(Central Park, Jl. Letjen S. Parman No.28, RT.12/RW.6)Sometimes the hunt for perfection takes a sudden turn and spurs you headlong into an out-of-body experience, where life flashes before your eyes, memories of loved ones flood your sight-field, and a deep welling erupts from within at the first sip of broth.
Today was one of those days. A literal hour spent in heavy traffic, driver blasting Ed Sheeran, finally arrive at the ramen spot and my heart sinks, there is a huge line. I hobble to the front and ask the server if I can just sit at the counter, since there are spaces for solo revellers. They go "Oh yes of course". I rush in, enormously relieved to turn my back on the screaming kids behind me, order the special Tonkotsu adding some bean sprouts.. After what felt like an eternity, the steaming bowl is placed before me and I knew instantly that this would be a winner. I took my first sip. BOOOOM! This is exactly what i'm talking about, rich, umami bomb of flavour, but not swimming in grease or fatback. Ironically enough, the place was rammed to the rafters with Japanese ex-pats too so I guess everyone appreciates a break from the gut-pummelling broths of other places here. Noodles full of texture, chashu pork that filtered into oblivion at the mere touch, egg cooked to perfection and marinated in the exact way I like it, and the broth.. that deep, unctuous, divine broth that never got sickly or overpowering down to the last drop. 10/10 TAKE A BOW
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(Jl. Mahakam No.11, RT.1/RW.6, Kramat Pela) The curse of authenticity strikes again.
Drawing rabid adulation from the 20,000 strong Japanese ex-pat (immigrant) community in Jakarta, this ramen house is on the tip of everyone's tongues as being the place to go. I read various blog posts about the Tonkotsu ramen here, and stumbled upon one by Ramengvrl who raved about it's dodgy exteriors but delicious food. Once again I summoned a Go Jek scooter, today was slightly milder so the ride was more pleasant. I'd read that its on the 4th floor of an unassuming office building and has a rather washed out sign outside. The scooter pulled up, I saw the faded sign, asked the guard and he pointed and said "4th floor". I climbed the first set of stairs which honestly looked like you were entering an abandoned building, and found the elevator. Walking out is like entering a mini labyrinth. The place is HUGE but is all dissected into seperate rooms, one brandishing an old Bar, another the "smoking room", and the one I chose was full of windows overlooking the city. Tonkotsu Ramen, cold coke. The chefs watched eagerly from the kitchen as I took my first sip. Hmmm... incredibly rich, with a slightly fishy aftertaste. It was decent, but no better or worse than many before it. The troubling thing was the manner in which 0.5cm lumps of white fat were floating on the surface like icebergs ready to sink the titanic. I tried to spoon them to the side and tried the egg. Marinated, cooked well, but far too sweet for my taste. The pork also was slightly disappointing, it wasn't super tender at all and was cut too thick. I added some togarashi hoping to cut the fatty taste a little, but it was pointless. The noodles were perfect ramen noodles. The soup tasted good, but it was literally like eating a stick of butter or duck fat. I only managed 1/3 before I had to throw in the towel or face a re-run of Tatsunoya where we both had to down miniature bottles of Aquavit just to keep the broth down. I understand completely why this is super popular with Japanese people because in Japan every time we were recommended a place it turned out to be incredibly fatty or "heavy" taste. The only exception was when the 63 year old owner of JBS recommended the old school shoyu place Kiraku, which has forever remained the first stop I will ever go to in Tokyo after I land. Epic depth of flavour but no swimming pool of fat on top. Of course its a different style, but Kiraku, Danbo and plenty others manage to create immense depth of flavour and umami out of their Tonkotsu stock without it being sickly overwhelming. 6/10 (Jl. Radio Dalam Raya No.9 RT)The last time I was in Jakarta was in 2001 after an insane cockroach-infested 28 hour ferry ride from Singapore. The city was flooded, and we just headed for Jalan Jaksa like every clueless backpacker and left 2 days later on the train to Surabaya. I hadn't given Jakarta a real chance. Well, now was the time.
