Shin-Sapporo Ramen @Suntec City Mall

Tonight is another cold December night and what could be a better meal to complement such a night other than to slurp a bowl of yummy and piping hot ramen?

We headed to Shin-Sapporo Ramen at Suntec City near Carrefour upon the suggestion of a col. It has been ages since I last went to Carrefour@ Suntec and the place has really changed quite a fair bit. Singapore is not exactly big since it is only a dot on the world map but to be frequenting all the corners, it may take you a bit of time :P

As with most of the ramen outlets, the seating capacity is quite limited. It looks big from the outside but can only sit about 30 customers (inclusive of counter seats) at one time. It was about 80% full when we went in at around 8pm.

A shoot of the empty interior, with the back of the main door in the center

Condiments and new Menu on the table

My col’s order of Wakayama Tonkotsu-Shoyu Ramen ($15). It is a new item on the menu. 

 He also ordered an extra egg ($1.50) Look at how the Tamago is firm on the outside, runny in the inside. Really cooked to perfection! Yum...

Another side dish he ordered was the Yakibuta ($4.00 for 3 slices of grilled char-shu).

Close-up of the thinly sliced Yakibuta. The Yakibuta is marinated using a secret blend of Japanese Shoyu and spices and grilled to perfection prior to serving. The fat to meat ratio was just nice in each slice and the brown bits on top complemented the meat. However, we were not able to make out what the brown pieces on top of the pork slices were but guessed that it could be garlic which has soaked up the shoyu and spices.

My order of Shin-Sapporo Miso Ramen ($15). This ramen is made with an authentic blend of four miso pastes from Sapporo in a white pork bone with traditional, slightly-thick curly noodles made fresh for the day. The waitress was very nice and had checked with us if it was okay if our order comes with the freshly made noodles that are slightly thicker and harder. I was a little surprised by her question but we went ahead with the order anyway. She suggested that it would taste better with butter and asked if we would like some butter to be added but we politely rejected.

Close up of the curly noodles. The soup was light and went well with the noodles, the tamago was so yummy that it was gone before I know. The 2 slices of yakibuta did seem a little miserable in the big bowl of ramen but since we had ordered extra Yakibuta, we had no complaints. :P

Overall, Shin-Sapporo is a nice place for ramen. What makes the deal sweeter is that there is a Citibank Credit Card promotion going on (till 02 Jan2011) which gets you 30% off the second ramen. Alternatively, you can opt to go during lunch as they have set lunch promotion where you get a ramen and 1 side dish for $15.80 – 16.80. Pretty value for money I would say :)

Weekday Lunch Set A 

Weekday Lunch Set B

Shin-Sapporo Ramen

3 Temasek Boulevard #01-223,

Suntec City Mall, Tower 4 S(038983)

Tel: 6836 3538

http://www.shin-sappororamen.com

Opening hours:-

Monday to Friday

11.30am to 3pm (Last order at 2.30pm)

5.30pm to 10.00pm (last order at 9.30pm)

Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays

12pm to 10.00pm (last order at 9.30pm)





Baikohken Ramen@North Canal Road

This is my 2nd visit to Baikohken Ramen. This time round, we did not have to wait long for a seat as we did during lunch. Eating places in the CDB area are usually not crowded during dinner but this place was about 80% full.

Having tried the normal size ramen and learning my lesson, I opted for the half size portion this time round while my friend settled for the full size one.

This is one of the limited side dishes available that we ordered to share.

When the bowls of ramen arrived, there did not seem to be much difference between the full size and the half size ramen. I have to admit that this is not a true comparison as we ordered different types of ramen.

My friend had the Shio Butter and Corn Ramen. It was served with a slab of butter, lots of corn, leeks and char siew.

My half size Miso Char Siew Ramen and the added eggs.

Another shot of my ramen after pushing away the greens to reveal the char siew.

A close up of the melt-in-your mouth char siew.

I must say that the half size portion is still considered quite a big portion as I had a lot of meat in it. Both of us were so full that we sat till the shop wrapped up for the day. :P The service was very good and the staff did not even chase us away although they were closing.

Overall, this is definitely a good place to get your fill for ramen. :)

Earlier Post: Baikohken Ramen

Photos taken with SE C905 (resolution reduced)

Baikohken Ramen @ North Canal Road

A col brought us to this Ramen Place at North Canal Road. It is a very small eatery that is opened by a Japanese. The owner is the chef himself and heard that most of the ingredients were directly imported from Japan.

