Tai Chi for Bubble Tea

Miss Taiwan bubble tea? New Haven has bubble too.

Taichi is an Asian fusion food restaurant est since 2015. Here you can choose Japanese ramen (beef, chicken, or shrimp) or go for healthy food, like Hawaii-style rice bowl — yes, it looks very colourful and every bowl is unique, pending on your own choices of ingredients, from seaweed, to pineapple, and to the most popular avocado of course.

The restaurant is also full of big and small panda. Want to bring one home? Ask the boss.

I first got to know Taichi when I went to Yale University Theatre for a Chinese drama based on Shanghai-Hong Kong author Eileen Chang’s famous novel, Red Rose and White Rose. Taichi was a sponsor for the students-led performance. Kudos to its efforts to support Yale Asian and Chinese students!

Tai Chi Bubble Tea
200 College St, New Haven, CT 06510

吃拉麵是一件很幸福的事

在香港，除了麥當勞、星巴克，以及到處可見的7-11便利店，最常見的還有大大小小的日式拉麵店，分布在港九新界十八區，香港的拉麵店家總數應該以千來計，曾有日本朋友來香港玩，見到香港居然有那麼多拉麵店，感到非常驚訝。

香港人喜歡吃拉麵和大家常愛去日本旅遊有關係。春天去東京看櫻花開，到了冬天則可以組團去北海道滑雪，然後回到香港，大家又開始想念在日本的假期，也自然而然會想起吃一碗日式拉麵。特別是天氣冷的時候，順便再點上一份“唐揚”（也就是日式炸雞）或者煎餃，這一頓應該可以算是心滿意足了。

在香港，據說一些專業食客都有自己心儀的拉麵店，而且大多都非常忠誠，喜歡吃“一蘭”的就堅決不會去“豚王”，喜歡豚骨原汁原味的就肯定不會要豉油味湯底。一碗拉麵，其實也可以講原則。吃拉麵事小，原則是大，我還真的見過有朋友為哪家拉麵店好吃而爭的面紅耳赤，可見不同拉麵店的粉絲效應之大。

說到日式拉麵的歷史和發源，坊間有許多不同版本，但大致上都會指向當年中國與日本之間的文化交流，最早可以追朔到日本的江戶時代，也就是中國的明朝，隨著中日兩國民間交流日漸增強，中國的傳統麵食由廣東帶入日本，後來在日式烏冬的基礎上在發展成拉麵，而日語外來語片假名“ramen”的名稱其實也不難看出是來自中文漢字“拉麵”的發音，日語更直接借用漢字寫成“拉麺”，可見中日之間對於拉麵的傳承和發展的確是有著相當長遠且深厚的緣分。

在香港吃一碗拉麵其實不便宜，動輒百元。有時遇到一些拉麵店推出“當季限量”款拉麵，那價格就更高了。問一些業內人士，為什麼拉麵要賣的這麼貴，業內人士說主要還是因為食材。千萬不要小看湯底，拉麵的精髓都在湯裡面，再加上數個小時的熬制，如果一家拉麵店中午開門營業，那麼拉麵師傅其實一早就開始熬湯了，可見一碗拉麵的材料和時間成本確實不低。

換言之，一碗拉麵好不好，最重要在於湯，其次是麵，叉燒野菜其實都只能算是錦上添花，如果湯不好味道，麵又沒嚼勁，加再多叉燒也無濟於事。 

我平時也喜歡吃拉麵，雖然每次遇到體檢，我的醫生都會叫我少吃一些拉麵，因為拉麵代表著高脂肪、高熱量，尤其叉燒、溫泉蛋之類，都是“三高”人士的禁忌。我也曾經笑問醫生，日本人好像都很喜歡吃拉麵，而且幾乎可以天天吃，也沒有見到日本人都很胖呀。醫生說，除了飲食，運動也很重要。

對此我也請教過一些日本朋友，他們說在日本吃拉麵，通常一碗拉麵的份量不會特別大，可能拉麵碗看上去比較大，其實麵就是小小的一團，絕對不會大過你手心。這也是為什麼在日本吃拉麵，如果真的怕吃不飽，很多人會選擇在吃完拉麵後，添加一小碗白米飯，然後把飯放入剩餘的拉麵湯裡，這樣就有點好像“湯泡飯”，順便把湯一飲而盡，沒有一點浪費。在日本，有些拉麵店也會提供加麵的服務，目的也是既為了讓你吃飽，也不必浪費剩餘的湯底。

在日本，吃拉麵可以說是一間再平常不過的事，大街小巷，你總能找到一間拉麵店，有些很小的拉麵店甚至只有吧台，位子都很少，於是大家就站著吃，匆匆忙忙吃完，然後埋單走人。這樣的街坊小店在日本各地都有，通常價廉物美，只要味道好，自然有回頭客。

這種街坊店大多做的都是熟客生意，久而久之，老闆會記得每位熟客的喜好，加不加蛋，麵要硬一點還是軟一點，老闆都能記得一清二楚。與其說是去吃一碗拉麵，更像是是去找老闆敘敘舊，見一位老朋友。