I headed to Mondo Bar and within 5 minutes a severely inebriated Japanese man came over introducing himself and offering me Sake! I gladly obliged, and sat with him for a few minutes chatting. He had lived in Jakarta for 15 years and immediately asked me if I liked Ramen. Well, yes. Chicken broth Ramen: Seirock!! OISHI! I woke up a tad worse for wear, and grabbed a Go Jek motorbike and rode 20 minutes through swarming traffic and the cough of exhausts. He dropped me off right outside the restaurant which boasted a huge NO PORK RAMEN sign outdoors to assure the Muslims. The ground floor was completely packed, and the sweat started appearing at the thought of having to share a table. The waitress came over and motioned for the 2nd floor... Hallelujah! Almost nobody upstairs, so I could find a distant table on which to focus my attention. I had heard good things about their Shio Ramen so I opted for that as an introduction. It came surprisingly fast along with a cold coke to mend the discrepancies of last nights enthusiasm. This was a good bowl of ramen, in fact, it was a great bowl of ramen. There's only one problem. It was totally authentic, made for the Japanese palate, and not for westerners. This is a good thing, of course, but one thing that stumps me always in Japan is when the soup is too "thick", "heavy", "rich". Its literally like drinking gravy out of a saucepan, something that could be delicious for a couple of mouthfuls and then begins to tire you completely and cause your system to shut down. I can't fault them for the execution, it's literally just down to what you're used to, or grown up with. Some things you can adapt to over time, for sure, but some things are just a stretch too far (like stinky tofu in Taipei). Noodle-wise, they were excellent. Chewy and textured. The brown meat of the chicken was superb, really flavoursome. The white meat was rather dry and tough, much like the chicken in the fridge the second day of Christmas. The egg was nicely seasoned but slightly overdone for my taste. The broth was unctuous and rich, but incredibly fatty, so much so that your entire mouth was coated with it long after. Thank goodness not all Ramen shops follow the "Heavy-Taste" ethos, so the rest of us can escape after our meals without having to lie down and drink gallons of Aquavit to cut through the curdling oils and fatback pieces. Each to their own 7/10 Jalan Sunset Road Blok 4 - 5 No. 225XA mans gotta do, what a mans gotta do.
Craving a bowl of proper ramen after multiple failed attempts I took matters into my own hands today and Go-Jek'ed 10 kilometers to Kuta (Hell spawn of evil satanic underworld) after reading that they had an Ikkousha there. The time spent on clogged roads with a driver blasting the Spice Girls was all worth it when the bowl of Tonkotsu ramen came, oily, glistening, perfectly cooked egg yolk staring back from a half-submerged stance, and the promise of thick-noodles lying underneath. It didn't disappoint. The noodles were great, slightly thicker which I love, and cooked to perfection. The pork literally offered no resistance. The egg, albeit not marinated, had perfect texture. The broth was deep, fatty, oily but not overpowering. A triumph in the back-alleys of Kuta. A reason to live. 8/10 (Jl. Tukad Batanghari 10 B, Denpasar, Dauh Puri Klod)In the hunt for great bowls of Ramen all over the world, one has to contend with disappointment. It's part and parcel of narrowing down the search and finding those golden tickets in the most unlikely of locations. Today was not one of them.
I should have trusted my gut instinct upon entering the shabby interior with paint scraping off the walls and one waiter playing with his phone in the far corner, oblivious to life. I perused the horribly out of focus menu and decided to risk the Tonkotsu Ramen because the other one bragged about "lashings of sweetcorn", which in my book does NOT belong... it's like pineapple on pizza. Here it came. Thank goodness I ordered the small portion. First taste: butter..... butter... BUTTER? This wasn't Sapporo style where they frequently lob a huge chunk of butter in for shits and giggles. The taste was overpowering and ruined the whole broth for me. Besides, this wasn't close to Tonkotsu broth, it was neither rich nor milky from hours of cooking down bones. The egg was nothing to write home about. The noodles were completely over-cooked so they stuck together, but the biggest disappointment was the Chashu. It was so tough that some parts were impossible to bite off. The flavour of the pieces I could wrangle away were decent, but the whole point is "melt-in-your-mouth". Steer clear of this place on all accounts. 3/10 (Jl. Raya Puputan, Sumerta Kelod, Denpasar Tim)Literally a few hours ago on Bittermanreviews I was waxing critical about the severe lack of decent Pho in Bali. I had set out to hit up a Ramen spot around the corner from my hotel, but ended up wasting my 20 minute walk because it was closed on Tuesdays. I then decided to head to the mall to stock up on some red wine for later, and as I was passing the supermarket I noticed a small Vietnamese Pho place tucked in the corner. Curiosity got the better of me, and thank God it did.