There was already a queue when we arrived and while waiting for our seats, caught a glimpse of the type of Ramen offered outside the shop. The sign above says it all. We also spotted a few Japanese eating at this place so the food must be quite good.

For such a small place, I would say that the variety of Ramen is decent. It is also good place to eat for people like me cos I do not have to spend a long time pouring over the menu deciding what to eat.:P All you have to do here is to decide the soup base you want, from Miso, Shio (salt), or Shoyu (Soya Sauce). Next, pick what you would like to eat: - Normal , Butter and Cream, Char Siew and Vegetable, and your order is done! Of course if you would like some sides, they do have Gyoza available too.

While waiting for our ramen, we were served ice cold unpolished barley drink which was really light and  refreshing.

My Shoyu Ramen came topped with plenty of greens which all of us thought was spring onions but was actually Japanese leeks as confirmed by the chef. I had added eggs to my ramen and really liked how the yolk is runny while the white is firm. The meat in my ramen was buried by the leeks so I had to dig it out in order to get a picture of it. LOL. The meat was generous and so tender that I actually tore it apart while "digging" it out. :P

Look at the texture of the meat. It was very well prepared and really very tender. Thumbs up!

There were some bamboo shoots in the ramen too. I have never like bamboo shoots because you can smell them from a metre away. Surprisingly, the bamboo shoots here do not have that smell. I took the courage to try after hearing that it is quite nicely done from my cols. All I can say is, eating bamboo shoots is an acquired taste which I have yet to acquire!  :p

My col's Shio Ramen. The noodles were done really properly. It is springy and does not stick to your teeth.

Another col's Miso Char Siew Ramen. We all went "wow" when we saw this big bowl of Char Siew Ramen topped with generous portion of Char Siew and leeks. It was so full that the soup almost overflowed from the bowl. :D

Another col's Butter and Corn Miso Ramen. Didn't get to try it but was told that the corn is very sweet.

I must say that this is one Ramen that really pushes me on. There was still a lot left even after I had eaten for very long. Had to take a break before finally preceeding to finish it up. The portion is really BIGger than normal. Even the guys commented that the portion was big.. Hahaha.. We should have opted for the half size one that was available.

Overall, this is one nice place for Ramen but do not expect to be able to sit around and chat after your meal during lunch. Just be sure to go earlier if you do not want to stand in the queue during the lunch. Alternatively, can opt to go for dinner when it is less crowded. :)

Baikohken Ramen
7 North Canal Road
Tel: 6534 3808
Opening Hours: 11:00 - 15:00 and 17:00 - 22:00 (last order at 21:30)

http://www.baikohken.com/








Photos taken with SE C905 (resolution reduced)

Gindaco Takoyaki @ Ion Orchard

Finally got to eat the Takoyaki from Gindaco!!

Still remembered the 1st time i ate it when i made my 1st trip to HK in 2005. Was so hungry then and it so happened that we got lost and chanced upon the stall. .The taste was just SOooo unforgettable.. and the ice green tea too.. Had me craving for more when i came back to SG but just cannot find any that resembles it.
 
Of course I was thrilled when I knew that they have opened an outlet at Ion in Orchard in SG.. been wanting to go but was too busy with work until finally, decided to get my gf to go there and try it and at the same time, catch up and "celebrate my bday" :)

Think this should be a Japanese Guy preparing the takoyaki. I didn't realise so much oil was used to make the outside layer so cripsy! Sinful sinful...

Finally got our order, nicely glazed with bbq sauce, mayonnaise and bonito flakes. We bought the set for 2 pax, 6 pieces and 2 drinks for $7.20. I think that is quite a decent price to pay for the food quality. If you are super hungry,you can go for 10 pieces and 2 drinks which cost only $9.90.  There is also a set available for one person, 6 pieces and 1 drink, that cost $6.

Look at the inside of the takoyaki. The outside was crispy and the inside, soft and tasty. Look at the big chunk of octopus. I'm not a big fan of octopus but really like this one as it was quite well prepared. Could not get the details of the takoyaki with my camera phone.. plus i was too eager to pop it into my mouth than to take photos.. hence the ugly photo here.. lol...

The ice green tea that came with the set was a disappointment though. It was those ready made ones with instant powder that was quite sweet. Very different from the ones I had in HK where they actually had to blend the green tea powder with water and you are allowed to adjust the sugar content on your own based on your preference. Not too sure if they still do it that way now as that is a little more labour intensive. Will have to wait for me to make a trip to HK to find out ;P

Photos taken with SE C905