Review: Tampopo Restaurant @ Liang Court - Japanese Ramen with a Beefy Twist!

I apologise for not posting this entry sooner. That's because everytime I visited Tampopo since the start of this month where they have the Beef Soup Stock Ramen/ Udon promotion, I have been too anxiously slurping up my noodles to remember to take photos!

By now you'd know that I'm addicted to Ramen. Tampopo has always been well known for their Black Pig Shabu Shabu Ramen, but from now till 7 Nov 2010 (not much time left!!) they have launched a series of ramen and udon that has a beef bone soup base instead of the conventional Tonkotsu (pork-bone soup) ones.

Being spoilt for choice with ramen joints sprouting everywhere in Singapore, this has been a welcomed (and very pleasantly surprising) change. I have gone to Tampopo for their Rich Beef Udon (below) 3 times this month, and also got Kays to order their Original Beef Ramen so that I could steal some of that too!

Rich Beef Nabe-udon

On arrival, the lovely rich aroma of the beef stock filled the air, somewhat like an oxtail stew. The sheen of the soup came from the glorious beef collagen (good for skin!) and because it's all scalding hot, I quickly spooned over the soup onto the raw egg so that the top portion gets semi-cooked too. The thinly sliced beef is nothing short of expectations, with marbled fats lining the edges and perfectly cooked. You are forced to slurp the soup ever so gently because of the heat, but that's how you would best savour it anyway! It's been a while since I tasted something that made my eyes open wide with glee, and in Kays' words - made me want to 跑沙滩 (translated: run along the beach in slow motion)... Not sure what I mean? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHBMl7KSmc0 

Original Beef Ramen - Shio flavour

Kays' Original Beef Ramen uses a similar soup base, but unlike my claypot version which boils and thickens the soup, it is lighter but just as tasty. This one comes with a couple of slices of pan-fried steak, which is succulent and sweet, and sticks of chewy Konnyaku that we're familiar with in Oden. The ramen series also feature Miso, Kimuchi and Wasabi flavours which I have yet to try. If anyone has any feedback on these, do let me know please! 

Remember, it's till 7 Nov so there's not much time left! Not sure if their other outlets under the Tampopo family (such as Tarafuku @ 313 Somerset) has the same promotion, but I'm sure the Liang Court and Takashimaya branches definitely has it, so hurry! Hopefully enough people love this as much as I do and Tampopo makes this a permanent menu item! *fingers crossed*

9 out of 10

Tampopo Restaurant

177 River Valley Road

#01-23/24 Liang Court Shopping Centre

Tel: +65 6338-3186

Opening Hours: 

Daily 11:30am - 10:30pm

391 Orchard Road

#B2-33 Takashimaya Shopping Centre 

Tel: +65 6235 2318

Opening Hours: 

Daily 11:00am - 10:00pm

Review: Ippudo Tao @ UE Square

This post has been long overdue, but nonetheless... here goes~

Ippudo Tao (the new branch of Ippudo @ Mandarin Gallery) has now been opened for about 2 months at UE Square along Mohammed Sultan, River Valley. I was really excited when they were still renovating a few months before that because we'd no longer have to fight the long queues at their flagship store in Orchard, and still get to taste their gorgeous ramen. I can now officially say that Singapore's best ramen are all within 1km radius of my workplace! Yeah!!

More about Ippudo Tao. This branch is so named because of their tie up with the Japanese Drum performance group Tao. The group doesn't actually perform here, but their live shows are screened at the restaurant.

Menu-wise, while Ippudo @ Mandarin Gallery has only 2 main flavours - Shiro (white) and Aka (Red), Ippudo Tao's range is slightly different. Here, "Shiro" is still on its menu as the main offering - basically the original Hakata-styled milky pork bone soup base (Tonkotsu) paired with white skinny noodles, cooked to the desired firmness.

In addition to the above there is also a new "Aka" which is different from the one at the original branch (see pic below). This Aka consists of a Tonkotsu base with Miso paste, stir-fried minced pork as its toppings, plus it is paired with CURLY, skinny noodles (kinda like instant noodles appearance-wise).

Finally, my personal favourite is the new "Kuro" (black), which like Nantsuttei, is Shiro with Oomph - topped with the Aromatic garlic Mayu (black garlic oil) and is served with yellow thick noodles. After trying all 3 types, I now regularly order the Kuro BUT substitute with the Shiro skinny noodles. The staff usually gets a bit confused and tells me it can't be customised, but they will always do it for you once they get confirmation from the manager. Just my personal preference! :)  

 Aka Tamago Ramen $17 ($15 for just ramen without the half-boiled egg)

Gyoza with "skin"!

