Ramen Kanbe @ Empire Damansara

Kobe Style Soy Sauce Ramen

Here’s another ramen contender in town and it’s located at Empire Damansara. Ramen Kanbe is one of the latest ramen players and serves Kobe style Shoyu ramen. The restaurant is located on ground level of this quaint mall and at a discreet area which one may need to ask around to locate it. Thanks to JKdrooling and Naohiko-san, we were invited for a taste of Kobe style ramen at Ramen Kanbe recently. I do happen to be a ramen devotee so I was really interested to see how Kobe ramen would fair up against other regular Japanese styles.

Walking into Ramen Kanbe, the restaurant is brightly lit and spacious. I like the whole modern wood design contrasted with black and white. One can see the injections of Japanese influences and yet there is an element of surprise with a red modern designed hanging chandelier added color and boldness to the restaurant. One can peek at the half open kitchen counter while waiting for your food as well.

The menu at Ramen Kanbe is simple and offers few signatures of ramen, rice and side orders. The menu is pretty detailed with photos for easy references just like other ramen places. In the menu, Ramen Kanbe also stated that their custom blend of soy sauce if the key to all their signature ramens. The restaurant also makes ramen from scratch and their vegetable with chicken-broth based soup simmered for 7 hours. Shoyu ramen broth is clear with a rich brown shoyu color and is more delicate than other tonkotsu or miso based ramens. Diners can enjoy the aromatic and delicate broth with ramen and other condiments in the Shoyu ramen.

Ramen Kanbe’s drink list is minimal but sufficient with its usual Japanese Green Tea and others like Oolong Tea, Lemon Tea, Coffee, Coke and Beer. We tried their Lemon Tea (RM5) and Red Milk Tea (RM5) which is pretty decent.

Karaage (RM10) proved to be one of the highlights at Ramen Kanbe. The Japanese style fried chicken is crispy with a juicy inside. The boneless dark meat is very tender and tasty too. It was so good, we had another order of this fried chicken served with crunchy shredded cabbage and mayo.

Another side order that is worth ordering is the Gyoza (RM10). This is a super popular snack in Japan and also happens to be served at most ramen places as well. The pan seared dumplings has a nice crisp side and a soft one on the other side. The filling is tender and flavourful and makes great snacks while waiting for the ramen to be served.

My little one loves fried rice and so we had an order of Ramen Kanbe’s Fried Rice (RM12). It is a flavourful plate of fried rice with a nice aroma. There are bits of meat in it and the rice is fluffy and moist. My only gripe about this dish was that the portion is a bit small for its price.

Our ramen arrive and the first one was the Charsiu Ramen (RM21). A bowl of house signature ramen with plenty of pieces of Charsiu nicely covering the whole bowl also had     some black fungus, bean sprout and spring onion too. The ramen noodle is nicely cooked with tender texture. The broth is rather delicate with good essence of meat but not heavy or overpowering. One can taste the subtle notes of sweet and savory soy sauce in the broth. The Charsiu pieces are also very tender and are lean as well.

Ramen Kanbe’s ramen is definitely different from the many ramen places I have tried. There is a refine flavour to the overall bowl of ramen. It is easy to enjoy and won’t leave you with a heavy after taste. The price is also cheaper than most ramen places. I rather enjoy the ramen for its refine flavour and it is pretty comforting.

There is also another version with Wantan and Charsiu in the Wantan Ramen (RM21). This version features the same as their house signature ramen but has the added bonus of wantan dumplings together. The wantans are decent with thin dumpling skin and soft filling. I have never had ramen with wantan before but this is not too bad. It certainly makes a nice change from the usual ramen joints.

I chose the Spicy Ramen (RM21) because I was curious about the flavour and I also happen to love spicy flavours. My ramen comes with a minced meat topping rather than the charsiu thought I did wished for the charsiu. Fear not, one can put in additional orders of Charsiu (RM4 – 3 pieces) and Boiled Egg (RM3) like I did.

The Spicy Ramen had good solid flavours of heat and a bold and robust flavour. Its savory flavours really stand out together with the spiciness of the chili. The sheer simplicity of this ramen with minced meat and chives in a spicy broth showed that Ramen Kanbe can produce bold flavours in their ramen as well as they delicate and light Shoyu ramen.

