Hearty, slurp-worthy noodles
Formerly a hawker stall, RT moved out of Maxwell Food Centre; now a ramen speciality shop at Le Quest Shopping Mall
The new and larger 420 sq ft unit, which can seat up to 20 diners (safe distancing), allows for noodles to be made in-house.
top pick: XO Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen ($12.80), comes with housemade lava egg and braised chashu made from pork belly.
Two types of shoyu are used to season the broth: a four-year-old twice-fermented shoyu; and a houseblend of shoyu and mirin, which is fermented for 14 days. resulting broth - no msg - has wine-like aromas, and meaty and savoury flavours.
The base tonkotsu broth is more concentrated now that more pork bones - up to 70kg - are used to boil it. The bones are painstakingly cleaned before boiling, so the broth is free of unpleasant odour and scum.
The thin housemade noodles remain exceptionally springy, even when soaked in the hot broth. Through a glass panel that separates the kitchen from the dining area, one can see the Japanese noodle-maker used to produce the noodles made with Japanese imported wheat flour.
Married couple Tan Hock Soon and Kalene Chung, who run the eatery, had used the machine at the first stall at a Clementi food court. But there was no space for it at the stall in Maxwell Food Centre, so the couple, both 49, used noodles procured from a supplier.
The Spicy Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen ($11.80) is different from the version at Maxwell. The black garlic is now slow-roasted then deep-fried, instead of being fermented. The resulting garlic is fragrant and does not overwhelm the spicy broth.
Gyokai Tonkotsu Ramen ($12.80) looks similar to its spicy black garlic counterpart, but tastes vastly different.
The gyokai is a seafood-flavoured broth boosted by a blend of three types of powdered fish. Two types of chilli powders impart a floral scent and distinct smokiness to the broth, which is not spicy despite its fiery appearance.
Chicken Karaage ($5.80 for five pieces), dredged in Japanese potato flour and marinated in sake, has a mildly sweet and earthy batter with a powdery finish. Every piece of chicken is melt-in-the-mouth crispy.
Wash down the food with Shoyu Soda ($3.80), a sparkling caramel-hued drink concocted with a mix of the houseblend shoyu and tonic water. The savoury sweetness is reminiscent of pineapple dipped in dark soya sauce, sugar and chilli. The drink will be available from April 1.
Where: Ramen Taisho, 01-12 Le Quest Shopping Mall, 4 Bukit Batok Street 41
MRT: Bukit Batok
Open: Noon to 9pm (Wednesdays to Sundays)
Tel: 8882-0032
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