Showing posts with label - Tamago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label - Tamago. Show all posts

Thursday 5 June 2014

Ramen Keisuke Tori King (100 AM)

Ramen Keisuke Tori King is an eatery that serves authentic Japanese ramen opened by Mr Keisuke Takeda who has won several ramen competitions. Mr Keisuke Takeda has opened several ramen eateries in Singapore such as the Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King (Orchid Hotel and Bugis) and Gyoza King (Orchid Hotel). 
As we were at the 100AM shopping mall (Tanjong Pagar), we decided to give this a try. We were there at 630pm and there was no queue. But by the time we left at close to 8pm, there was a short queue. 
Menu
The menu.
There would be a bottle of cold marinated bean sprouts and basket of boiled eggs on every table. There would also be slip of paper for each individual to fill in their orders along with a small bowl and a wooden stick for grinding the sesame seeds (just like Saboten). Pepper and bonito flakes are available at each table too. 
Hard Boiled eggs
Free flow of hard boiled eggs. 
Bean Sprout
Free flow of cold marinated bean sprouts. Do not under estimate this dish dish. It was very addictive. So tasty and so crunchy. We kept on opening the bottle to take more out! 
Tori King Ramen Special (All Toppings) $15.90
The partner ordered Tori King Ramen Special (All Toppings) $15.90. It included all the toppings such as seaweed, flavoured egg and pork.  
Black Spicy Tori King Ramen Special (All Toppings) $16.90
I ordered the Black Spicy Tori King Ramen Special (All Toppings) $16.90. The main different was that this was the spicy version. To be frank, both of us did not like these two bowls of ramen. The stock was too thick and the saltiness just overwhelmed the other flavours in the stock. The only positive aspect was the drumstick which was meaty and tender. Other than that the other ingredients were average.

Ironically, we preferred the marinated bean sprouts more than the main dish. Service wise, the staff were very attentive! 

Ramen Keisuke Tori King (100 AM)
100 AM (next to Amara Hotel)
100 Tras St #03-15
Singapore 079027 
Tel: 6604 6861
Opening Hours: 1130am to 10pm


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Monday 20 January 2014

A Noodle Story 超好面 (Amoy Street Food Centre)


A Noodle Story 超好面 located in Amoy Street Food Centre has differentiated itself by being the first and only Singapore-style ramen. This is the brain child of two Shatec trained friends who decided to create ultimate noodles dish through a combination of modern European techniques and Asian flavours providing gourmet quality noodles at hawker prices. 
A Noodle Story has announced on Jan this year that due to increase in operating cost (rental and cost of raw ingredients), their prices have increased by 50 cents. Hence, please note to increase the prices by 50 cents for all the prices stated in this blog post. 
Singapore Style Ramen $6
The Singapore Style Ramen $6 consisted of Noodles, Hot Spring Egg, Cha Su, Potato Wrapped Prawn, and HK Style Wanton topped with scallions. The soup was served separately in a small bowl. The noodles were very springy and were similar to mee kia. 
Singapore Style Ramen $6

Potato Wrapped Prawn

Cha Su

Hot Spring Egg
The noodles were cluttered together in a lump making it hard to eat. The chilli added at the side lacked spiciness and fragrance and was too dry. The ingredients such as the Potato Wrapped Prawn, Cha Su and Hot Spring Egg were quite good whereas the HK Style Wanton was ordinary with nothing much to shout about.

As a whole, the presentation and concept of this Singapore Style Ramen was unique. It looked real good. But taste wise, it was not mind blowing. Nevertheless, I still must say that I admire the spirit of these two young men for their innovation in creating such a dish. Moreover, the effort taken to arrange the ingredients in the bowl although this was not a restaurant.  

