Price: $69 HKD (ramen + drink)
Rating: 7/10
I've passed through Yau Ma Tei a couple of times, and each time have seen long cues outside a cool little japanese place called Yokozuna just off nathan road in a small side street. Cool funky wooden panelling and a neon name certainly sets it within the bounds of Hong Kong hipster. Also... the queue...
Hong Kongers love a good queue. But people will only queue for two reasons in Hong Kong. 1. There is free stuff being given out. 2. Queueing for really good food. One glance at the small crowd waiting outside and that's all the convincing I need to go, even if i'm not hungry.
Seated after about 20 mins, which isn't so bad. The whole dining space seats around 12 people max. Themed like a japanese izakaya, but with less personal space. Yokozuna have a fairly large menu but the main order of the day here is ramen. I pick the 'Yokozuna' ramen (their signature dish I guess?) with a spicy bean paste (toubanjian) soup base. This'll put it fairly on par with what I ate at Ippudo a few weeks back, and at around the same price it makes for a good comparison.
The noodles are rather tough and al dente (as they should be) by default (you don't get a choice like Ippudo). Inside the soup are nice healthy slices of quite fatty pork, bean shoots, seaweed, radish and spring onion. The soup is only slightly spicy, but thick and verrrry rich. I find it much richer than Ippudo's spicy base, and though the portion sizes are around the same, you come away from a bowel of ramen at Yokozuna feeling much more full. For $59 I reckon it's definitely a good deal if you're around Yau Ma Tei and dont mind waiting to get in, just beware of the rather cramped dining conditions.