日本拉麵大多都是以豚肉（也就是豬肉）做湯底，而我卻對雞肉情有獨鍾。近年來日本也確實多了不少雞湯拉麵專門店，比如在日本古城京都，我有一家自己特別喜歡的拉麵店叫“美鶴”（見配圖），每次去京都，我都會去他們家吃一碗雞湯拉麵。從這家店聽名字就知道，他們只做雞肉，要吃豚肉拉麵，請去別家。

除了豚肉、雞肉，也有日本拉麵店專門以北海道鮮蝦為特色的，比如在香港已經開有分號的“一幻”就只做蝦湯拉麵，有些人覺得味道鮮美，有些人卻還是會選“一蘭”原汁原味豚骨拉麵。

無論如何，在這個動盪的年代，認真用心做好一件事，而且每天都要做好同一件事，這樣的人和事本來就已經不多了，所以能夠吃到一碗好的拉麵，是一件很幸福的事。

人嘛，還是要知道知足常樂。

From Osaka, Liked in Hong Kong

Japanese ramen is typically made of pork or sometimes seafood-based broth. But I’m actually a fan of ramen in chicken-based broth, and this is how Zagin Soba (座銀) in Happy Valley (note: it also has a branch in Central) makes a difference for all chicken fans.

Known as “the must-go ramen place in Happy Valley” for many years, Zagin Soba gives you nothing but the most authentic Japanese ramen experience you can probably find in town, from its extremely polite and considerate (yes, that is so Japanese!) service to the full set of tablewares especially for ramen eaters, including one-time paper apron just for you.

Originally from Osaka, the restaurant has a small and refined menu at its Happy Valley branch: you only have three choices including two in soup (chicken or seafood) or just the dry ramen. What you cannot miss apart from the ramen of course is its fried chicken, which taste very juicy and soft.

Let me also say something about its chicken broth, especially speaking as someone whose favorite type of meat is chicken. It’s just so good — not too heavy or creamy, and not too light either. The soup reminds you of what the right balance for broth is all about. After I ate all the noodles, I drank the rest of broth and emptied the bowl. And then I felt very content.

I used to visit Osaka and Kyoto every year in the pre-Covid era. A good bowl of ramen in the winter time can easily make you so happy. It is said every Japanese must know his or her favorite ramen place. I like a little-known ramen place in Kyoto near my regular residence in the ancient capital city. My last trip to Kyoto was late 2019 and I remember somehow on the last day during my stay in Kyoto, I went to the restaurant — I ordered and ate two bowls of chicken ramen.

Who can have ever imagined I haven’t been able to return to Kyoto for holiday since then. But now I know I will go to Zagin Soba more often for the best chicken ramen I can get in Hong Kong.

Address: Zagin Soba, G/F, 13A King Kwong Street, Happy Valley, Hong Kong

(Special thanks go to Alfred Hui for recommendation)

Shanghai Wonton in Causeway Bay

My friends often ask me where to eat good Shanghainese food. The answer is … the Shanghai Hongkong Noodle Restaurant in Causeway Bay. It’s been here for more than half a century and the first-generation founder/boss is a poor migrant to Hong Kong from Shanghai after the war time.

My favourite here is the Shanghai-style “little wonton”, and I will also order fried dumplings if I’m a bit more hungry. Soy milk is the popular drink here, brewed by the restaurant on its own everyday. Of course, the best takeaway is always the Shanghai-style “rice wrap” (秶飯), which has two flavors, sweet (pork) or salty (vegetables).

This restaurant is one of the unspoken secrets for the local and it’s open for 7/24/365. It was once featured in American newspaper USA Today, which described the hardworking entrepreneurial spirit as the “Spirit of Hong Kong”.

The History of Hong Kong Wonton Noodle

During the post-war time in the late 1940s, wonton (or wantun) noodle and congee became popular in Hong Kong.

There used to be the Big Four families in the noodle and congee business, including “Hung Kee” (the Ho family), “Chiu Kee” (the Chan family), “Chee Kee” (the Mak family), and Wing Kee (the Au family).

Originally from Canton (now “Guangdong”), Mr. Ho Chiu Hung moved to Hong Kong as a migrant worker. In 1946, he set up his first shop “Ho Hung Kee Wantun Noodles Shop” in Hong Kong. From its humble beginning as a roadside food stall in Wan Chai, “Ho Hung Kee” quickly became a household name in Hong Kong.

Mr. Ho Koon Ming succeeded his father’s trade in 1984. In September 1996, the “Tasty Congee & Noodle Wantun Shop” (正斗) was founded in Happy Valley, and the same original shop remains even to this day. It also has a branch shop in the Hong Kong airport, clearly a popular spot for many travellers and perhaps their last chance to enjoy the local Hong Kong taste before they take off.

My favourite congee here is the “Double Frog and Chicken Congee”, and it’s always nice to finish with some traditional Chinese dessert.

The restaurant is also well known for its traditional rice dumplings, aka zongzi, especially during the Dragon Boat Festival, which is June 14 this year, also a public holiday in Hong Kong.

Address: Tasty Congee & Noodle Wantun Shop, 21 King Kwong St, Happy Valley