24-hr eatery with yakiniku, truffle ramen & black sesame pearl BBT

Kazutake Ramen opened at Ang Mo Kio in early Oct toting round the clock opening hours very similar to a sure ramen joint that holds dominion over our late-night supper runs. Curious to see what they’ve performed in a different way from that competitor that has branches throughout Singapore, I discovered a while to drop by.

Visibility is a non-issue as anybody strolling by will see their identify at the least 3 occasions. Orders could be made on the exterior kiosks and a pair of small tables outdoors function a final resort when indoor seating turns into untenable.

We have been glad to search out the eatery itself was air-conditioned, sporting decor considerably resembling a typical ramen restaurant in Japan. The Ukiyo-e wallpapers positively do a lot of the heavy lifting right here.

Compared to their well-established counterpart, Kazutake Ramen is rather more spacious. But I used to be bumping into the outward-slanting chairs extra occasions than I might depend.

What I attempted at Kazutake Ramen

Noticing Yakiniku Ramen (S$10.50) was on the menu, we needed to order it over extra frequent classics like Chashu Ramen (S$10.50). Maybe I had been on a careless streak that day as a result of the runny yolk erupted moments after the tray reached our desk.

The thinly sliced pork had me consulting the receipt to verify that we had certainly positioned an order of Yakiniku Ramen because the meat regarded nothing like barbequed meat. No siree, the pale strips of what might be pork stomach have been wanting loads like beef from probably their Gyu Niku Ramen (S$12.50). After chucking a thick portion into my mouth, I’d posit a better probability that it was pork.

The good steadiness of fats and tender meat was offset by a simmering sauce that leaned an excessive amount of on its savoury notes. I’ve had salty meat in donburi earlier than however none have ever compelled a grimace from me. It was the cramping sensation that follows when an sudden flavour hits your tongue — wholly disagreeable. Subsequent mouthfuls have been a lot better as soon as my style buds acclimated.

It’s value noting the eatery makes use of largely rooster broth for his or her ramen. Within the case of our Yakiniku Ramen, it was a contact too gentle. By some means, this managed to work in my favour because the broth managed to cleanse the vestigial harm left by the pork. 

The ramen noodles have been nonetheless springy, barely clinging on to their preliminary firmness as we had let the bowl sit for some time. There was hardly any alkaline style, which can please some however I want my noodles to have a definite alkaline flavour.

A standard addition to ramen, the kikurage affords a chewier texture in distinction to the opposite parts of our doubtful Yakiniku Ramen. It bordered on tasteless, due to the modestly-flavoured broth, however I appreciated it nonetheless.

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I’d not have the ability to forgive myself if I didn’t strive Kazutake’s Truffle Mazemen (S$10.90). It turned out to be much less plentiful in elements than a conventional bowl of mazemen, however the portion of meat made up for its lack of selection. I couldn’t for the lifetime of me determine a single component of truffle anyplace.

The cuts of pork have been nothing wanting sinful. With cubes of fats that appeared to have been particularly reduce and a stunning brown sauce drizzled over each piece, it was a discordant mixture of candy and savoury that was sometimes underscored by fats that dissolved in a buttery flash.

The pungency of truffle was noticeable all through and an excessive umami was additionally tossed into the combo however the overpowering scent made it onerous to discern its supply. As a truffle lover, I welcomed the surge of musky aroma, however I can see that others is probably not as receptive. I narrowed the offender right down to both truffle oil or a mix of the sauce. 

This time, I used to be cautious to prick the yolk solely on Joseph’s (our new workers on the Video group) command. For the reason that mazemen was served with just a few shredded nori on the facet, I made a decision to combine the yolk with the noodles for added richness. In any other case, I normally eat them complete.

Regardless of their stiffness by the point I set to work on the mazemen, the noodles have been resuscitated with a single spoonful of ramen broth (and a few forceful tossing). They have been simply the correct texture with some spring to enhance the mushy and fatty meat.

We opted to have a facet of Salmon Mentaiko Maki (S$11.50). It got here neatly organized on a slender tray with a dollop of wasabi and a small serving of pickles. Sandwiched between the rice have been small strips of tamago, cucumber and crab stick. Disappointingly, the style was lower than par with its presentation. I skilled a short mouthfeel of salmon at finest whereas the remainder of my senses have been swept up within the torched mentaiko sauce.

A dab of wasabi delivered a stronger kick to my nostrils, however couldn’t save an insubstantial serving of salmon on each maki. Some generosity with barely thicker slices would have performed loads for the dish given how a lot rice there was. 

The Torimomo (S$6 for 4pcs) have been totally coated in wealthy yakitori sauce. Every bit of rooster thigh was tender and well-seasoned with a slight char that introduced a smoky depth to the dominant soy sauce and mirin scent.

Bubble tea can also be out there at Kazutake Ramen. Taro Milk (S$3.50) and Milk Tea (S$3.50) are fairly commonplace for any boba retailer, however their Black Sesame Pearls (S$1) is perhaps attractive to some bubble tea lovers. Not like tapioca, the black sesame pearls have been bouncy and simply burst from a chew, injecting their candy nutty tones into my already aromatic Taro Milk.

Closing ideas

Kazutake Ramen efficiently distances itself from the outstanding competitors with its sashimi and sushi, in addition to a spacious inside. Critiques point out that they appear to be mired with operational troubles so I’ll give them the good thing about the doubt on the attainable ramen hiccup.

Finally, if I’m dying for Japanese meals whereas the solar is up and about, I’d be wanting elsewhere. In any other case, they’re an honest choice to suppress these uncontrollable late-night pangs or in case you’re close by and might’t spare the time to journey.

Anticipated harm: S$8.50 – S$11.50 per pax

Order Supply: foodpanda 

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