Update 29 May 2019. Passing by Kibou-ken ramen at AEON Mall Tebrau City, I saw that they have a good promotion on. I am already a fan of Kibou-ken ramen, so this offer just makes it irresistible for me.
The deal is simple - buy a main course on the left and get a side dish on the right, free of charge.
I ordered my usual classic Tonkotsu Ajitama Ramen (price RM29.30++).
For free side, I chose Don Setto Chashu to maximise the chashu I am getting for the RM29.30++ deal 😜 The deal also comes with free, free flow of green tea.
The Tonkotsu broth was exactly the way I like it. Thick and heavy bodied. Full flavoured layered savoury saltiness with underlying subtle natural porcine sweetness. There were also hints of sesame seed taste and aroma.
Customers can choose how they like their ramen done. I forgot to specify, so I got the default ½ a notch below al dente. Still, I like the soft springy bite of the moderately heavy noodles. The slurpy noodles picked up lots of tasty savoury soup.
Nice.
The chashu is sliced thin with layers of skin, fat and lean meat. They were tender, soft and juicy with nice porcine sweetness and savouriness.
Altogether, it's a very nice, classic Tonkotsu ramen.
The runny yolk, seasoned Ajitama eggs were quite eggy, flavoursome. If you don't eat eggs, you can opt out and save RM3 off the bill.
The free Don Setto Chashu just lets me indulge myself in chashu to wild abundant. I was just so stuffed with all the porky goodness.
We also had the Shoyu Ajitama Ramen (RM29.30++).
For the free side, we picked the Age Gyoza (crispy fried dumpling with minced pork, chive and onion filling).
The Shoyu soup was watery light but packed with quite intense savoury salty flavour. I like it too.
They used the curly, rubber bandy type of noodle for the shoyu ramen, the type of noodle which I don't really like. But, it turned out that the way Kibou Ken does it, the soft springy noodles weren't too bad 😄 Can also lah.
More gorgeous paper thin chashu to indulge in.
Recommended for you 👍 Really glad that we picked Kibou-Ken for our dinner this evening. Everything was so delicious. Service was impeccable. The Japanese manager was so professional and polite. The young staff were earnest and eager to give of their best. All these for RM68.00. It's over value for money.
Kibou Ken is one of half dozen ramen shops inside AEON Mall Tebrau City's Ramen Street on level 2. Kibou Ken is right inside on the right hand side.
Restaurant name: 希望軒 Kibou-ken
Address: Level 2, AEON Tebrau City Mall, 1 Jalan Desa Tebrau, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°32'56.8"N 103°47'46.3"E 🌐 1.549110, 103.796183
Tel: 07-361 5537
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 29 May 2019
Archive post dated 26 May 2017. As I am a ramen fan, I am very happy that AEON Jusco Tebrau mall has launched a Ramen Street (on level 2). Today, I visited 希望軒 Kibou-ken, a ramen chain from Kobe, Japan.
AEON Tebrau's Ramen Street is made up of several small ramen shops. 希望軒 Kibou-ken is right inside and it is the shop on the right.
Tokyo Kibou-ken Ramen is a Japanese franchise with 38 outlets in Japan - this is the chain's first overseas outlet. It says something about Johor's growing F&B scene that Tokyo Kibou-ken have chosen Johor Bahru to enter the Malaysia market.
希望軒 Kibou-ken is compact inside but comfortable. I actually prefer ramen shops that feel intimate because I do feel a bond with fellow ramen enthusiasts. I also like to watch the steamy action in the open kitchen while I slurp my noodles 😄
As this was my first time here, I opted for the classic Tonkotsu Ramen.
When the bowl of ramen arrived at my table, the first thing that struck me was the lovely porky aroma from the tonkotsu broth.
I can't wait to get a taste of that creamy looking broth.
Indeed, it was as good as it looked and smelled. The pork and chicken broth has a full round body. It feels heavy on the tongue but quite smooth.
The broth tasted savoury in layers from the pork, chicken and salts. A sprinkle of lightly toasted sesame seeds completes the broth giving it subtle toasty notes. It had just the right robustness and was well balanced. So well balanced, that I did not even bother to look at the set of condiments and flavoured oils on my table - I was afraid that adding them would simply ruin the finely tuned broth.
The chashu was mostly lean, tender and sliced thin. It tasted gently savoury with subtle natural porky sweetness. I don't really like this lean type of chashu.
My preference is for chashu with more fat, sliced thicker, softer, and juicy with more natural sweetness.
The tamago egg has a nice infused gentle savoury flavour though it was a touch overdone.
At Kibou-ken, we can specify the noodles' doneness. The default is half a notch below al dente which is the local preference. Remember to inform the staff of the doneness you want. I like my noodles done tender on the surface with a bit of resistance at the core.
Kibou-ken does not collect GST but charges a 10% service tax.
👉 I enjoyed 希望軒 Kibou-ken's ramen because I like their broth very much. It would have been perfect for me if the chashu was the thick, soft and juicy kind. Next time, I will ask for the thick, fat and jiggly soft cut.
Restaurant name: 希望軒 Kibou-ken
Address: Level 2, AEON Tebrau City Mall, 1 Jalan Desa Tebrau, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°32'56.8"N 103°47'46.3"E | 1.549110, 103.796183
Tel: 07-361 5537
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Non Halal
👆 Kibou-ken in Japan.
Date visited: 26 May 2017, 29 May 2019
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I just went there a few days ago to try their spicy miso ramen. Was lucky to get a promotion that time where you can order a bowl of miso ramen and receive a free Japanese fried rice. Overall, the food was fantastic and the staffs were very friendly (especially the Japanese guy who served us). I would really recommend you to try their spicy miso ramen! You won't regret it.
ReplyDeleteMuch love from a foodie.