Those who knows me ....will know I am a Fetish of ramen (Japanese noodle). I simply just adore eating ramen. The most common types of broth base for ramen are tonkotsu (soup cooked with pork bones), shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt) and miso (soy bean paste). Ramen is Japanese soup noodles with typical toppings like chashyu (sliced roast pork), menma (preserved bamboo shoots), boiled egg, nori (seaweed) and assorted vegetables. The basic ingredients for the noodles are wheat flour, salt and water. In Japan, the art of preparing and cooking a bowl of ramen is very serious business. A good ramen restaurant will ONLY serves its ramen in wide procelain bowl that is deep but not too deep. This is to keep the temperature of the soup pipping hot when serve. Customer should only receive noodles in optimum taste in hot and steaming soup. Thus usually customers are seated at counter facing the cook making ramen.
Well...I am super fussy about my ramen so till date, i have yet to taste any ramen that is really very good in Singapore. Though in the last few years, a few rather good ones had sprang out. BUT still... the Japanese ramen is really very unforgetable. I should try blog about the ramen I ate in Japan next time. kekekeke! All my friends know I am crazy about ramen so my Japan visit is ramen lunch, ramen supper everyday even till at the last moment at the airport. kekekeke! And I am fortunate enough to taste some of the really good ones in Japan. ;-P Miss those nights going to the ramen roadside stall to have pipping hot ramen after drinks at izakya during my Tokyo study days. And it's very usual that most customers will order ramen set which is a bowl of noodle together with either a plate of gyoza (fried pork dumplings) or chahan (fried rice) or other Chinese-derived dishes. I think my friends will think I soooooo greedy if I ordered the ramen set each time in Singapore. =P
Well... I went Ichibanten for ramen today. I had Tonkotsu ramen which is their speciality. The soup is very thick and milk and the noodles are a little fatter and chewy than the usual ramen. The ingredients are all imported from Japan including the chashyu that will just melt into your mouth with every bite. Twinny loves their stewed boiled egg which is very soft and nice too. Though Tonkotsu ramen originated from Kyushu, I heard that Ichibanten's recipe actually follows osaka-style cooking.
Another of the better ramen place in Singapore is at Tampopo which serves Kyushu Jangara ramen, also with tonkotsu base. They also serves Kuro buta chashyu ramen and ramen with mentaiko (spicy coe roe) too. Nearby there is another famous outlet very popular among the Japanese Expatriates staying in Singapore - Sapporo Ramen Miharu tucked away in a nook in the Gallery Hotel off Robertson Quay. Miharu uses fresh Sapporo Nishiyama noodles imported from Hokkaido, which are very different from the stringy, instant ramen noodles. Instead of the Tonkotsu base, Miharu serves shoyu, miso and Shio base soup. My personal favourite is the shio butter corn ramen. Butter corn style ramen originates from hokkaido style so it's fitting to Sapporo ramen. One thing i especially like about Miharu's ramen is one does not feel thirsty after eating the ramen. They cooked the soup using only fresh ingredients without any ajinomoto. In case, you are wondering about this ajinomoto thing, it's actually one of the MUST have ingredient in most ramen soup. Miharu actually makes the soup without ajinomoto so it's wowowowow healthier ramen.
There are actually other more "historical" ramen shops like Kado man, Ohsho and Ken ramen, which are also my personal favourites. I had patronised Kado man since it's first opening together with the Grand Royal Plaza Hotel about 10 years ago. It offers 28 types of ramen and specialised in Tokyo-style ramen with miso and shoyu base soup. The noodles are made to order in Tokyo from a special recipe provided by owner, Mr Ikeda. Ohsho and Ken ramen are located opposite one another. I have yet to try Ohsho located at Cuppage Plaza. Ken too serves tonkatsu soup base ramen with stewed boiled egg. The noodles was cooked al dente - and tasted very nice. I heard that their broth is double boiled for eight hours without ajinomoto and all ingredients are from Japan including the pepper which is Japanese Gaban black pepper. Ken kind of reminds of the traditional roadside Japanese ramen stall...
Well the above are by far the better ramen shops I have found in Singapore and I am still searching. If you know of any other good ones, let me know!! Heehee! And for those yet to try, it's a MUST go if you like Japanese ramen. Once you been there, you wont like to patron those shops selling ramen in plastic bowls like the A****n and the B***u ramen outlets. Kekekekeke!
(1) Ichibantei (inside Nanten)
16 Raffles Quay, #B1-16 Hong Leong Bldg Tel : 6221 7781
60 Robertson Quay, #01-13, Robertson Quay Tel: 6733 3923
(2) Sapporo Ramen Mihara
76 Robertson Quay
#01-11, Gallery Hotel
Tel : 6733 8464
Opening hours
Daily Lunch:12-3pm / 6-9 pm.
Closed on Wednesdays
(3) Kado Man
10 Coleman St. Shop #01-21/22
Grand Plaza Hotel Shopping Arcade
Tel : 6339 4333
Opening hours
Daily 11:30am-2:30pm /5-11pm
Close on Monday
(4) Ken Noodle House
150 Orchard Road
#01-17/18 Orchard Plaza
Tel: 6235 5540
No comments:
Post a Comment