A Noodle Story 超好面 (Amoy Street Food Centre)
7 Maxwell Road 
MND Building Annex B 
#01-39 Amoy Street Food Centre
Tel: 9027 6289
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 11am - 230pm, 330pm - 730pm
                         Closed on Weekends and PHs


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Tuesday 30 July 2013

Liang Court Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails: Marutama Ramen and Saizeriya

Liang Court is currently having an event called Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails which will be held till 7 August 2013. Diners can purchase the Food Trail Coupon for $30 at the Customer Service Counter and get to enjoy 3 different set meals from 3 different restaurants in Liang Court and also a free beer. 
Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails Coupon & Food Trail Guide
The first restaurant  has been pre-selected, diners can choose their second and third stops from  any of the remaining 11 participating F&B shops. I received a copy of the Food Trail Guide and two complimentary Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails Coupons. As shown above, the coupon shows that my first restaurant (pre-selected) is Tamoya. 
Marutama Ramen
Looking through all the set meals in the Guide, I decide to try Marutama Ramen first (there is no need to utilise the coupon in sequence). 
Marutama Ramen
The Liang Court's Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon allowed me to try the Zenbu-nose (U.P. $18). It was essentially the signature Marutama Ramen with all toppings! The toppings are the Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly), Sliced Roasted Pork, Aosa (Seaweed), Negi (Spring Onions) and Half-Boiled Seasoned Egg. 

Those who frequent Marutama Ramen would know that the signature Marutama Ramen (without toppings) would have cost $12 and an addition $6 is required if all toppings were added. 
Zenbu-nose
 The Zenbu-nose; with all toppings added!
Roasted Pork (Char Siew)
Three big pieces of Sliced Roasted Pork (Char Siew) were given. The roasted pork had quite a good balance of lean meat and fat ratio. So much so that it was tender.
Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly)
The Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly) as it should be had a higher proportion of fats to lean meat compared to the Char Siew.
Half-boiled Seasoned Egg
The Half-boiled Seasoned Egg would have been perfect if its yolk was runny as they had got the marination right. It was a pity that it was slightly overcooked and the yolk was not runny.
Zenbu-nose
This bowl of Zenbu-nose ramen came with lots of ingredients like how it should be. If you were to take the cost of the Food Trail Coupon (i.e. $30) and divide by 3 restaurants, it means that essentially, you are paying for $10 per restaurant (do not forget, there's a free beer too).

Chew on this: Having this bowl of Zenbu-nose ramen would have covered more than 50% of your purchase of the coupon. 
The Italian Restaurant Saizeriya is one of the 12 participating restaurants.
Diners with Liang Court's Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon can get to try the US Sirlion Steak (U.P. $11.90) with Salad and Free-flow Drink Bar (U.P. $3.90).
US Sirloin Steak
The amount of food served with this coupon was astonishing. So generous! There was even a plate of rice!
Salad
 The salad which was served almost immediately after I had ordered the food.
US Sirloin Steak
The US Sirloin Steak was average. It was the most expensive on Saizeriya's menu. I felt that the steak was a tad too dry and hard. The portion of the serving was big considering the price.

So far I have tried the set meals at two participating outlets. I am impressed by the portions. I would have expected that the servings would likely be 'downsized'. But well, I was wrong. I am glad that the serving was the same as what a normal customer (without coupon) would have been served. Kudos to Liang Court and participating restaurants! The little things that matters.

I must say, this Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon is value for money. If you had not bought it and are interested in buying this coupon, its not too late. You can still utilise the vouchers on 31st July and 7 August 2013! I am definitely going back to try the other restaurants on 7 Aug!

Thank you Kase  from AsiaMalls Management for the two coupons. 

Liang Court Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails: Marutama Ramen and Saizeriya
Liang Court, 177 River Valley Road
Singapore 179030
Website
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Sunday 17 March 2013

Tampopo Restaurant (Liang Court)

Tampopo Restaurant is one of my favourite restaurant when it comes satisfying my ramen craving. It has been around for sometime, starting off with an outlet in Liang Court. Today, it is a restaurant chain serving Japanese Cuisine and has expanded to Takashimaya and also opened the Tampopo Deli at the basement of Liang Court. Tampopo is popular for its black pig ramen and first started in Liang Court.
We arrived at the restaurant at 1130am on a weekday. We were their first customer that day. Before long, the 2nd and third group of customers arrived. We were able to place our orders fairly quickly as we knew what to order before hand. We were served the green tea and the ramen without much delay.
Original Kyushu Ramen $13.50
Original Kyushu Ramen $13.50
The partner ordered the Original Kyushu Ramen. Besides the Kyushu ramen which was thin and hard, the bowl of ramen was served with tamago, black fungus, fish roe, soy sauce pork slice (char siew) and spring onions The Char Siew with a decent fat to lean meat ratio provided a melt in the mouth sensation.

