Ramen Democracy
By Lorraine Koh - Wednesday, Aug 31, 2011
Ramen was never meant to be fancy. If you’ve ever been to the famous ramen stalls in Tokyo, they are packed with wearied Japanese folk, huddled over their bowls, noodles being slurping loudly, and chit-chatting is usually frowned upon.
Chowing down ramen in Singapore usually spells a different experience altogether. Enter the glitzy and glamorous Ultimate Ramen Champion – six famous ramen stalls from different parts of Japan battling it out for one year to win over the taste buds of Singaporeans. They get to vote for their favourite, and the winner is crowned the Ultimate Ramen Champion.
The concept for Ultimate Ramen Champion is pure genius. It is like being part of a Japanese reality cooking show, but then just like that idol singing competition program, good vocals does not equal winning the title. Do the majority really know quality when they see it, or in the case, eat it?
The Ultimate Ramen Champion is usually packed with a mix of yuppies and hipsters. Each stall has its fair share of customers, although we notice that the Menya Iroha stall which specializes in Black Shoyu Ramen and Traditional Miso with Chili Mara Ramen has the longest queue.
Junko Hayashi, a Japanese lady who resides in Singapore remarked that “good ramen needs to be authentic, aromatic with fresh ingredients. Noodles need to have a good texture, soup should not be too thick and the egg has to be well marinated. But most importantly, while eating the ramen dish, I need to feel the effort put in by the ramen chef.”
We tried the Special Miso Ramen from the Gantetsu stall, which hails from Sapporo. Corn niblets are a signature addition to Sapporo ramen and the sweetness of the corn helps to balance out the saltiness of the miso broth. However, we still find the broth on the salty side. The fatty pork slices melt in your mouth and we love the well-marinated semi-soft-semi-hard-boiled egg that comes with it. We also ate the Paitan Tsukemen (Dip Ramen in pork and chicken broth) from Tetsu. Just like our “dry” noodle dishes, the soup and noodles are placed in separated bowls. You are supposed to dip the noodles in the broth before slurping it up. The noodles and broth have to be eaten this way, as the broth itself is rather thick and oily with a salty aftertaste. The starchiness of the noodles helps to balance the flavour.
Is there a difference between the Japanese and the Singaporeans when it comes to taste? Masaki Yorozuya, chef at Gantetsu answered, “It may be due to the cold in Sapporo, but the Japanese tend to lean towards a saltier and strong taste. Singapore customers prefer their dishes to be less salty.”
Kentaro Hashimoto, chef at the Taishoken stall commented: “Japanese yearn for a more nostalgic taste when it comes to their ramen. Singaporeans like to try new and more radical dishes.”
What’s the reason behind some stalls having a longer queue than others then? Hashimoto gave a candid response. “Singaporeans are not too familiar with the different types of ramen, so they base their purchase on the pictures on the menus,”he said. “A lot of young ladies come to the Ultimate Ramen Champion and they are probably more attracted to great looking images of ramen. We are in the process of making our menu prettier.”
Ultimate Ramen Champion 2011 Singapore
1st July 2011 to 30th July 2012
201 Victoria Street, ILUMA @ Bugis #04-08/09/10
62381011
Open daily from 11.30am to 10.30pm (Note that the Bario stall closes from 3pm to 6pm at times, we advise you to call prior to check.)
