Ramen Santouka

Ramen fans out there now have another reason to be happy.

This new hotspot in The Central have been creating a buzz with significant origin from Hokkaido. A small blooming business, hidden around the corner of Grains, proved success with its true blue Nipponya-speaking lady manager and bowls of ramen so.. satisfying.

You know, those which gets you patting your tummy after the meal and exclaiming "i'm so satisfied!" or "more soup please!".


Miso Ramen ($12)

The latter applies for my sister.

Both of us made a coincidental grab of the same thing- a delectable broth properly controlled in sodium yet not holding back in any necessary flavour of miso. The roasted white sesame seeds also lifted much fragrance. Mind you, this is addictive (sis slurped it to the very last bit).

Apart from the soup, the other aspects bearly displayed any mind-blowing factors. Those pale curly noodles, neither too smooth nor springy, were far from the Miharu's whilst the Charsiu had alternate layers of meat and fat so cohesively difficult to handle.


Shio Ramen ($12)

Dad went for "salt-ramen", where the whitish soup beared a distinct salt flavour. Our extra egg orders came in small petite dishplates with sauce; cooked to the semi-soft standard but lousily seasoned.


Tamago ($1)


Gyoza ($5)

The main plus factor of their gyozas was the absolute non-greasyness. While the skin came soft and tender, the juicy meat fillings were overwhelmed with chives there seemed to be nothing crisp about them at all.

All in all, this is a good ramen find. Just be prepared for queueing.

It is quite a wonder to see a sudden influx of Ramen outlets sprouting out all over our little island, if you had noticed. And it is pleasing to know that Singaporeans have somehow picked the nippon ramen culture to keep those stalls running. Now whenever Miharu becomes too overwhelming for my tastebuds, i can easily opt for Santouka, Ichiban Tei, or even Baikohken. And with such flavoursome ramen found everywhere, why would the bland chinese La Mian retain its charm anymore?

Give me a bowl of Ramen over La Mian anytime, even if it comes at the expense of cultural roots erosion.

Ramen Santouka
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#02-76 The Central

Ichibantei

Instead of crossing over to Miharu, we decided to pop by this Quayside place for a ramen dinner instead. Although not as significant as the former, many have reviewed a good side of them too. Unfortunately luck didn't stand by them- the restaurant surprisingly displayed a quiet scene on a friday night.

I was caught between the Hiyashi Cold Ramen or dad's recommendation of their signature pork-bone soup. Mum had the miso base. Then again, why not try something good?


Tonkotsu Ramen ($12.80)

No regrets. the whitish soup base is quite a wonder. This Kyushu-style broth bearing several slices of charsiu, a half-boiled egg and some bamboo shoots was full of milky flavour from the pork bones. It first came mild then rich, and finally intoxicating (in a good way). The texture of the ramen was good too.


Miso Ramen ($11.80)


Fried Gyoza ($7)

Thick skins with a well-seasoned filling. Edible but not exceptional.

Ichibantei
60 Robertson Quay
#01-13 The Quayside

Miharu Hailed

Returning to Miharu is no surprise, for i can even assure regular visits for a long time to come. Ramen craves are hitting on me quite frequently and it is not just a ramen craving- but a need for a Miharu fix.


Tokusen Miso Ramen ($12.50)

Here you have my No.1 bowl of miso ramen, scoring full time in both the noodle and soup. All it took was a waft of invigorating miso fragrance and a slurp of the special blended miso for this ultimate to wow me to no end.

The broth is truly robust, amazingly flavoursome and repleted with tons of oomph. Sapporo Nishiyama noodles submerged within were springy, full to the bite and so richly-absorbed with soup's essence. Completed with fresh generous ingredients, enough said.


Tokusen Ton-Shio Ramen ($12)


Miso Ramen ($10.50)

Mum & Dad had the other soup bases. How to distinguish the difference? Miso bases come with beansprouts and the premium Tokusen series with seaweed.


Pork Gyoza ($6)

Not to be missed. Sizable clumps of delectable marinated meat loosely encased in skin. Neatly arranged and no grease overload.

Come experience the goodness.

Tampopo

If you happen to be at Liang Court, here's one notable japanese resturant to check out. Plenty of rave reviews from magazines and newspapers boast of their exclusive black pork ramen so Dad & i came to judge for ourselves.

Menu was decently loaded with dishes like tonkatsu, grilled items, dons and ramens but my choice was obvious. How can i possibly resist the first on Lifestyle's list?


Black Pig Shabu Ramen ($13.80)

Awarded Lifestyle's Top 10 Ramen and credible of it. Their porkbone soup takes 2 days to make!

Smooth noodles packed with bite is sure to make you slurp up to the last strand. The soup was of a gorgeously opaque and thick consistency, fully blasting with natural flavour without exceeding in sodium level. So amazingly addictive.

Chilli flakes also gave a nice punch of spicyness to flame up the soup, making it a level more exciting. Those crunchy cabbage shreds, delectable bamboo shoots, were all good expect for the excessively fatty shabu slices. It was way too thin to be even tasted.


im making it a point to sample all the eggs of ramen joints. This one ($1.20) was an initial disappointment since it came cold and exploding with a watery yolk (i dislike) but i subsequently changed my thoughs about it. Its half-cooked characteristic gave a tender and translucent runny white and dipping in the soup would do the trick to warm it.


Kyushu Ramen ($13.30)

Same impressive soup base with the usual ramen lineup. Charsiu roulade, egg, seaweed kelp and an exclusive touch of mentaiko.


Ika Teriyaki ($12.80)

A pricey Hokkaido import. The squid is perfectly done to bear resilience when bitten into and a teriyaki marinade not overwhelming.