I discovered that I do enjoy cold ramen after tasting it few times. So when I saw that Ramen Kanbe also has a cold ramen named Reimen (RM21), I decided to order this to share together with my foodie buddies. Cold ramen usually has a firm al dente ramen texture which is what I love. Here it is the same again where the ramen noodle has a solid bite in texture and is served with crunchy black fungus, egg, lettuce, pickled ginger and shredded Charsiu together in a chilled soy based sauce. I liked it. I think I ate most of this as I like how satisfying the chilled ramen tasted like.

Our last dish of the evening was definitely comfort food. Tenshin Han-Rice (RM15) is another dish that showed off the delicate flavours of savory with tinges of sweetness. Fluffy white rice is nicely wrapped with an egg omelette sheet and bathed in a light soy sauce broth.

Ramen Kanbe is pretty interesting. The restaurant makes a nice change from the usual heavy flavoured ramens. I believe that this is also a first ramen joint to feature Kobe style ramen. The evening we were there, service was also fast while the wait staff was pretty friendly too. Here’s one place that you can enjoy a bowl of refine and delicate Shoyu Ramen with a few extra goodies thrown in!

Check out Ramen Kanbe’s 1^st Anniversary Promotion

This set contains their most popular dish Ramen, 2nd popular dish Tenshin-hanrice and the choice of 3 various teas together.

Promotional price at RM25 and tax (Normal price is more than RM35)

They serve this great value set exclusively to Facebook users from april 8th until 14th. Other guest will be able to be served this after April 15th for 2 weeks till end of April.

RAMEN KANBE

G28, Block Empire Retail,

Empire Damansara

No.2, Jalan PJU 8, 47820, PJ, Selangor

TEL: 016-202-5812

Business Hours: 11.30am to 10pm

Website：www.ramenkanbe.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rk.empire.damansara

IPPUDO Ramen New Menu @ Pavilion KL

IPPUDO Launches New Menu for The New Year!

A new year beckons for new beginnings and in this case, a new menu! IPPUDO Malaysia is proud to present IPPUDO Ramen’s newly revamped menu featuring more than 20 new dishes. The acclaimed Japanese ramen chain is famed for their Hakata-style ramen. Founded by Shigemi Kawahara, dubbed Ramen King, IPPUDO is his stage in the culinary world. He developed his ‘Tao’ way of perfecting his own ramen recipe from the over 300 year-old dish and thus IPPUDO was born in 1985.

Members of the mainstream and social media publications were invited to a sneak preview of the new culinary creations to be offered at IPPUDO’s Pavilion KL and The Gardens Mall outlets from 1 April 2015. IPPUDO’s Regional Operations Consultant, Tomo Kudo was present to share IPPUDO’s growth and expansion as well as the new revamped menu. IPPUDO has grown from one to three restaurants in just a short span of two years in Malaysia and continues to expand across Asia with 6 stores in Asean region.

“We would like to thank our customers for making this possible by offering them a new menu that not only presents fresh innovative flavours but is friendly to their pockets, hopefully helping them to cushion the impact of the introduction of GST in Malaysia (to be levied at a rate of 6 percent beginning 1 April 2015). For example, our popular Shiromaru Motoaji previously priced at RM26 can now be enjoyed for only RM22.90. We hope that our new price points will also persuade more people to give IPPUDO ramen a try. We continue to offer premium food selections, but now at even more affordable prices.” added Tomo

Kicking off the evening, we really enjoyed both Matcha Smoothie (RM9.90) & Yakult Jelly Smoothie (RM9.90). The Matcha Smoothie was thick and bursting with intense flavours of good quality green tea notes. The fresh and tangy notes of Yakult Jelly Smoothie are definitely a winner for me as I enjoyed the freshness of the beverage.

Dashimaki Egg Roll (RM9) looked fairly plain at sight but once you tasted it, you will be craving for more just like me. The warm egg is superbly fluffy and creamy. The little dollop of mayo and cod roe is da bomb of flavours! Trust me and order this one…

The Spicy Boiled Gyoza (RM13) faired decent. It’s got a good hit of spicy flavours and the gyoza is well-made with a tender and flavourful filling.

I wanted to hog the whole Seared Salmon Roll with Mentaiko (RM19) plate to myself. It is utterly gorgeous and quite sinful. Salmon just lightly seared on the outside and gratin with salty umami mentaiko and cod roe. The fish melts-in-the-mouth and was a burst of salty, sweet and umami flavours that is divine…

Pork Grill (RM16) can with a sizzle. Pork loin was well marinated and tender. Served with corn, beansprout, greens, fried garlic chips and teppan sauce, the pork was decent and makes substantial protein fillers. I like that there are three vegetables on this plate too.