I skimmed through the first page which introduced the restaurant and had some story about an immigrant moving to Australia from Ho Chi Minh and starting there, thus ending up becoming a chain. Now, in most European countries Chain Restaurants are usually met with scorn, but in Asia (and specifically in Vietnam + Japan) a lot of the best Ramen + Pho come from places with multiple branches, so it's nothing to scoff at. I ordered the regular Beef Pho with meatballs (which arrived later, hence are not in the photo), and first of all sipped the broth before adding anything to it. Totally decent. Good background notes, nothing too overpowering. The noodles were fair, the condiments all in their place, the beef a tad on the chewy side, meatballs good and the little jar of chilli sauce they had on the side was excellent. Overall the best Pho I have had in Bali, and even beats a few places in Vietnam too. 7/10 (Jl. Gootama No.13, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571)Having spent the better part of the morning reading blogs and articles about the food scene in Ubud, this restaurant kept popping up consistently, with many people raving about their Coconut Curry Noodles with Chicken. Not one to fancy missing out on an epic bite, I gathered my thoughts and headed over two blocks west. The small restaurant was already packed to the brim with smiling customers, and the familiar complaint of a foreigner saying "It's too spicy, I cannot eat".
I ordered the "legendary" Chicken Coconut Curry Noodles and an ice cold Bintang. The dish was immensely attractive when it arrived at the table, laden with fresh herbs, vibrant colours and a rich peppering of chilli (I asked for it spicy, and after checking twice, she agreed). The food was spot on in terms of noodles, tender chicken, great assortment of herbs, spices, vegetables to give it depth and diversity. The only issue with almost all things coconut-milky, is that it gets very heavy to eat after a few spoonfuls. I face the same issue in Thailand with Green Curry, unless the restaurant thins it out which is preferable. All in all, this was a good meal, just bordering on the nauseating after consuming half the bowl. Perhaps if a couple went they could share this along with another dish and that might be the perfect amount, because you really can have too much of a good thing. 7.5/10 (Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud, bali, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571)My past experiences with Pho in Bali have been utterly disastrous. The place in Canggu almost made me angry at how far from the real-deal their Pho was. Here in Ubud, Pho Hwitta had the highest ratings and some favourable reviews, and after watching a Matty Matheson clip on youtube where he started the show by saying "I could eat Pho every day for breakfast", I got a sudden pang to eat some.
Hobbled onto my scooter, shot through the small town, filled up gas, drove through the Sacred Monkey Forest (little hitlers), and parked outside the shop. Order came pretty fast, service=exemplary as usual. The first thing that struck me was the murky colour of the broth. Pho is usually almost like a consommé in its clarity, but this was more like a muddled beef stock. Onto the tasting: - Broth was actually quite decent, looks aside. - Noodles were fair. - Beef was acceptable. - Condiments were appropriate although the basil looked like it died 2 weeks ago. Overall the best Pho I have eaten in Bali, by a landslide, but thats not really saying much. 6.5/10 (Petulu, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571)I struggled to decide whether a Ramen blog could post about a noodle dish (sans-broth), but came to the conclusion that this was worthy of a space here, and Tsukemen noodles are similar just with a dipping bowl on the side. Anyway.
Late night beers at LaRamona guided me here. I casually asked the chef if he knew of any great noodle spots in town and he immediately said "Fu Shou". I wrote it down, planned on visiting the day after and midway through the afternoon I found it a short scooter ride from my hotel. The owner was in the kitchen and immediately smiled at my RAMEN t-shirt. We ended up having a good long chat after what ended up being a great meal. I ordered the farm-raised Chicken Noodles and a Wonton Soup on the side. The home-made noodles were full of texture, great chew, great flavour and had been lightly tossed in soy/sesame seed oil. The chicken was also moist and delicious. It was a perfect lunch, and i'd never imagine finding such quality noodles in a small storefront in Ubud. 8.5/10 16, Jl. Goutama Sel., Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571I walked a mile through small alleyways to find the most reputed Babi Guling place in town, found it, sat down, ordered the ´spesial´ and waited. About 5 minutes later the waitress returned to inform me that they were out of pork skin (half the reason I went), so I politely cancelled my order and walked towards home. On the way I spotted La-Mien and remembered the chef from Laramona saying their ramen was pretty decent. I don't need much encouragement.