Like their first outlet, consistency (especially the tamago done-ness) is still sometimes an issue, but they usually get it right. Also for a few extra dollars, you can turn it into a set lunch that includes a salad, gyoza and a soft drink!

From the time that they've opened, the menu has vastly expanded to include a whole host of izakaya items such as yakitori and kushiage. I'd strongly recommend their fried lotus root chips - a surprisingly light but yummy accompaniment to a happy hour beer (or Coke in my case!).

Business has been brisk, supported by many of my colleagues and the place is also filled in the evenings. Roadside parking is now a challenge again along Mohd Sultan Road, so be warned!

Of course it's in Ah Mak's Ramen Must Try List! *SLURP*

9 out of 10

Ippudo TAO

207 River Valley Road

#01-55/56
UE Square
Singapore 238275

Tel: +65 6887-5315

Opening Hours:

Mondays to Thursdays
11am-3pm
5pm to midnight
(Last order at 10pm)
Fridays to Saturdays
11am to 3pm
5pm to 2am
Sundays
11am to 11pm
(Last order 10pm)

Review: Nantsuttei Ramen @ Parco Millenia Walk

I've been wanting to check out the latest batch of Japanese eateries that have recently opened at Parco Millenia Walk since the start of April, but just never got down to it. Finally, I dragged the family down for yet another Ramen meal today - this time at Nantsuttei which also specialises in Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen. 

We went for a late lunch because we were still a little stuffed from the cookies earlier in the morning. Once we stepped in, we noticed the very homely feel Nantsuttei had, which is a nice change compared to all the other more "posh-looking" ramen joints. At 3pm - this place was still full of customers!

 Mous posing

The other thing I'd noticed was that the guy at the counter (plus a couple of the other kitchen staff) all looked like the cartoon mascot for the shop (sans the over-sized nostrils)!! Hilarious~

 I liked that they have a good sense of humour

We each ordered a different variety of their signature Tonkotsu ramen - Mous chose the Dragon Ramen ($15) (i.e. Ramen with spicy minced pork), I had the Charshu-men ($16) + Ajitsuke Tamago/ Seasoned Egg ($1) and Kays had the "standard" Ramen ($12).

Charshu-men (left), Ramen (right) and Dragon Ramen (top)

The soup may not make a very good visual impression on the get go, because of the layer of black oil that's formed on top, which is really one of the selling points of their ramen - it's a special garlic oil that adds a lovely caramelised aroma to the soup. To that, ask the staff for fresh garlic + garlic press, and you'll further intensify the flavours! Quite heavenly really, just don't do this right before an important meeting or date!... Or convince the others to join you!

Noodles are surreptitiously hidden!

Noodles are straight but not like the "floury" sort at other Hakata Ramen outlets I've been to, and more "Q" which I'm fine with (+). The Charshu is melt-in-your-mouth (+) and the soup is full of oomph (+). However, I'm not a fan of beansprouts so I passed most of it to Kays (-) and the Ajitsuke Tamago came overcooked (-). Given that they've only been open for less than a month, I would give them some time to iron out their operations and will definitely visit again regardless!


Now, the most important part: how good was their ramen relative to the competition? Well, I'm pleased to say, Nantsuttei has officially entered Ah Mak's Must Try List as #3, right after Ippudo, and taking over Ichiban Tei which still has a special place in my heart for many years!

8.5 out of 10

Nantsuttei Ramen
No.P3-06, #03-02 Millenia Walk
9 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039596
Tel: +65 6337 7166 

Review: Yoshimaru Ramen @ Holland Village

Had a late lunch with S yesterday before picking up baking supplies from Phoon Huat @ Holland Village. I'd been to Yoshimaru Ramen once with Kays & Mous when it first opened in early 2009 and have not been back since. Guess it's just not something top-of-mind whenever I go to HV.

This time 'round I ordered the shabu shabu beef tonkotsu ramen ($14). Yoshimaru serves all its ramen with seasame seeds in a mortar & pestle for customers to grind and sprinkle their own sesame powder, which adds an element of novelty I suppose. I also liked the fact that they served fried garlic bits that further enhances the ramen's aroma. The shabu shabu beef was tasty enough (+), but just didn't feel like it "connected" with the soup base (-). I would try the pork version next time, or just stick to the normal tonkotsu ramen, which also has a mini version. Alternatively you can pick your own toppings to add to the basic tonkotsu char siu ramen from $9 onwards. The thin Hakata-styled noodles was cooked just right (+), and the egg was perfectly semi-runny (+). My only gripe was that the soup was WAY too diluted, so much so that I left the beef to soak longer hoping to infuse the soup with more flavour (-)!

 

Shabu Shabu Beef Tonkotsu Ramen

I would come back again, to try out other items on their menu. I'm especially curious of their mini-burgers (odd, huh).. Oh and they have a fantastic promotion - 20% off their ala carte items during 2pm to 6pm daily (so late lunch worked for me)! 

