We were at Takagi Ramen stall at the corner coffee shop of Block 721 AMK Central which is just a short walk from Ang Mo Kio MRT station (walk in the direction of Yio Chu Kang after alighting). Excited by raving reviews, we ordered two bowls - the Black Tonkotsu and the Chashu-men.
The tonkotsu broth was heavy bodied - rising our expectations. But, somehow there was no aroma rising from the big bowls of ramen. The thick broth also had little flavour, leaning heavily on saltiness (as opposed to layers of natural savouriness). Both of us felt thirsty for some time after tasting the broth, but were not sure if it was salt or synthetic flavour enhancers. The broth was also greasy. I could not drink up this broth - something I like to do when I enjoy the broth.
The chashu were sliced very thin. I got an additional three slices for SGD1.50, which I felt is very generous. The tender skinny chashu was a mix of fat and lean meat. It has a nice porcine flavour but soaking up the salty broth masked it's taste somewhat. The chashu lacks aroma and layered natural flavours of fresh pork.
The noodles were generic factory made.
They were cooked al dente with some spring to the bite but they felt and tasted distinctly of instant noodles.
The ajitama egg which costs an additional SGD1 was slightly overdone. It was almost flavourless.
Except for the chopped scallion which was aromatic and flavoursome, the other garnishings like bamboo shoot were crunchy but flavourless.
Starts at SGD5.50 but the add ons can add up - nevertheless, it is still more affordable than ramen restaurants.
Judging from social media comments, Takagi Ramen has a strong following. As taste is very personal and subjective, please give Takagi Ramen a try and share your experience with us.
Date visited: 4 Mar 2016
Return to Johor Kaki homepage.
Share with us how you found it :-D
ReplyDeleteFor the $5.50 version perhaps.. but agree with you, I rather go for better for a little bit more.
ReplyDelete