The service was exceptionally friendly, as is in most of Indonesia, and I quickly ordered their Shoyu Ramen and sat in the window patiently. It was a half-success. The broth on first taste was pretty decent, the noodles had a nice bite to them, the mound of vegetables was actually relief for the salty attack of the soup, the egg was a definite fail and the pork had some tender delicious spots and other tough, dry ones. As happens with many bowls, sometimes if its a bit "strong" or overpowering in the first sip, you get very palate-bored of it by the halfway point, and this was no exception. I struggled to finish more than half of the soup and concentrated instead on polishing off the noodles. A decent effort, but with a bit of guidance this could be a winner. 6/10 (Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571)As anyone knows, after a few days in a new place I get cravings for Ramen. Today I woke up fairly late and decided to walk all the way to the restaurant from my guesthouse. A good 40 minute walk in the humid Balinese afternoon.
I ordered the Shio Ramen, partly because the other options were Shoyu and a fish-based broth which I am not usually a fan of. The ramen took forever to arrive, which is not normal in Japanese restaurants. It was not worth the wait. The noodles were fairly acceptable, and still had some chew to them. The pork was excellent but I only got one small slice. The egg was literally just a hard boiled egg, no seasoning or marinade and a few minutes off perfection (to my taste), but the biggest disappointment was the most important thing: the broth. Totally devoid of any flavour, depth, umami, just a really bland chicken stock with some sesame seeds strewn on top like an afterthought. 4/10 323 Phạm Ngũ Lão, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão You know when you recommend a place, and its bloody marvellous, and then friends go there a couple months later and go "Huh? WTF is so great about that?"... and invariably you find out the chef quit or the place is under new management, or that you just have really bad taste.
I discovered this place 2 years ago via an old lady who ran my Airbnb who said "Ignore the tourists, the locals are all on the 2nd and 3rd floor because this is the best in Saigon". And bloody hell she was right. I went multiple times, took friends, recommended it to friends, had generally only positive feedback and was so looking forward to trying it again except, it was not great when I went last week. (my previous review). However, sometimes you have to give it another go, and tonight I did... and by far this was the greatest bowl of Pho I have ever eaten in my life. The broth was divine, the noodles, the brisket, the accompaniments, the sauces, and thinly sliced onions, I cannot fault a single thing on this dish, and therefore stick strongly to the fact that Pho Quynh is going to be almost impossible to beat ever. 10/ 10 (31 Trương Định - Bến Thành, Quận 1) Not to be confused with Pho 54, this place near Ben Thanh Market was recommended by many local websites. Funnily enough, my grab driver uttered something in Vietnamese when I jumped off there and I will never know if he was saying "STAY AWAY" or "GOOD CHOICE". Regardless of his misunderstood yelpings, I found a table and decided to go for the brisket + raw beef Pho since they had already run out of the "special".
First thing I do when a bowl of Pho arrives at the table is not to reach for the condiments, or herbs, or sauces, or anything, but just dip my spoon in and taste the broth. After-all herbs are pretty much the same all over, beef is beef (in varying qualities), hot sauces are usually bog-standard, chillis are incalculably similar in such establishments, and the noodles are usually either the thin ones or the thick ones, but it's rice noodles so there is very little to distinguish apart from the cooking. The secret of a good Pho is 90% in the broth. Some broths hit you with flavour and then decimate your palate after 6 sips, some are so thin and tasteless that the longer you try to find anything worth writing home about, the less you find.... and then there are the bowls that at first you think "Hmm, not amazing but ok"... and the longer you dive down, adding some lime juice and chillis, or herbs after the first few sips, then you find yourself enjoying what tasted bland before (I don't know whether this is to the credit of the chef, or customer for making a so-so bowl taste good with his/her own additions). Quynh and Hung manage that balance without having to add anything to the bowl, but 1954 was definitely the third best I have tasted after a vast foray into the top rated (and some lesser rated) places in Ho Chi Minh. I admit, I did have to add quite a lot of chillis + chilli sauce which I normally don't do, but then suddenly it tasted really good. I would definitely go back and try the special one day. 7/10 (8a/2b2 Thái Văn Lung, Bến Nghé, Quận 1) Authenticity of local food always throws up a lot of arguments.