The pork broth which required two days to made was made from pork bone! The pork broth was light, milky and tasty. I felt that it was a tad too salty. Nevertheless, it was still one of the better Japanese ramen around and at $13.50, it was value for money!
Deluxe Tampopo Black Pig Shabu Ramen $16.30
Deluxe Tampopo Black Pig Shabu Ramen $16.30
I ordered the Deluxe Tampopo Black Pig Shabu Ramen which was served with tampopo, corns, bamboo shoots, slices of black pig and lettuce. It was topped with lots of chilli flakes and some spring onions. The flavour of the chilli flakes did not overwhelm the taste of the pork bone broth. The broth was tasty yet forgiving. Compared to the broth from the Original Kyushu Ramen, I thought that this was more flavourful. The ramen was well cooked, retained its springiness and was not hard. It was a joy slurping the ramen along with the broth.

As the name black pig shabu suggests, the black pig was sliced thinly (paper thin) with little or no marination so that one can taste the original taste of the meat. Each piece had the right balance of fats and meat and was so soft and tender that they provided a melt in the mouth sensation. If only they gave more slices of the black pig shabu. Oishii!!!  Black Pig aka Berkshire Pig is the oldest breed of pig known originating from  Reading-Berkshire in England. It is the highest prized pork in Japan and regarded as the best quality of pork in the world. 

The Tamago (Japanese half boiled egg) was excellent. A firm and nice consistent dark brown colour on the outside. On the inside, it was soft and the egg yolk was runny - just the way a Tamago should be like. If you are keen to make your very own Tamago, you can click here for the recipe.

Overall, I felt that Tampopo's ramen was as good as Santouka's! Besides the dishes mentioned in this post, the Tonkatsu Ramen, Scoop Cake and Matcha Chiffon Cake are worth a try too. Service wise, the staff were prompt in refilling the green tea and the food got served pretty fast. To be fair, I should add that as we arrived at 1130am on a weekday, there was virtually no crowd in the restaurant. 

Tampopo Restaurant (Liang Court) 
177 River Valley Road
#01-23/24 Liang Court
Tel: 6338 3186
Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 1130am - 1030pm (last order 10pm)
                        Sunday and Public Holidays 11am - 1030pm (last order 10pm)

Tampopo Restaurant (Takashimaya) 
B2-33 Takashimaya Shopping Centre
Tel: 6235 2318
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm

Monday 7 January 2013

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (Orchard Cuppage Terrace)

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is a Japanese ramen chain, started by Hitoshi Hatanaka in 1988, in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. It all began because Hitoshi Hatanaka was not satisfied with the taste of a ramen he had at a ramen shop. Hence, he used his own recipe and started off small with only 9 seats and one item on the menu. Today, almost 25 years later, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka operates 54 ramen restaurants worldwide in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Canada as well as United States of America. 
So what made them so successful? Read on to find out.
Visited the outlet at Orchard Cuppage Terrace, next to OG Orchard Point and Centrepoint. Although it was a weekend afternoon, the restaurant was only half full, with plenty of seats available. There were more seats available outdoors compared to indoors (where it is air-conditioned). 

Chawanmushi $3.50
The Chawanmushi; steamed egg pudding with salmon roe was impressive. It was very smooth and wobbly. In terms of taste, it was amazingly aromatic and tasty! One of the better Chawanmushi I have had. Reminds me of the one from Shin Yuu Japanese Restaurant.
Shin-Aji Shoyu Ramen $3.50
I ordered the Shin-Aji Shoyu Ramen. The ramen (noodle) was quite good. Thin, curly and chewy with a smooth texture. More the ramen was springy (QQ) springy and not soggy. The broth was clear, rich and robust. Light brown in colour because soy sauce was used (hence the word 'Shoyu'). It was so aromatic with sweetness and saltiness well-balanced.

Three big pieces of Char Siew were given. They sliced at the ideal thickness for me to get a good bite on it; not too thinly sliced. The Char Siew was incredibly tender with the right ratio of meat and fats that provided it with a melt in the mouth sensation. The bamboo shoots were crunchy providing a good texture to this bowl of ramen.

The Flavored Egg / Ajitsuke (Hanjuku) Tamago / Japanese Runny Egg was perfectly cooked. Firm on the outside and yet inside, it was so soft with almost all its yolk (molten) oozing out. One of the best I around here in Singapore. If you are wondering how you can make this on your own, click here for the recipe.

