Vegetarian & Vegan Ramen in Johor JB. Samurai Ramen Umami

Samurai Ramen Umami from Japan is the latest ramen shop to open (on 17 Jun 2017) at AEON Jusco Tebrau's Ramen Street. It's right at the front, on the left, and the largest shop at Ramen Street.



What made me chose Samurai Ramen over all the other shops here today is their 4 NOs - they use no animal, no fish, no MSG and no alcohol. Vegan and vegetarian ramen.... interesting..... That made me curious and decided to bet my calories on Samurai Ramen today.



I ordered the Vegan Spicy Ramen at the staff's recommendation.

Before you read any further. First, a disclaimer. I am a lifelong meat eater and for ramen my favourite is no holds barred tonkotsu. Occasionally, I may order chicken but never vegetarian or vegan before. So, my perspective is coloured by my biased unrepentant carnivore taste buds.



Samurai's broth is made with seaweed and eggs. There was no aroma from the broth. The broth felt thick but I couldn't detect any umami flavour. The curry powder taste was strong, overpowering any umami flavour, if there was any. Underlying the curry powder, taste was flat saltiness. Overall, the flavour was mild. This broth reminded me of mee rebus kuah except that mee rebus soup has some sweetness for balance.



The curly noodles were thick but light. The noodles have a soft bounce but it was the instant noodle kind without any resistance at the core. These noodles felt and tasted like instant noodles.



At RM29.60 (after 10% opening celebration discount), this ramen is rather expensive given the small portion. I had to buy a piece of bread elsewhere to fill the gap in my stomach.



👉 I didn't enjoy Samurai's vegan spicy ramen as the broth tasted mainly of curry powder, the noodles were generic like instant noodle and the RM29.60 portion was not enough to fill my stomach. (I will be back to try the non spicy version.)

But, please don't take my word for it as I am a carnivore. Vegetarians and vegans can give this a try - now everyone can enjoy ramen in Johor Bahru. Vegetarian and vegan friends please share your views on Samurai Ramen in the comments 😄 Looking forward to your sharing 😄



Restaurant name: Samurai Ramen Umami
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
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm

No pork, no lard, no Halal cert    

Date visited: 21 Jun 2017    

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