- Is it palatable for the western taste. - Should they alter their food to make it more accessible? In Ho Chi Minh, there is a small enclave predominantly made for the huge Japanese ex-pat and business community that frequent the area. For this reason, the food they make here is 100% in keeping with what Japanese people like, and they are not watering it down to appeal to a few curious tourists. Having spent a lot of time in Japan, and eaten a lot of bowls of ramen this can be both good news and bad (for me). Good in the sense that I like a lot of what the Japanese find palatable, but also, they definitely have a tendency to like things "Rich", "Fatty", "Oily", "Heavy-taste", which can translate as being "I think i'm going to be sick after half a bowl". This is one of those establishments. Before I ordered, the waitress gave me a card in English saying "This soup is for Japan taste, so maybe foreign think it too salt or rich". Well, I took my chance, and the problems were not the saltiness of the broth (even tho it was intensely salty, well, I did order the Shio-Tonkotsu knowingly), but the fact that it had very little other characteristics other than salt. It lacked the depth, the umami, of other great Ramens in the same area (Tomidaya + Danbo are both exceptional). The egg was a shade under so it still had "snotty-white parts" but tasted good, the noodles were bog standard, the pork was chewier than I like but fairly decent, and the wood-ear mushrooms were much more "toothsome" than i've experienced anywhere before. All in all it was an experience, and a place I am glad I tried, but won't be going back to because regardless of whether the textures or tastes were not to "our" palate, there also is the fact about good or bad TASTING food. This was not great. 5/10 (260C Pasteur, Street, Ward 8, Quận 3) Doing this labour of love entails trying a lot of different places, and only finding a few real gems. That is pretty much the journey of life too. Having had so many amazing bowls of ramen or soup at "chain restaurants" in Japan and Asia, I am not necessarily put off by the term. However, mom + pop stores specialising in one certain style, almost always beat out the competition.
This is true in the case for Hoa (a chain). I was originally going to try Minh, but they close at 11 am and I flew in last night and needed my ugly sleep. I caught a Grab Moto up to Pasteur, almost smacked straight into a brand new BMW, then had a man literally 1 cm from running into me on the back of the bike until I shouted and he looked up in the last split second, got to the place, noticed it was packed with locals, found a table and ordered. The noodles were over-cooked. The broth was that insipid sweet clear broth that can sometimes pack such a punch, but didn't at all... it didn't even taste that great when I threw in the bean sprouts, basil, culantro, chilli's and a dose of hot sauce. This was an exercise in futility. Nothing could save it. I politely ate about half, then threw in the towel and headed back to my room. Screw the reviews, next bowl of Pho I am having is going to be at Quynh!!! The undisputed GODS OF PHO IN SAIGON!!!!!! 5/10 (Don Mueng Terminal 2) Airport food is usually a ramshackle event. A conscious choice to get a cheeky McDs or BK, or a microwaved burger sold in a "Irish Pub" called Flanagans or Molly's. Either way, its a tie-over until the grave disappointment of in-flight food comes rolling your way.
At Don Muang Airport, they opened a branch of Ippudo in Terminal 2. Not my favourite place to eat ramen, generally, but a far better option than the golden arches at midday with a slight groggy feeling resonating deep inside. It looks like this place hasn't been here long since the staff were in complete disarray, beside the fact that there were only 3 customers and 9 staff members. I ordered, the food came, they had "run out" of eggs already at lunch-time. Not a great sign. What followed was a fairly ok attempt, for being an airport. The broth was so-so, the noodles were boring, the pork was sufficiently tender and they added beansprouts which I loved. Nothing to write home about, but better than popping next door to the countless fast food options. 5/10 (3/2 Sukhumvit Rd, Khwaeng Khlong Tan Nuea) The holy grail for Shoyu Ramen in Bangkok has surely been found? Upon publishing my review of Uma Uma, one of the managers kindly wrote to thank me for my review, but also suggested if I wanted a great Shoyu Ramen, to head to his personal favourite. Since it was just around the corner from Studio Lam, and a 15 minute walk from my hotel, I simply had to try it today for lunch.
The spot is a small, cosy ramen shop with counter space up front and seating in the back for families and bigger groups. I hid on the corner part and ordered their speciality Shoyu with extra pork. The menu described it as the stock being a mix of vegetables, chicken and pork bones, and bonito (which can polarise some people due to its "fishy taste") so I already had in mind what it would taste like. However, this was flavour + Dark, umami-packed broth, absolutely sensational pork (some of the best I've ever eaten), and a well cooked egg along with the slight difference of Soba Noodles instead of "regular" ramen noodles. The soba were cooked to perfection, the chew was excellent and the overall texture was spot on. I was dying to find a good Shoyu place in town since its not every day you feel like eating a calorie-laden bowl of Tonkotsu, so I am forever grateful to the Uma Uma person for tipping me off about this. In the years to come this will feature heavily on my Bangkok agenda. 9/10 (39/1 Sukumvit 23, Klongtoey Nua) Seriously? Third day in a row?