I am just a big hopeless foodie when it comes to rice. I love rice. So the Teppan Rice with Beef (RM25) was one of my favorite dishes that night. Reading of the menu, the dish is hot steamy tonkotsu rice served in sizzling hot plate, topped with beef, egg and cheese. Here’s what it should read like in my books… soft and fluffy rice with tonkotsu sauce jazzed up with luscious and creamy cheese, soft fluffy egg, crispy noodle bits and crowned with delightful tender beef and unctuous fried garlic. In summary, comfort yet sensual!

Ramen time… IPPUDO has introduced two new ramen, Shoyu Ramen and Akamaru Kakuni Ramen. But first up, we tasted their famed signatures starting with Shiromaru Motoaji (RM22.90). I must commend IPPUDO for their consistency. They have always nailed their Tonkotsu broth to a ‘T’.  Simmered more than 15 hours, the broth is creamy, cloudy and full of meaty essence. I also like their chashu with a good cut of lean and fat and still am wishing for a thicker cut for extra satisfaction.

As mentioned before IPPUDO goes all out to please their diners and offer them a choice on how they prefer their ramen cooked from super hard to hard, normal or soft. It’s a great plus point because I happen to love mine super hard with a good bite. The ramen here is thin and lightly curly so the super hard texture is perfect for me. Ippudo also practiced the kae-dama system when one can order extra ramen alone to be added into one’s broth.

Akamaru Shinaji (RM24.90) is the jazzed up version of the Shiromaru Motoaji. This one has the tonkotsu broth amped up with a special blend of miso past and aromatic garlic oil. The miso added more depth and made the broth richer.

Karaka-Men (RM25.90) is another heavier version of their famed tonkotsu and this time, its another level of spiciness added with the spicy miso. I love the heat in this version. This is what I would certain order when I visit the restaurant.

Let’s focus on the new two ramens from IPPUDO. Shoyu Ramen (RM24.90) is perfect for those who prefer a lighter and less heavy broth. The shoyu broth is more delicate and easier to finish compared to the tonkotsu broth if you are not a fan of the heavier and creamier broth. IPPUDO’s chicken shoyu broth is rather mellow and soothing, perfect for lunch or dinner minus the heaviness. It is served with lean and soft pieces of pork loin, bamboo shoots, leeks and narutomaki. Despite the pork loin being lean, it is rather delicious and soft so I enjoyed this as well.

If you happen to be a die-hard fan of thick slab of braised pork belly, then you will love the new Shiromaru Kakuki (RM28.90). It is actually the braised pork belly in IPPUDO special soy sauce that is new and you can opt for this in all the three ramen – Shiromaru, Akamaru and Karaka. The pork belly replaces the chasu in the ramen. I think I got my wish when I wished for thicker cuts of pork on my last visit… thank you IPPUDO. The layers of lean and fat are obviously a must to give the pork its full flavour. The kakuni is moreish and delicious so this ramen is going to be my favorite one from now on…

The evening ended with Daifuku (RM9), mocha stuffed with ice cream. The dessert was sufficiently satisfying as a good ending and as a palate cleanser for the ramen.

There was also Cheese Stick which is served cold and very enjoyable too but I cannot seem to find more details about this dessert.

IPPUDO proves again why it is a contender in the ramen world. With the new menu and a reduction in pricing for certain items, ramen fans will certain be pleased with the Hakata-style ramen latest offerings. Topping my list of must-order are Dashimaki Egg Roll, Seared Salmon Roll with Mentaiko and Shiromaru Kakuki!

IPPUDO MALAYSIA

Lot C4.07.00, Connection Level 4,

Pavilion KL,

No 168, Jalan Bukit Bintang.

55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: +603 2110 6233

Lot-T218, 3rd Floor,

The Gardens Mall,

Lingkaran Syed Putra,

59200 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA

Tel: 03 2201 6238

Lot G110 Ground Floor,

Bangsar Shopping Centre,

Jalan Maarof,

59100 Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA

Tel: 03 2011 6238

Website: www.ippudo.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/IppudoMalaysia

Bari Uma Ramen, Jaya Shopping Centre: Luscious Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen with Thick Cut Flamed Chashu

A Ramen Feast with Sublime Grilled Pork!