All in all, the Shin-Aji Shoyu Ramen was well executed  All the ingredients used in it were superb! It was a joy savouring and slurping this bowl of ramen.
Awase-Aji (Mixed Soup Ramen) $14
Awase-Aji (Mixed Soup Ramen) $14
The partner ordered the Awase-Aji; a mixed soup ramen, served with a bowl of Japanese rice topped with crunchy fried bits had a combination of salt, soy sauce and soybean in its broth. After finishing the ramen, the Japanese rice can be added into the soup. 
After this meal, I know why there has been so many rave reviews of Ramen Santouka. It's ramen is truly outstanding. Looks like this is the Best Ramen in Singapore thus far. It overtakes Nantsuttei (Parco Marina Bay) as my favourite Japanese Ramen restaurant. Forget about Ippudo and the Ramen stalls at Bugis+ Ramen Champion in the meantime. Ramen Santouka is the place for a decent bowl of Japanese ramen!

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (Orchard Cuppage Terrace)
21 Cuppage Road
Cuppage Terrace
Tel: 6235 1059
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 12pm - 3pm, 530pm - 12am
                         Sat 12pm - 12am
                         Sun 12pm - 930pm

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (The Central)
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#02-76 The Central
Tel: 6224 0668
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 1030pm


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Monday 6 August 2012

#CookForFamily Initiative: Ajitsuke Tamago and Chilled Beancurd

#CookForFamily Initiative is initiated by Daniel Ang from Daniel's Food Diary. The objective is simple and meaningful; to get 100 bloggers (hopefully their fans and followers) to start cooking and bonding with their families. To date, he has garnered 109 bloggers to join in this initiative.

I will not call mine a meal. It is more of a side dish and dessert. Well, as the title states, I made Ajitsuke Tamago and Chilled Beancurd

Ajitsuke Tamago is actually marinated soft boiled egg. It is the egg which is frequently served with Japanese Ramen, sometimes for an extra $2. The characteristic of the Ajitsuke Tamago is that the egg whites are hard boiled (solid but soft and delicate) while the egg yolk are runny/molten. 
Marinated  Ajitsuke Tamago

Ajitsuke Tamago (when sliced into half)
This is an item which is hard to gauge the response from my parents as they do eat Ajitsuke Tamago outside. But after so many attempts they are still eating it. While my sister comment is that I have improved after the past few attempts (especially the first). But can be better. How did I made it? Click here

The dessert which I made was the Chilled Beancurd (or lao ban beancurd, not exactly similar in taste). The recipe can be found here. This is quite an easy item to make as it requires just half an hour or even less to make it. Followed by another 3 hours to chill it before it is ready to be consumed. 
Chilled Beancurd
I have been making the Chilled Beancurd frequently for consumption within the family or for friends. This is a good item to counter the heat from our scorching weather. And this is something which the family enjoys. 

I certainly enjoying making both the Ajitsuke Tamago and Chilled Beancurd. I am likely to continue making them. In fact, have been making the Chilled Beancurd biweekly. The two recipes are posted online. You can take a look at them and try making them yourselves too. Moreover, both the Ajitsuke Tamago and Chilled Beancurd will not require long hours in making it or oily utensils or risk your kitchen becoming smokey/oily. Give it a try and do give me comments on improvements if any. Have fun making it!

Thursday 26 July 2012

Ajitsuke Tamago Recipe

Home-made Ajitsuke Tamago
Ajitsuke Tamago (Japanese Runny Egg) is marinated soft boiled egg. The egg is frequently served in Japanese restaurant along with Japanese Ramen, sometimes for an extra $2 (which I feel is ridiculous..expensive..)The characteristic of the Ajitsuke Tamago is that the egg whites are hard boiled (solid but soft, delicate yet firm) while the egg yolk are runny/molten. 

I am posting the Ajitsuke Tamago Recipe here. In addition, there are several tricks to making this. I will list those that I know in this post. (If you know of any others, please let me know. So that, we can share  it in here for everyone. Thanks.)

Below is the recipe for making five Ajitsuke Tamago.