Yes. I have just spent 5 months in Norway where I have not been able to find a decent bowl of ramen, so coming to the land of Thai food it sound incredulous to spend my first few days gorging on ramen, but I am an addict.... and I am not ashamed to say it. Besides, I already had a couple of great Thai meals and will be here another month so there is plenty of time. Now onto the ramen. Uma Uma, never been before, took a cab, ordered, waited patiently in the hopes that this could be the next best thing... it ALMOST was. Noodles were of the ultra-thin type which is not my personal fave, but still had some bite to them. The broth was deep, rich, not too fatty, perfectly balanced, the Chashu was up there with some of the best ever: MELT-ON-YOUR-TONGUE tender, full of flavour, absolutely incredible. Egg was cooked a few seconds the wrong side of perfect, but made up for it in leaps and bounds with the marinade, a deep smokey soy flavour. I also love when anyone puts bean sprouts on as garnish, adding that crunchy element. All in all this doesn't topple Bankara or Kio but sits strongly in third place. A crowning achievement and proof that you should always try new places. 8/10 (271 Thong Lo 13 Alley, Khwaeng Khlong Tan Nuea) With jet-lag still punishingly strangling the life out of me, I awoke at 01.00 am, fell back asleep at 7am, got up at 1pm and decided I deserved a good bowl of Ramen.
Ikkousha was a short cab ride from my hotel, and had very favourable reviews online. The fact that the broth looked good in photos also helped, as that can very often be a litmus test in such cases. The service was quite slow, but friendly. The prices were reasonable. Ramen arrived with a glass of soda water, and I dove in (taking photos beforehand of course). The broth was solid, slightly more fatty that Kio but not as rich as Bankara, the egg was cooked well but not marinated so it was a little boring, the noodles were regular ramen noodles and cooked well, the pork flavourful but lacking a bit in the tenderness department. All things considered a very decent bowl, but not pushing for the top 3 spot yet in Bangkok. 7.5/10 (70/2 Soi Ekkamai)The best Khao Soi I ever had was in a now demolished hotel in Chiang Mai back in 2003. Memories of that bowl always flood back to me whenever I take a chance on a new spot, and invariably I am left comparing what was to what could be. Coincidentally, last night I was chatting with 2 chefs in a bar and both of them highly recommended Hom Duan saying they eat there twice a week religiously. I grabbed a cab, headed to Ekkamai, found the spot, noticed only 1 foreigner in there and a packed restaurant full of locals slurping down big bowls of hot soup. Ordered at the counter, within 3 minutes my Khao Soi arrived with the regular mustard greens, lime slice and shallots on a small side-plate.
I dug in. The broth became more and more complex the further down you got, a characteristic I prefer since you don't get tired of it as easily as super rich flavours. I read a few online reviews and one mentioned that the cumin content here was a tad higher than normal places. I can't say I would have noticed that without the words ringing in my brain, but I did think it was a touch too much. However, this hardly took anything away from what was a great bowl of Khao Soi, and priced at 90 baht with a coke you could hardly complain. I'll be back here if i'm in the Ekkamai area again. 8/10 (1095 Sukhumvit Rd, Khlong Tan Nuea) Opting for the most local place suffering from intense jet-lag and a nagging cold from Oslo, this place was 300 meters from my hotel and the reviews were promising.
I got a slight feeling of apprehension upon seeing it was a street stall with seating inside a shopfront because in Thailand that works for local food, but i've never eaten Ramen at a place like that. Buoyed by my excitement at being back in the big city, and serious withdrawal symptoms, I headed on in and ordered the special. The service was polite and fast. The food, massively underwhelming. The noodles had a nice chew to them, the egg was acceptable, the chicken pretty tasty, but what let this down was the broth. It was so thick and rich that it felt like you were eating Christmas gravy that had been reduced far too long. It created a gluey sensation on the palate and left me feeling a bit queasy. Needless to say, I didn't finish it. At 140 Bhat it's definitely not on the expensive side, but when eating ramen in Bangkok its worth spending a bit more and getting a lot more quality. 4/10 (Vogts gate 38, 0474 Oslo)After the death of the best Phô place in Oslo by a landslide (Hai Cafe), my noodle inclined friends struggled to find a comparable venue in which to enjoy this Vietnamese staple. Having lived in Torshov for the past 4 years, and walked past this establishment numerous times, I held it in complete disregard and never ventured in. One day, some close friends actually braved the divide and wrote back about “best Phô in Oslo since Hai” and I was pleasantly surprised. Not only for the fact that I craved a good bowl since there is no good ramen in town (that i've tried), and secondly because on a cold autumn night there are few things more comforting than a hearty bowl of Vietnamese Phô.
