The Ultimate Showdown!

That’s right.

HK vs AU, for the same dish @ the same franchise restaurant. The franchise in question is Ajisen Ramen, and the dish being “Pork Tenderous Ribs Ramen” If you don’t like pork, or noodle soups, you can skip this entry. =P See if you can guess which is one is from where! =D

A (above) VS B (below)

For those of you who chose the top (A) as Brisbane, and bottom (B) as Hong Kong, you’d be correct!

They are pretty similar in terms of the style and food. There are more extras in the top one, while the bottom one was about 20% cheaper when you compare exchange rates. The differences in content is the brown stuff on the left of A is a fungi (the mushroom type!) and in B, there are bean sprouts as well. Soup base is important, and both of these are on equal terms with each other, but doesn’t compare to Japan. Noodles-wise, I remember the HK one being better, but maybe my bar’s been raised after eating in Japan! =P The ribs themselves would be equal – marinated in a sweet soya sauce, and the half soya egg is the same too.

Presentation wise, I think the huge spoon makes B a whole lot more authentic to the Japanese style. Other than that, they are almost the same! But as you can see, traditional Japanese style is pretty different compared to the ones they offer in this franchise. A semi raw egg, and usually just Chashu – though you can order Chashu ramen both here and HK too. If you want to jog back your memory, go here!

In summary, it’s hard to say which one is better tasting, or has better presentation. I have to go with the HK one, cos I’m always short on cash, and cos of how well the Aussie dollar is doing nowadays. If I ever do have a craving for one of these, I wouldn’t mind going to the AU one, just that it’s kinda annoying to get to.

Until next time…