The Ultimate Ramen Champion Part IV

Now for my return post, there is a second outlet of ramen champion in Singapore T3 now. Located opposite Kopitiam in T3, so it's not hard to miss. If you have your luggage+trolley with you, you will have to leave it outside the premise and the manager at the entrance will look after it for you.

Same concept if you've been to the one in Iluma, this time there is only 4 outlets- Ikkousha, Gantetsu, Riki & Gensuke. The 2 new ramen shops are very different from what was being posted on their facebook page initially. Anyways, lets get to the 2 new ramen :)

Riki Ramen - Nitamago Riki Ramen

You like veggies? You like garlic? If you do, you'll enjoy Riki ramen. The noodles are pretty tasty and every mouthful will have a crunch from the abundant cabbage and beansprouts. Crunch Crunch Crunch. 

The egg is done wonderfully here, the yolk is totally soft and gooey, finally an egg that looks like what was illustrated.

It does remind me quite a fair bit of Bario ramen back in Iluma. I'll leave it up to you which you prefer. Thumbs up for the nicely done egg :D

Gensuke - Ajitama Ramen

Dislike pork? Like Chicken? Gensuke specializes in Chicken Ramen. Everything in their menu have is targeted towards the bird lovers (or pork haters). Egg is done very well, so much so that the runny yolk was washed away by the soup.(Or did it run away?)

Case of the missing yolk

The noodles are very slippery and looks a little like instant noodles. Of course it is way better than instant noodles. Soup is distinctively different from the pork broth that you'll find in other ramen, the soup is a thick murky whitish color that is smooth and light on the tongue.Worth a try if you are looking for something different. 

If I'm not wrong, it is operated by the same guys from Ikkousha. Here's a picture of them posing :)

Overall

Another choice among the many other F&B choices in Changi Airport T3. Do check it out if you have the ramen cravings when you're in Changi Airport.

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The Ultimate Ramen Champion Part III - Gantetsu and Tetsu

Now for the concluding chapter in the ultimate ramen champion trilogy is Gantetsu and Tetsu. 


Gantetsu

Ordered
Special Miso Ramen

Ok, before anything, it took me a while to decide which ramen to choose from, there is Miso Ramen, Miso with Butter and Corn and Special Miso Ramen. Difference between the last two seems to be that special miso ramen has more chashu. 

The bowl with its light colors, is the most appealing and soothing out of the bunch to me. Plump and crunchy corn, bamboo shoots, seaweed, 3 slices of chashu, curly yellow noodles all in a miso soup broth.  The soup is full bodied with a slightly buttery feel. It is not so strong that I am actually able to empty the bowl without fear of feeling thirsty after. The occasional sweetness from the corn when you bite into them adds a layer of satisfaction to it. 

The bright yellow noodles here is also excellent when compared to the rest.

Though the chashu is not as flavorful and tender than Santouka's or Menya Iroha's, or the egg that well done, Gantetsu's ramen excels in the balance of the tone and variety of flavors in the soup and noodle.


Score: 4.25/5.0


Tetsu

Ordered

Paitan Tsukemen

Using pork and chicken here, Tetsu boils them down to high and rich concentration. The dipping broth here has a horrifying layer of oil of about a centimeter.

A Single slice of chashu, Single slice of bamboo shoot and a manhandled egg is thrown into the vessel-clogging dip. The taste is sharper than that of Taishoken where you can taste the ingredients but just like them, it saturates you almost immediately.

20% meat, 80% fat, 0% appetising

Sure a fatty chashu can be nice, but this piece of chashu is as far away from lean as Earth is to the Sun. Tetsu's take on tsukemen is slightly~ more palatable than Taishoken, but I just can't find myself loving the sensation of greasy lips with that mighty thick layer of oil with every slurp.

Score: (-.-)

Overall

This is the end of the Ramen Champion trilogy. There is the "Twin Disappointment" in the form of the twin bowls, but there were some nice and strong contenders around. Have you been there and tried it one by one? Which is your favorite? How do they stack up compared to some of the more famous Ramen places around Singapore?

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The Ultimate Ramen Champion Part II - Bario Ramen and Hakata Ikkousha

This is the second part of my Ramen Champion trilogy, so let's get on with the review of

Bario Ramen and Hakata Ikkousha.

Bario Ramen

For some reason, everytime I’m here, Bario has a long queue and was sold out on my first visit. This ups my curiosity even more and I headed straight for the Bario-queue immediately after arrival.