The service was good. The prices were acceptable. The bowl was piping hot. The accompaniments were legit. We tucked in, and the broth, although seemingly thin and watery at first glance, delivered on flavour and left us convinced that there was at least ONE PLACE in Oslo that could deliver an authentic meal in this jaded, "watered-down taste" of a town. If the scores were out of 5 it would have been a 4, but due to the amount of epic meals I have had in Vietnam this has to be taken into consideration. 7.5/10 (Boxhagener Str. 26, 10245 Berlin) You can search a city, and find the best things are close to home. Our final day in Berlin our friend Philip mentioned that he had it on good authority that a Ramen spot in Friedrichshain served up the best bowls in town. It was a stiflingly hot day, not exactly the kind of day you feel like having steaming hot broth, but the curiosity to finally find a brag-able bowl in the city was too hard to ignore.
The recommendation was right. By far the best Ramen in Berlin so far. Almost the best in Europe so far, but that crown still lays firmly on the head of the wonderful Ramen Kazu in Bratislava. Pork = Beautifully cooked, great marinade, charred and smoky. Noodles = Chewy, springy, solid. Broth = A tiny bit on the thin side for me but still much more flavoursome than the other options. Egg = Actually better at Takumi Nine, but its a small detail to fret about when the rest was good. Condiments = Wood ear mushrooms, pickled ginger, spring onions all in their rightful place. Service = Quick and very friendly. 7.5/10 (Pappelallee 19, 10437 Berlin) Well, finding a bowl of exceptional ramen in Bratislava was not exactly on the cards. This, however, is why I always try Ramen places wherever I go, the surprise is worth it.
Berlin has its fair share of excellent dining options to suit every budget, from the swank places to the satisfying Doner at 3am on the walk of shame home. Ramen is something I had never tried on my previous visits so it was high time. We headed to Takumi Nine by the tram from Friedrichshein, struggled a bit to find it since its on a cross street and not the address on the website, sat outside and ordered a Miso and a Shoyu. My first objection was the sight of canned babycorn in the broth. A big no-no from my perspective. Second, the token Naruto which nobody actually goes for first. Thirdly, the flabby, slimy chicken skin and thin looking broth. All in all it was a rather clumsy attempt. The noodles were fine, the egg was the best part, the broth was watery and started to taste better a bit further into the meal, but had an off-putting sweetness which is usually offset by bursts of umami. I barely ate the chicken, and the Menma was too far soaked in sesame seed oil that was overpowering. Different strokes for different folks, but this was one too many for me. 5.5/10 (Panská 244/15, 811 01 Bratislava, Slovakia) After the bitter disappointment of the Ramen place in Budapest, it was with slight apprehension that I decided to walk the winding streets to Ramen Kazu and give it a go. I read a lot of reviews online, and the average scores were very high, but since Ramen is still a "novelty" dish in vast parts of Europe you can never trust what people are measuring it against. Are they saying its better than their regular Chinese take-out? Do they know what the differing broths SHOULD taste like? One is left wondering.
I was of course overjoyed to see a bonafide enthusiastic Japanese chef in the kitchen who greeted me as I found a table. In the corner were 3 Asian ladies happily slurping away chatting at a hundred miles an hour. Another good sign. I ordered the special Shoyu Ramen (nr 1) and anxiously fidgeted with my chopsticks in a mixture of fear and anticipation. The bowl arrived, and within a second I could tell this would be tasty. The glistening fatty gloss of the broth, the thinly sliced chashu, the menma, nori and spring onions all placed proportionally in the bowl and held together with that broth. The noodles were springy, had a delicious chew to them. The meat was perfectly soft and flavoursome. The broth was dark, huge undertones of various flavours but perfectly balanced. The egg was cooked almost to perfection if they had taken it out 20 seconds earlier. I sat there and kept eating even after I was more than full. The price of 13 Euro is quite steep, but i'd rather pay that for a quality bowl, than 10 Euro in Budapest for something that deserved nowhere near the praise. 8/10 |
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