuan, which includes a standard portion, a tonkotsu ramen with plenty of spring onions, wood ear mushrooms, char siu and a soft-boiled egg, four pan-fried dumplings and a can of fizzy drink. To use the terminology of tech reviews, it offers excellent value for money. Compared to the dozen or so ramen shops I’ve tried across Hong Kong, ‘Bietian Shen’ Ramen is definitely worth a visit. Food recommendation: Tonkotsu Ramen (Original Flavour)