Ordered

Bario Ramen

Bario brands itself around masculinity and to them, being masculine means big on portions. The bowl is served on my tray which the soup was spilled over the bowl due to overpacking in the bowl.
Bario serves Jiro-style ramen with a pork shoyu broth that is heavy on flavor, with a layer of suspended fat to add to that. It is topped with crunchy bean sprouts and is definitely here to fill you up. The soup flavor is strong and garlicky, so avoid this ramen if you want some sugar from the ladies or guys after.

The thick and flat noodles here are made of bread flour, is definitely hearty and shows how serious Bario keeps to its theme of manliness by all things big, strong and thick. Texture wise, it stands in the mid point between udon and the regular ramen noodle variety. You really got to try it for yourself to see if you like it or not, for I enjoyed it but still prefer the regular ramen noodles.

Thick chunks of chashu with clearly defined features. The lean part was extremely lean and the fats were a tad hard, the flavor did not seep through deep enough and this makes for a pretty tough piece of chashu that is not really worth the calories and step towards coronary implications. The egg was also a disappointment with not much taste despite looking otherwise. It was pretty much hard boiled. Maybe they are trying to keep to their theme of manliness again by having a hardboiled egg too? 

If you can empty the whole bowl of noodles here, you'll see a message saying

It means "Thank You, You are a Man".

Score: 3.75/5.0 

Hakata Ikkousha

Ordered
Hakata Ajitama Ramen

Hakata Ikkousha is hidden in a corner and can be easily missed if there is no one queuing. It comes in a small black bowl with a milky pork broth. The presentation is appealing and feels classically oriental.

The broth is thin, light and swirls in your mouth nicely and does not try to overpower you with taste. 

Joined hand in hand with the special thin noodles here that offers a fine bite. The noodles here is like the vermicelli of Ramen noodles, which are usually thick. Being thin and fine, it offers This is also a very acceptable bowl of ramen for Singaporeans who might find ramen to be too heavy on taste or salt.

The egg sat in the hot water for too long, but yet is devoid of any flavoring. Chashu here is two thick cut with nice proportion of fat and meat and is pretty tender. However, the flavoring could do more with being a bit heavy for it tasted a tad bland.


Ikkousha is being let down by its own egg and chashu, otherwise it would be a bowl of ramen that is much more satisfying due to its wonderful soup and unique thin noodles.


Score: 4.0/5.0

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The Ultimate Ramen Champion Part I - Menya Iroha & Tai Sho Ken

Ramen Champion 2011 is held in Singapore this year, on level 4 of Iluma Bugis. Featuring 6 famous stalls from Japan, visitors will get to vote for their favorite bowl of noodles to see the emerging champion at the end June 2012.

How to you go about voting for it? Head to the Ultimate Ramen Champion Facebook page, "Like" it  and vote for it under the "Questions" page.

Above is the giant poster of this event, showcasing all 6 chefs of the 6 participating stalls and a picture of their most popular bowl. Some of them are smiling while a few looks really stern. Why do you look so stern if you wanna attract customers? 


How do I go about for Ramen Champion? I'll take a page off from Hollywood's book, Trilogy style~ I visited this place 3 times, each visit I will be patronising 2 stalls in no particular preference and order. Oh, just to make sure I do not mix up the flavors, the tasting is done separately where I'll only order the next bowl after I finish one.


So for now, part 1 of the Ultimate Ramen Champion will be on Menya Iroha and Tai Sho Ken ramen.


Menya Iroha

Ordered

Negi Tama Ramen $13.50

As the name goes, there is negi(leek), tama(egg) and ramen. Of course it comes with the other ramen mainstays such as Cha Shu slices(2x slice), bamboo shoots and seaweed.The thick noodles are really smooth n slips past my lips without any resistance. The noodles provides a very good bite without being too soft. 
Char siew is a measly 2 piece which I hope more is given. The deeply marinated meat and melty fat is really a wonderful sensation. Out of all the 6 Ramen stalls, this has got to be the best charsiew.

The noodles are simmered in a clear black shoyu(soy sauce) based broth. The flavoring is strong, and this flavoring is also reflected in their egg, thoroughly braised through the core. 

Despite it being heavy on the flavoring, tasty it still is. If you love your ramen strong and flavorful, this is it for you. I think it would have been a little better if the soup is slightly lighter.

