RAMEN- The Naruto Thing.

I believe the authenticity of a Japanese restaurant lies in the ratio of Japanese customers to local customers. The more Japanese expats there are, the more likely the restaurant is authentic and worthwhile. It'd be at least decent if not mind-blowingly good. Afterall, the Japanese are very discerning people regarding standards and quality. (:

Marutama sounds like a whole bunch of hype. I daren't say that they're bad simply because I have not tried their ramen but judging from all the reviews, I suppose I'd rather put my money where it's worth- at Ichibantei's or Tampopo's (if you happen to be feeling rich or are rich). Ichibantei is located at the very end of Robertson Quay. Out of the way and quiet but a beautiful and cosy little place. No kidding, the place is really nice. And boy, is the ramen good. I've only tried their trademark tonkotsu ramen so it's the only thing i can account for.

A standard bowl of their trademark tonkotsu ramen goes for $9.80 w/o gst. Pretty good deal in my opinion. Not sure if they have price-hiked since I last visit them though. The toppings include: 2 slices of cha-shiu, a braised egg and pickles. Of course together with the usual dollop of seaweed, spring onions and mystery condiments. lol.

Tonkotsu Broth-
The heart and soul of ramen. Ichibantei's version of the tonkotsu broth is milky white, almost opaque, and intensely flavourful from having been simmered for heaps of hours, possibly two days, in pork bones. It's smooth, rich and just pure goodness from the bones. No MSG rubbish. There's an irrational desire in one to keep downing the soup even after having polished off the noodles.

Noodles-
Thick, yellow, curly ramen Sapporo-style. However, it's not fancy schmancy imported nonsense. It's made true-to-the-original-recipe in a Singapore factory. In that way, you get to enjoy the fresh aunthentic stuff without having to pay for the ramen's air tickets. It's springy and full of bite. A mouthful of noodles, a spoonful of broth, nice.

Cha-shiu-
The fat we all love. Ichibantei's cha-shiu is in similar fashion of Marutama's as described by fatpig. It's good good good. Tender slivers of tasty pork belly that simply melts in your mouth. No disgusting porky smell or chewyness. Only two slices though. Precious. haha.

Braised Egg-
Braised in what seems to be leftover cha-shiu gravy, the egg appears very much like chinese tea-eggs one gets at medical halls. It may look the same but it definitely doesn't taste the same. Should I say, better? Quivering tender white and just-set golden yolk, bordered with dark brown edges. Yolk is heaven when mixed into the soup (not that yellow-grey mess you get at most places). What's not to love? Beware the cholesterol levels though.

Pickles-
The humble pickle: so brown, so ugly, so underrated but so good. A perfect combination of sweet and savoury with a tinge of sour. The firm crisp texture makes it somewhat delightful to chew on.



All of the above coming from a ramen-zealot. No longer just a fanatic but a zealot. lol. Ichibantei is, IMO, the best place for all SG folks to get their share of beautiful ramen.

Tampopo's kurobuta (black pig) tonkatsu and tonkotsu ramen is bleeping good but at $20 a pop for ramen, pretty steep eh? Might try to write something about it if anyone wants to hear my comments. (^-^)