Ichiran TST

We were walking the back way to the TST post office and noticed a place called Ichiran that didn't look like much from the outside. Alex said it was a famous chain and he had heard there was a branch here in HK, but hadn't bothered looking it up since he already had a favorite haunt in TST, that being Fujiyama55, and also that he went there when he was in Japan for WWW. Regardless, he was up for trying it in HK, so, after picking up the mail we headed back to the street level entrance and found an ominous sign that said wait from here, 80 minutes, like those amusement park signs that tell you the estimated wait time for a ride. 

It was about 5:30pm and we were hoping there wouldn't be a line and ventured down the stairs, opened the main door, and were faced with a counter full of branded merchandise. We were handed order forms and directed to walk around the corner to find, yes, there was a line to the "yatai" (common dining area) since the booths were not yet open. 

I recall recently seeing a video about an impersonal ramen place in Brooklyn where you sit in an office cubicle-like booth and you just see the hands that serve you, but didn't realize this was that restaurant until Alex told me.

The line moved past eight lantern-lit doorways of the rooms of those booths, then snaked around to the final stretch. Although a sign explained the booths were for those to sit quietly and enjoy their food, we would have eat and run as is Su tradition, err, the norm, at many noodle bars in Japan; some are even standing only.

There was a sign explaining that a yatai is a common eating area, similar to what you can find in Tai Wai or Fotan dai pai dong or on the street at Taiwan night markets.

The time it took to hand in our order forms, serve ourselves pleasantly chilled water from a dispenser with a note saying "try our delicious water," being served, and eating our noodles was barely longer than the approximately half hour we waited. There was even a line to pay since there was only one cashier at the time and they were selling souvenirs, too.

The ramen and pork was quite tasty though - the popular tonkotsu style, but I wouldn't wait from the top of the stairs.