Not on Ah Mak's Must Try List... until the soup is improved!

7 out of 10 

Yoshimaru Ramen Bar
31 Lorong Liput
Holland Village
Tel: 6463 3132

Review: Daikokuya Japanese Ramen @ Paragon

Kays and I meant to have dinner @ Ippudo but were appalled at the length of the queue. So, now that there's a japanese ramen place in nearly every 2 malls, we decided to give this new place in Paragon a try. Business was brisk and we had to wait about 15 minutes before we got a (rather cramped) table. Their menu is much more extensive than other, well, specialised ramen places. Daikokuya carried all of Sapporo, Tokyo and Kyushu-style ramens just to name a few.  On the other hand, this may also mean that it's not particularly good at any of them...but we have yet to try all so it's a little early to judge.

 

Tonight Kays and I stuck to our usual Kyushu Tonkotsu ramen. I had the mini version (too many lo heis lately) + soft boiled egg , and we also ordered the prawn & avocado salad.

First, the ramen... Soup was ok, more diluted than that in Ippudo and Ramen Santouka (-). Noodles were cooked just right in terms of bite (+), soft boiled egg was indeed a little runny (+) but they must have just taken it out of the fridge because the insides were really cold (-)! Next, the Prawn + Avocado salad came with thousand island dressing so didn't really have much of a Japanese feel, and there was hardly any avocado (-)... 

However, We both finished our noodles in the end, so I would say it's decent quality but not something I would make a special trip to town for (though I am curious about their many types of gyoza!). So this didn't make it to Ah Mak's Ramen Must Try list... yet.

  

 Mini Tonkotsu Ramen + Nitamago

 

Prawn & Avocado Salad (spot the avocado!!)

6 out of 10

Daikokuya Japanese Ramen - Kyushu Tonkotsu Shio ramen

290 Orchard Road
#B1-47 Paragon Shopping Centre, Singapore 238859
Tel: +65 6737 5416

Ippudo Ramen & Ah Mak's Must Try List

Decided to go for an early lunch today so that we could avoid the long queue for this latest Ramen craze - Ippudo is famous for it's Hakata-style ramen which we unfortunately didn't get to try when we were in Fukuoka last month. Fastest way to get seats - go in twos! We joined the queue but were quickly ushered to our seats because the people in front were all in threes/ fours. :)

Service is still slightly flawed on my 2nd visit, but far better than the last where their order system broke down and our food took a really long time. This time everything came within 10 minutes. I'd decided to try the Akamaru tamago (tonkotsu soup + red miso + seasoned egg) and Kays went for the Shiromaru version which i personally preferred. As sides we've also ordered the Goma-Q (cucumber seasoned with roasted sesame and sesame oil) and nikuman (japanese version of the "kong bah bao" or braised pork bun") to go with our Calpis drinks.

 Akamaru Tamago

 

Shiromaru Tamago

 

Goma-Q

Both ramen were delicious - noodles just "Q" enough, and the flavourful broth was full of oomph. We would have loved it if the noodles were much thinner like those we had at the yatais along the Hakata River which no other ramen shop seems to serve, and the egg was less cooked.

Overall I would definitely come back again (when it's less crowded). I'd rank it as my 2nd favourite ramen place in Singapore (took over Ichiban Tei, and just below Ramen Santouka).

Ah Mak's Ramen must-try list:

1. Ramen Santouka (The Central) - Shio Tonkotsu ramen
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#02-76 The Central
Tel: +65 6224 0668

2. Ippudo Ramen (Mandarin Gallery) - Shiromaru ramen
333A Orchard Road
#04-02/03/04 Mandarin Gallery
Tel: +65 6235 2

Ippudo TAO (UE Square)
207 River Valley Road

 #01-55/56

UE Square

Singapore 238275

Tel: +65 6887-5315

3. Nantsuttei Ramen (Millenia Walk) - Char Siu Ramen
No.P3-06, #03-02 Millenia Walk
9 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039596
Tel: +65 6337 7166 

 
4. Ichiban Tei (Robertson Quay) - Tonkotsu ramen or Tori-Karaage ramen
 60 Robertson Quay
#01-04 The Quayside
Tel: +65 6733 3923

5. Menya Shinchan (Robertson Walk) - Shinjiro ramen (ladies-sized portion available)
30 Robertson Quay
#01-05 Riverside View
Tel: +65 6732 0114

6. Marutama Ramen (The Central) - Spicy Marutama Ramen or Aka Ramen
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-90/91 The Central @ Clarke Quay
Tel: +65 6534 8090
*Photos taken with Kay's SE phone... not bad!