Tampopo
177 River Valley Road
#B1-50 Liang Court Shopping Center

Noodle House Ken

An unplanned lunch with Dad at a ramen specialisation hidden deep inside Orchard Plaza. We sat at the counter bar beside the kitchen. Very limited menu offered... just the basic shio, miso and pork-based ones like expected.


Miso Ramen ($12)

My stew egg came at an extra $2 and i opted for less oil & salt (available). Mild yet adequately tasty, the soup brought through a light piquant miso flavour without overwhelming with sodium. The noodles were much thicker than anticipated, offering firm substantial bites a tad too heavy for my liking.

Sides of corn, beansprouts, bamboo sprouts (beared a smell) were decent in portion, charsiew tasty but came in small bits rather than a whole slice. Only letdown was the overdone egg yolk but white still credible- tender but bland.



Shio Ramen ($10)


Fried Gyoza ($5)

Best. Neatly flipped off the griddle machine, these plump and neatly wrapped dumplings were the most memorable ones ever. With one side distinctly fried to a crisp while the other remained soft and silky, luscious meat fillings full to the bite, grease and sodium both kept in moderation... absolutely delicious!


Would conclude a close tie between Noodle Shop Ken and Miharu but they are different, so I'd choose depending on my mood. If I want a heavier taste, it would be Miharu; if i want a lighter broth i go to NSK. They simply have a more pronounced "edge" than the rest.

All in all, this is one good place for health-conscious ramen lovers to get their ramen fix.

Noodle House Ken
150 Orchard Road
Orchard Plaza #01-17/18

Marutama Ramen

A new ramen legend?

The small shop yet popular shop with its perpetually long queue meant a 20 minute wait before we got seated. But fluent japanese language from their chefs and waitresses set me on high expectations.


Dashimaki Tamago ($8)

This side dish which kick-started our meal was sure a promising one. 6 warm steaming cubes of rolled egg omelette came neatly presented, amazingly moist and packed with a sweetness from the dashi stock. Such delicacy didn't require much time for dad and i to finish.



Gyoza ($5)

On the other hand, the dumplings was less impressive probably due to the first outstanding one. I also preferred my gyozas pan-fried.



Marutama Ramen ($12)

I went for their classic Marutama Ra-men with the staple accompaniments- charsiew, aosa seaweed, spring onions- all except that seasoned egg i was hoping for. What struck me most was how the noodles here differed from others.

Cooked soft and smooth, i would say it was edible ramen not too bad but neither impressive. The thin strands in chicken stock was oddly akin to La Mian, highly subjective in my view so i wold avoid being too critical. If only there was a tamago egg.



Charsiew Ramen ($16)

Mum's meaty choice of 4 charsiew slabs came unevenly marinated with a high proportion of fats lined in between. Very tender meat though.


Aka Ramen ($15)

Dad sampled their Limited edition item. An exclusive broth concoction made based on five types of nuts, served with chicken meatballs a lemon wedge to excite things up.


To be honest i am not of praise for their ramen. With many other more worthy competitors around, a revisit would definitely not come too soon- especially with the current mad queues. It would be more worthwhile to attack better food in the surrounding area instead.

Ramen Marutama
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-90/91 The Central

Miharu Sapporo Ramen

A noodle bar tucked away in a corner of Gallery Hotel, off Robertson Quay. The shockingly small shop area consists of merely 4 tables and a counter bar, but additional seatings are available at its neighbour restaurant. Waiting is quite a norm here with its steady stream of Japanese diners- a valid testament to their authenticity and quality.

We sat in the gyoza restaurant today and eagerly awaited our bowls of imported Sapporo Nishiyama noodles from Hokkaido. I had my usual Tokusen Miso Ramen ($12.50) which was so good that i unknowingly tucked in without snapping a photo of it. Bestest ramen so far, probably the most authentic one found in Singapore!



Miso Ramen ($10)


Cold Ramen with Fragrant Sauce ($10.80)

Sis' miso order was like mine minus their special-flavoured oil. Its a tad cheaper but i think the oil is paramount in giving the predominent kick to their soup. Dad prefers a clearer-tasting ramen, comes dry and to be dipped in sauce.


Pork Gyoza ($6)

I have to comment about the gyozas here too. These are a specialized version from their partner gyoza restaurant. Very credibly possessing a distinct crisp surface with tasty insides and gladly without the grease overload.


There shall be no limit to my number of return visits, cause good ramens are so worth being eaten repeatedly.

Miharu Sapporo Ramen
1 Nanson Road
The Gallery Hotel

Bishamon Sapporo Ramen

A new Ramen sprout-out we discovered at Great World City.


Special Miso Ramen ($13.50)

Sis went for the signature, which resulted in a disappointment. The word special instantly struck me as a Miharu imitation, since their Tokusen Miso packs a far better garlicky edge than the normal miso. In their case here, i saw nothing more than a layer of flat-tasting oil clogging the soup base.



Vegetable Miso Ramen ($12)

I was glad i picked a simpler choice instead. The absence of that special-added oil allowed me to better taste the real miso essence. Contradictingly, things got slightly tastier.

Noodle-wise they did manage to keep it satisfyingly firm, but Miharu's are still a level more smooth and enjoyable.



Shio Ramen ($12+1 for egg)

Nothing really great about this though, Dad had to even top up a dollar more for the extra egg.


Even though both claim to hail from Sapporo, there is always a clear winner in comparison. I wouldn't actually make any extra effort to come back, in large because my vote still goes for Miharu.

Bishamon Sapporo Ramen
1 Kim Seng Promenade
#01-21B Great World City