Marutama Ramen @ Central
Yes, this is yet another entry on Ramen! Yeah, I'm trying out the Rah-Rah Ramen Therapy for stressed souls. Speaking of stressed souls, its by sheer coincidence that the soup stock used at Marutama Ramen is made of chicken! Yippeee! That's Chicken Soup for your Soul with Ramen to boot! See what I told you about the Rah-Rah Ramen Therapy? If you're sick of ramen & suffering from carb overload by reading my blog, don't worry...the next one won't be on ramen...but you'd have to wait for a bit cos I don't really blog that often these days. :(
MW, JK and I were lucky that we were early enough to get a seat before the lunchtime crowd arrived. I've passed the outlet on many occasions but was always put off by the queue so there was no way that I was letting this opportunity slip by. I was elated to see a side of Daikon (stewed radish) @ S$4 on the menu and had to order a portion. I told my lunch companions that I spent alot of time during my trip to Tokyo (some years back) hunting down barbecued squid & Oden (which I affectionately called "Japanese Yong Tau Hu"). The main ingredient that I loved in Oden was the Daikon. The Daikon had been simmered in the rich chicken stock that forms the base of the delicious ramen that is served here. It was topped with Bonito flakes which added a touch of robustness to the delicate flavour of the daikon. It was the first time that MW & JK had this dish and they enjoyed it very much too! :)
MW & JK ordered the Aka Ramen @ S$15 topped with meatballs, seaweed and sesame seeds. The chicken soup base in this dish contains 7 types of nuts. The meatballs were juicy and bouncy. They were not too smooth (which is an indicator of a meatball that has been made with alot of flour paste instead of ground meat) but had a firm and chunky texture. As Marutama is famous for the stewed egg too, the girls topped up their ramens with a side of Ajituke Tamago (stewed egg) @ S$1.
I ordered the Tamago Ramen @ S$13. It's served with a slice of char siew, seaweed and the Ajituke Tamago. The chicken soup base was robust and tasty but not excessively salty. It was on all accounts a most comforting mid-day treat. The char siew was so tender it melted in the mouth. The egg texture was smooth and tasty without being overpoweringly salty. It was definitely the best that I've had amongst all the other ramen joints that I've eaten at.
However, what made this experience totally amazing was the texture of the noodles! The noodles here were unlike any other ramen that I've had and is reminiscent of the "alkali noodles" that are commonly served in Hong Kong's famous noodle shops. The noodles are thinner than the usual ramen and has a springy texture with a crunch. Its like eating al dente ramen with an added springy factor. As if the noodles and the rich soup were not orgasmic enough, there were containers of fragrant fried garlic flakes on each table to add to the ramen. The garlic flakes were not greasy but added a nutty and crispy dimension to the dish. This is my favourite ramen joint and is a MUST-TRY!!!Marutama Ra-men 6 Eu Tong Sen Street #03-90, The Central Tel: 6534-8090