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Andrew Sun

One of Hong Kong’s hottest new restaurant openings is an 87-seat ramen shop near the top floor of Langham Place in Mong Kok.
Is it a new Michelin-star franchise from Japan? Maybe something from a famous artisanal chef renowned for handmade noodles and pork bone soup?
Nope.
Chiikawa Ramen Buta is drawing crowds as the first overseas branch of the Japanese chain based on the wildly popular Chiikawa manga series.
To be honest, I am not overly familiar with the cartoony mouse-like characters, but I do know chiikawa means small and cute in Japanese.
As you would expect, the kawaii (cute) creatures are plastered all over the place, including on walls, plates, bowls and the imitation crab slices in the noodles. Beyond food and drink, the shop also hawks all kinds of merchandise, from utensils to T-shirts and face towels.

I am not exactly in their demographic, so checking out this place is not high on my to-do list. However, plenty of fans cannot wait to visit, even though a recent Post story quoted a patron admitting the ramen’s flavour is “very average”. That has not deterred customers, as the restaurant is apparently booked solid until the end of September.
I suppose this is good news for the struggling local hospitality industry. However, if history prevails, the now bustling business will not last. As an old guy, I have seen similar novelty eateries launch to great fanfare and then flame out equally quickly.
Exactly 10 years ago, Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine opened in Jordan serving up dim sum dumplings that meticulously resembled the mouthless cat.

It also had a kitschy décor, with the kitty decked out in Chinese accoutrements, holding fai chun (lucky scrolls) and presenting bamboo baskets; her famous face was even woven into the window lattice fixtures.
When it opened, there were huge lines. From what I recall, the food wasn’t half bad because they actually brought in Cantonese chefs with the skill to manipulate Hello Kitty images into the thin har gow (prawn dumpling) wrappers.
The venture lasted roughly a couple of years before it was replaced by a vegetarian restaurant.
Investors clearly had not learned their lesson, because in the 1990s, Hong Kong was also home to a Hello Kitty Café – serving coffee and cakes with the ubiquitous character – that did not last either.

Then, a Charlie Brown Café in Tsim Sha Tsui launched in 2006, featuring all the Peanuts cartoon characters. That was a bit more successful and continued until 2019.
Early in 2000, an Ultraman Restaurant opened in Sha Tin, branded with the Japanese sci-fi superheroes battling alien creatures. That is the superhero of my geeky youth. I could not get enough of the various Ultraman TV shows featuring a guy in a skintight silver costume fighting rubber-suited monsters on a cardboard set.
I was kind of excited to try out their cha chaan teng menu, which included a baked pork chop rice with Ultraman’s face in the sauce. I might have even taken pictures with the life-size figures of the characters. Luckily, I cannot find them any more. But, even as a fan, I realised the food was not just overpriced but quite bad.

How long did that restaurant last? A couple of years at best.
In short, if you are a Chiikawa fan, go get your bowl of noodles sooner rather than later, because the ramen shop might not be around for too long.


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A bowl of ramen at Chiikawa Ramen Buta, a new restaurant based on the Japanese manga series at Langham Place, Mong Kok, Hong Kong. Photo: May Tse

Merchandise for sale at Chiikawa Ramen Buta in Hong Kong. Photo: May Tse

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The Ultraman restaurant in Sha Tin, pictured in 2000. Photo: SCMP

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The inside of Maison Es in Wan Chai. Photo: SCMP

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Sham with her husband and children. Photo: Maison Es

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Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Hong Kong has a history of short-lived themed restaurants, from Hello Kitty to Charlie Brown, often serving overpriced, average food


Hong Kong has a history of short-lived themed restaurants, from Hello Kitty to Charlie Brown, often serving overpriced, average food.


Trending in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Chiikawa Ramen Buta

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Mouthing Off

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Mouthing Off | Chiikawa fans best visit the new Hong Kong restaurant soon, while they can

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Hong Kong has a history of short-lived themed restaurants, from Hello Kitty to Charlie Brown, often serving overpriced, average food

Mouthing Off | Chiikawa fans best visit the new Hong Kong restaurant soon, while they can

Hong Kong has a history of short-lived themed restaurants, from Hello Kitty to Charlie Brown, often serving overpriced, average food