Items required:
1) Two pots (one for boiling water, the other for ice water) 
2) Thumbtack 
3) Spoon
4) Timer / Mobile phone
5) Ziplock bag / Bowl & Paper towel
6) Fridge

Ingredients: 
1) Five room temperature eggs
2) One pot of boilding water
3) One pot of ice water
4) Soy Sauce
5) Water (boiled water that has been cooled to room temperature)
6) Brown sugar 
7) Mirin (not necessary - depending on type of marination sauce)
8) Sake (not necessary - depending on type of marination sauce)

To make the Marination Sauce:
Two methods, either (a) or (b)
(a) 
2 cup water (boiled water that has been cooled to room temperature)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 tbsp brown sugar / white sugar, to taste
Combine the water, soy sauce and brown sugar. Mix well and ensure that the brown sugar has been dissolved before adding in 1 slice of ginger. You can add other ingredients such as spring onion, seasame oil, anything to your liking. Also, change the proportion of soy sauce, water, sugar to suit taste.
(b)
1 cup water (boiled water that has been cooled to room temperature)
1 cup sake
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 tbsp brown sugar / white sugar, to taste
Combine the water, sake, mirin, soy sauce and brown sugar. Mix well and ensure that the brown sugar has dissolved. You can add other ingredients such as spring onion, seasame oil, anything to your liking.   Also, change the proportion of soy sauce, water, mirin, sake, sugar to suit taste. 

Steps:
1) Pierce the base of each egg with a thumbtack to make a small hole. This will prevent the egg from cracking when placed into boiling water. (My recent past few attempts I skipped this step) 
2) Using one pot of water (enough to cover the eggs), bring it to a boil. After that, reduce the heat to bring it to a bare simmer. Gently lower the eggs in with a spoon and start the timer. 
3) Cook for 5mins and 45 seconds. Using a spoon, take out the eggs (draining away the hot water) and put them into a pot of ice water for at least 5 minutes. This process is called 'shocking', it will stop the cooking process and create a layer of air (from the difference in temperature) between the shell and membrane making it easier to peel. 
4) Gently de-shell the eggs. This is the hardest part as the egg (white) is very delicate and fragile; wobbly and soft.
5) Two ways, choose either (c) or (d)
    (c) Pour the marinade sauce into a ziplock bag, place the eggs inside and seal it, squeezing out as much air as possible. 
    (d) Pour the marinade sauce into a bowl and place the eggs inside. Cover with a paper towel so that the towel soak the sauce, hold it over the top of the eggs and marinate the whole egg (as the egg will float). 
6) Refrigerate and marinate for at least 2 hours and not more than 12 hours. 
7) Discard the marinade sauce. Serve cold immediately or store eggs in a seal container in the fridge for not more than 3 days. Other methods of serving includes letting the eggs cool to room temperature or putting them into simmering broth for 30seconds if you need to serve them warm. 

Tips:
1) Use room temperature egg
2) Use 3 to 6 day old eggs. Older eggs are easily to peel.
3) Bare simmer means that there are pin dot size bubbles rising up around the eggs. It should not be on a rolling boil as this will crack the eggs
4) Extreme care is required when peeling the eggs. Instead of tapping the eggs on a hard surface (e.g. table), put a wet towel (to cushion the impact) on the table and try to crack the egg shell on the cloth gently. Ensure, all surface area of the egg shell has small cracks before you attempt to peel it. Any excessive force will break the egg and you will have to eat it immediately. (In the first few attempts, on average I ate one egg for every five eggs I peel.) 
5) Ensure that the membranes are all peeled as they are unpleasant to eat and will cause stained patches on the eggs. This will be obviously (and unsightly) after marination
6) If this is your first attempt, make (use) more eggs than require as you may loss some due to cracking when it is cooking and some during the peeling process
7) The timing of 5mins 45secs is for making five Ajitsuke Tamago. This timing will differ depending on the size of the egg, the number of eggs, the size of the pot, amount of water and the heat control. 

The below pictures show some of the cooking process of my recent attempt:
Step 2: Cooking process
Notice the pin dot size bubbles rising up? This is what is meant by bare simmer. 
Step 3: Shocking (ice water)
For marination choose either Step 5(c) or Step 5(d).
Step 5(c): Marination 
Step 5(d ): Marination (Paper towel has not been added over it)
The outcome should be smooth and beautiful exterior with soft but firm egg white and runny egg yolk in the interior.
These were made using the above method/recipe. If you are wondering which steps I chose, for marination sauce, I used (a). For Step 5, I prefer 5(c) using the ziplock bag.

Hope this post is useful. Have fun making it! 
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