Had a sudden craving for ramen since it's been a while!
Decided to check out this ramen spot in Holland V that
had been to before. Located conveniently next to the pet shop and across from Sushi Tei.
The place wasn't too busy for a Sunday night and seats were available if you don't mind sitting at the bar (which you should, for ramen!). The level of memorized japanese phrases the waiters spew out is also slightly better from the mangled 'ixxxXMASAY' I get in some other spots.
We ordered two bowls of the traditional hakata ramen. Not long after they served us a bowl of roasted sesame seeds in the mortar and pestle - honestly have not seen this in a ramen place before, but it is standard practice for Tonkatsu places. Grind for that nice aroma and mix it into your broth!
{ Traditional Hakata Ramen ($11) }
Ultra Thin Hakata Ramen in Classic Tonkotsu Broth topped with Braised Sliced Pork, Soft Boiled Egg, Cloud Ear Mushrooms and Spring Onion
Ramen looked pretty promising! The soup was good - thick (but not very thick, I prefer it slightly thicker) and heavy in tonkotsu flavour, it also wasn't too debilitatingly-salty, although the hakata style ones really should be (as are those at Ramen Champion). I guess it's toned down to fit Singaporean taste buds which is fine, still great.Noodles were thin and chewy - not bad but I can't help but feel something was off but I can't pinpoint was it is. Felt a little starchy (?) somehow, but still good. The flavour of the roasted sesame tossed in does get a little lost in the super-rich soup, and with some chilli flakes and ramen pepper you do get a party in your mouth!
The broth was adequately tonkotsu-ey with a good saltiness (which did not make me feel super dehydrated hours after - thirsty, but not parched), but I also felt that it could have been more 'gao'. I did like the noodles actually, of course this isn't to compare with the authentic Hakata style ramens which I haven't yet tried!
Egg was well done - Char Siew was not too bad as well but it wasn't as melt-in-mouthy as I had hoped. Overall what you get for $11 is really pretty good considering the portion, the quality, the great location and it includes egg as well (which is usually charged separately). Yup, all in all this is pretty good value for just over $10, unless you add on extra toppings. When we were there - and I think this is ongoing for the rest of the month - we were each given a little bag of chocolates as part of their anniversary celebration. It was a nice touch and we appreciated the sweet ending to a salty meal :)
Yoshimaru Ramen
31 Lorong Liput, Holland Village (A)
Discounts : $10 voucher for $25 spent (AMEX)
Main website : http://www.yoshimaruramen.com.sg/
HGW Link (71% recommended at time of posting) : http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/yoshimaru_ramen_bar_holland_village/
Rating (out of 4) :
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