Score: 4.0/5.0



Taishoken

Taishoken prides itself as the inventor of tsukemen, that they are the original. Is the original the best?

Ordered

Mori Soba

What is tsukemen? It is basically ramen, where the noodles and the soup is separated. Then why separate them and what's the difference between the normal ramen and tsukemen? For tsukemen, the broth is much much thicker and concentrated, so you dip the noodles and slurp it up. For all my explanation, it's essentially dipping noodles. 

The thick yellow noodle is nicely cooked and placed in a separate bowl while the goodies are in another.

It is really thick

It is really plain (by itself)

Interested to see how it tastes like, I eagerly dip my noodle and slurp~ it up. Sweet and refreshing! That's the first thing I tasted, but the sweetness of the broth lasted through to the, I would love to say 'end' but I really couldn't finish it while the 'refreshing' is gone as soon as it arrived. I was saturated by the third slurp and really can't taste anything except for sweet. The egg is mildly flavored, half-cooked but is

Broken :S

 Guess being the first to create a dish/food doesn't necessarily means the first in taste.

I would love to talk more about the char siew but the broth drenching it was way too sweet and I couldn't really give them a fair judgement.

Score: (-.-") 

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Ippudo Singapore Ramen

You like ramen? I love ramen. Some look out for the broth, some look out for the tanginess of the noodles. Me, I look out for both of them. It doesn't make sense if the broth suck and the noodle tasty, or vice versa right?

Ippudo Tao, the largest ramen chain in the world, having outlets from Japan to USA and then to Singapore. Heard that getting a seat during dinner time requires patience. Guess I got lucky as I got my seat immediately when I reach :D

Wall of Ramen (Bowls)

Ordered

Shiromaru Motoaji Ramen (with tamago)

Thin noodles in a silky smooth, opaque  pork broth with Pork loin char siew and cabbage and as the greens accompanied with some pickled Ginger.

The noodles here are of the thin variety, and is available in different softness according to the customers' preference. Medium was chosen for this bowl. The noodles was cooked according to the choice, neither too soft nor too hard. Not usually a big fan of thinner noodles and that includes bee hoon or vermicelli, the noodles here are give quite a good kick with every slurp.

Now, the pool that everything is soaked in. It provides a nice mix of flavors while not being too flavorful. This will be great for those who prefers a lighter palette for their food. Served in a white bowl just like the broth and it's namesake, the whole ramen comes with 2 measly slices of pretty good char siew. The cabbage gave the ramen a nice crunch while the black fungus( 黑木耳 = Black Wood Ears?) is cooked to a nice soft texture. Yummy. This ramen is for everyone.

Score : 4.0/5

Akamaru Kasaneaji Ramen (with tamago)

Be firm!

Chose the firm noodles here as I usually prefer my noodles to be more tangy. I'd thought the thin noodles would turn soggy over time easily. But nope, it doesn't turn soggy that fast in the shiromaru pool, but I would still recommend the firmer noodles for providing a better bite. Mmmm~

The broth is the one from the shiromaru, but further improved upon by the addition of miso paste and garlic oil. This is for those who love their food to be flavorful, and that's me. Just like it's name, aka=red, it is served in a red bowl.

This is after stirring in the two wonder ingredients. The soup is now decidedly more flavorful and packs more punch. Do you like your food with more flavor? Take the red bowl instead, I know I do.

Accompanied by the same veggies, another difference with the Shiromaru ramen is in the meat. The char siew here is made of pork belly, and the slice I got is composed of 90% fat. IT IS GOOD, with flavor bursting from every inch of the fat. This is another supporting case where fat = taste in food.


Introducing~

What is this?

Do you know what's this? In it contains roasted sesame which this little container will grind, making the ramen so much more fragrant. If you've been there, but did not try using this, do give it a try. If you do not know how to use it, here's a hint for you: Spin

Unfortunately, the egg is not good. Maybe the farm where they got the eggs from have chickens which can't run, cause the yolk is not runny at all! But seriously, it is a bit too overcooked.

Score 4.25/5.0


Overall


It is a good place for ramen, even more impressive considering it's a chain of restaurant, where the longer the chain is, the higher the probability of a weak link in the chain. The price is a bit on the higher side for ramen, but it is worth a try.


Ippudo Singapore 
@ Mandarin Gallery and UE Square
Website
(address)

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