Japan’s ultra-popular “Kin Ramen” makes its Taiwan debut at Taoyuan’s Hwatai Premium Outlets!

Text & Photos byXiao Hu’s Dream Food Blog

To be honest, I’m not really someone who enjoys shopping, nor do I like writing about shopping sprees... But since I was already here, I figured I’d take some photos and write about it—even though my main goal was actually to eat; specifically, to try that “Kin Ramen” I quite enjoyed during my trip to Karuizawa in Nagano, Japan.

“GLORIA OUTLETS Hwatai Premium Outlets” grandly opened ahead of other outlets on December 18, 2015. It is located in Zhongli District, Taoyuan City, near Qingpu—right by the Taoyuan High-Speed Rail Station—and is directly connected to MRT A18 Station. It is approximately a 45-minute drive from downtown Taipei.

Hwatai Premium Outlets will open in four phases. The first phase covers an area of over 16,000 ping, with the first floor featuring international luxury brands, accessories, lingerie, and baby and children’s products; the second floor focusing on appliances, sports & leisure, and a food court; while the third floor houses themed restaurants.

The first phase officially opened on December 18, 2015, with construction on the second phase already underway and scheduled for completion in March 2016. The third and fourth phases are expected to open between the end of 2018 and early 2019, with a total of 260 luxury brands set to move in. The complex will also include an airport check-in center, a five-star hotel, international corporate office towers, and a cinema.

The overall architectural style has a subtle European flair, quite similar to other OUTLETs I’ve visited in Japan, Thailand, and elsewhere—though even just the first phase doesn’t feel very large.

There’s also a small children’s park within the complex where kids can play, though it does feel a bit on the small side, haha XD.

The information desk also doubles as a VIP lounge, offering tea and a resting area for members.

Additionally, the info desk provides services such as stroller, wheelchair, and umbrella rentals, as well as foreign currency exchange for international tourists. Before starting your shopping spree, you can also grab a map and plan your route here.

Around 102 brands will be stationed here, including 24 that are making their first appearance in Taiwan’s OUTLET scene—such as Loewe, Jimmy Choo, Agatha, GMP Baby, Roberto Cavalli, DVF, MOISELLE, Chloe Chen, and Nordic Window.

Among them, there are also domestic brands making their OUTLET debuts.

Overall, the current first-phase tenant mix focuses mainly on apparel brands, along with quite a few casual and sportswear labels. Among them, BOSS is the only brand with a two-floor presence (men’s wear on the first floor, women’s wear on the second).

Discounts range from 20–30% off up to as much as 70% off (based on what I saw on the day), and some specific brands even offer limited-time 90% off promotions to attract customers.

Apparel brands aren’t really my forte, so I did my best to photograph every store for reference. For more details, please refer to the official brand guide on their website:http://www.gloriaoutlets.com/zh/brand

Aside from clothing, there are also several brands for men’s and women’s shoes.

Other than clothing, there are also brands focused on luggage, cast iron cookware, and even makeup brands beloved by women—though the selection isn’t very large.

Quite well-known Nordic Window brands such as NORDIC and PHILIPS are also present.

For baby and children’s products, there are stores like FUNBOX and GMP BABY offering budget-friendly Japanese and European toys and goods, as well as the UK’s renowned MOTHERCARE.

In terms of sportswear, “Nike” is the most anticipated brand, occupying the largest space in the mall with a very diverse product range.

There’s also a Nike-branded GOLF specialty store.

Additionally, familiar domestic brands like New Balance and PUMA are also here, with discounts around 30–20% off.

There are also plenty of other popular sports and leisure brands that have gained popularity in Taiwan in recent years, such as COLUMBIA.

Moreover, the currently trendy “under armour,” often dubbed the “pretty boy brand,” also has a very large retail space.

The famous luxury brands POLO and ROOT—surely everyone knows them well by now? Discounts here are around 40–30% off.

When you get hungry, there are dining options. At Hwatai Premium Outlets (Gloria Outlets), restaurants are mainly concentrated on the third-floor food court and fourth-floor themed restaurants—but one restaurant broke the mold and set up shop on the first floor.

That would be the ever-popular FRIDAYS.

The third-floor food court includes PAUL, Ladurée-style handcrafted cream puffs, SUBWAY, WOOGO, California Smoothie, Pho Viet Thai, Mianjia Sanshi, Hao Pin Teppanyaki, Harajuku Kitchen, Teacher Guo’s Health Cuisine, Korean House, LA BONTA Italian Cuisine, Grass Field Town, and Sentosa—offering several hundred seats in total.

As for the themed restaurants on the third floor, there are a total of seven (one has yet to be announced), including Gyukaku Japanese BBQ, Uokitchen Teppanyaki, Hanlin One-Pot, Tofu Dripping, TIN Dining, and the “Kin Ramen” that Xiao Hu will introduce this year.

Alright, let’s go back to the place I came to visit today — “Kin Ramen.” When I arrived, I noticed the name was slightly different, with “Ji Yu” (Chicken Jade) added before “Kin Ramen.” After asking around, I learned that “Kin Ramen” is already a registered trademark in Taiwan.

Speaking of this renowned shop from Akita, it gained fame at Japan’s Ramen Expo and was reportedly the restaurant with the longest lines for four consecutive years. There are 5 or 6 branches in Akita, and another one at the Karuizawa Outlet in Nagano. I first heard about “Kin Ramen” because I tried it there and really liked it. For details, see:[Japan Travel] [Japan - Nagano - Karuizawa Food] Prince Outlet - Kin Ramen (Chicken Bone White Broth Ramen)

This time, Kin Ramen specially brought over three Japanese chefs from their main store, and I heard the owner has also rented a place nearby, planning to establish a long-term presence here.

There are over 60 seats, so I believe the lines shouldn’t be too long.

In Akita, Japan, Kin Ramen is known for its chicken bone ramen, and apparently, the flavor varies slightly between each store there — somewhat similar to the current variety offered by Eagle Flow.

On the day before the opening, only the two types of broth were available for a trial sale, but after the official opening, four types of broth will be offered.

One of them, the salt ramen with chicken concentrated white broth, is the same one I had in Karuizawa, though the toppings are quite different.

The last bowl, the creative ramen, is said to have been designed specifically for the Taiwan store. I’ll come back another day to try it.

In addition to ramen, they also offer grilled char siu rice bowls, but it seems there are no fried dumplings as side dishes. However, there are a few unique small sides, such as Q弹 (chewy) shrimp with mayonnaise.

This shredded cabbage is drizzled with salad dressing — simple but very tasty, especially with the black pepper-flavored dressing that has a slightly sour, salty, and oily taste. I love it.

For the fried chicken, there are three sauces to choose from. The light soy sauce with a hint of sesame oil aroma at the top is my favorite. The middle one, with a bit of Thai-style sour chili, is more refreshing. The bottom one, which tastes like it’s seasoned with fermented tofu, is less to my liking.

The fried chicken exceeded my expectations. At the very least, it has a crispy exterior and tender, juicy meat inside — just as delicious as you’d imagine.

The Chicken Aroma Clear Broth (220 TWD) comes with four slices of char siu that are fairly thick and sizable. They’re quite different from the chicken char siu used in Japan, but the overall presentation is still quite good.

The broth is rich but not overly greasy, somewhat reminiscent of Taiwanese-style chicken soup with a hint of light soy aroma. It’s not greasy or heavy, and unlike Japanese ramen that can be too salty, I really like this broth.

The Soy Sauce Ramen with Chicken Concentrated White Broth (280 TWD) also comes with four slices of char siu, but with half a slice more of ajitsuke tamago (marinated egg), as well as more scallions and wood ear mushrooms.

The broth has more of the fatty sweetness from the chicken bone white broth, and the savory saltiness of the soy sauce is just right. This broth is richer and sweeter than the previous one, but also relatively oilier. Those who don’t prefer very oily food might want to stick with the original flavor. But as someone who loves rich flavors, I prefer this one more. That said, I love the broth of both versions — not overly salty, rich, and carrying a “mellow” soy aroma.

After trying the original broth, you can mix in a bit of the scallion oil with its smoky aroma to add more layers of flavor. If you like it, mix it all in; if not, just push it aside. But personally, I quite enjoy it.

The char siu is grilled, giving it a nice smoky aroma that’s quite charming. The meat is almost all lean but not dry or tough. However, I do prefer char siu that has some fat and juiciness.

The ajitsuke tamago is not comparable at all to the ones I’ve had in Japan — whether it’s the egg white, yolk, texture, or sweetness, they’re all quite different. But it’s not bad either.

The noodles are said to be made from whole wheat from Hokkaido. They have almost no bite to them, and it seems you can’t choose the firmness of the noodles either. They’re soft but not mushy. Although they’re thin noodles, they lack the slight chewiness I love. That said, the portion size is quite generous, providing a good sense of fullness.

Huatai Premium Outlets
Address: No. 189, Chunde Rd., Zhongli District, Taoyuan City (next to Taoyuan HSR Station)
Phone: 03 273 8333
Business Hours: 10:00–21:00
Official Website:http://www.gloriaoutlets.com/zh/
Facebook Fan Page:https://www.facebook.com/GLORIA.OUTLETS/

Ji Yu Kin Ramen(4th Floor Themed Restaurant)
Phone: (03) 273-8666
Business hours: 11:00–14:30, 17:00–20:30

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