It has always been my beacon of comfort, the Japanese ramen that is… A bowl of piping hot thick broth bursting with meaty essence, bouncy al dente ramen noodles, porcine slices of deliciousness, a soft molten Ajitama and maybe some spring onions. It’s thoroughly satiating and many have devoted to a lifetime of perfecting their own bowl of ramen.  I am told that in Japan, no bowl of Ramen taste alike. Every ramen vendor has their specialty recipe that is closely guarded and whipped up to a tee each day to produce luscious bowls of ramen.

Being the ardent fan or ramen, I am always scouting around for ramen joints. This round, I headed over to Bari-Uma Ramen at Jaya Shopping Centre in Section 14 Petaling Jaya. Now I have also heard about Bari-Uma Ramen way back when it opened early this year but never had a chance to visit since I hardly wonder to that area.

Bari-Uma Ramen is famous for their signature Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen jazzed up with thick cuts of grilled pork chashu. If I am not mistaken, Bari-Uma is the first to serve flamed chashu with ramen here in Malaysia. So I was pretty excited about savoring this porcine sidekick to the ramen!

Located at the newly renovated Jaya Shopping Centre, Bari-Uma Ramen is set on level 3 together with other restaurants. The restaurant’s interior is a modern take on Japanese classic where lots of wood is used to create the ambience in the whole restaurant. Pale cream walls provide the backdrop for bold Japanese art works while red covered chairs added bright spots of colors. At one side is a huge bar counter with a view of the open kitchen for some kitchen actions.

At Bari-Uma, it’s about passion. Ramen is serious business and the people at Bari-Uma sure take each bowl of ramen to heart. The menu is tight and decent, focusing on their famous signature Tonkotsu Shoyu broth served with various toppings and two other broths of Shoyu and spicy Kara-Uma. There are additional condiments that one can order to add-on. I am a firm believer that one do not need quantity if something is good, just make sure to do something good well with quality and it is good enough for most foodies.

Besides ramen, Bari-Uma also serves Gyoza, Salad, Yakitori and Ishiyaki Chaofan. Our meal started off with Gyoza that comes in three flavours and is made with a filling of chicken. These pan fried chicken dumplings are perfected in every serving as they have a special Gyoza machine that makes these delectable dumplings consistently each time. Choose from Original, Negi-Mayo Gyoza or Teri-Yaki Gyoza. One can order these dumplings in a serving of 5 pieces or 10 pieces.

Our original Gyoza (RM11 for 5 pcs / RM20 for 10 pcs) is indeed pretty perfect. They are nicely pan seared to a nice crisp on one side and beautifully steamed on the other side. The fillings have a moist consistency and it well seasoned. Dip this Gyoza into a little soy sauce with some dashes of chili for extra flavours.

Ishiyaki Chaofan Chashu (RM14.90) also arrived before the ramen. Served in hot stone bowl, the aroma was heavenly. The light sizzling sound is utterly delightful as I can imagine the rice gently crisping up on the heated hot stone bowl. Served with loads of spring onions, the bowl is a beautiful sight of colors.

As we gently mix up all the rice and its condiments while removing those crisp bits, the aroma smells even better. The rice is moist and fluffy, well studded with bits of vegetables and chashu. The spring onions really added lots of tasty notes. I love the rice. Pure comfort food and definitely easy to enjoy!

As mentioned, Bari-Uma also serves up various varieties of grilled pork and chicken skewers. We had the Yakitori-Combo (RM13.90) that has all five types of meat skewers on one serving. One gets Sasami (Chicken Breast), Tori-Niku (Chicken Thigh), Negima (Chicken Thigh and Leeks), Butabara (Pork Belly) and Butanegima (Pork Thigh and Leeks). One can also order these separately and it comes in a pair in each order.

All the meat is grilled and glazed with Tare sauce, a yummy smoky and sweet sauce. The skewers of meat are juicy and tender. I was particularly fond of the Butabara and Butanegima. It was good so we had another round of these skewers.

The main reason we were here for arrived. First up was Noritama-Uma (RM29.00). One of the most popular combinations at the restaurant, a bowl comes with ramen noodles in the famous pork Tonkotsu Shoyu broth with thick-cut flamed Chashu, Ajitama, Menma and Seaweed.

The broth is cloudy and darker than other Tonkotsu I have tried. This is because Shoyu is added to the broth I suspect. According to the owner (we had the pleasure meeting him at this dinner), the Tonkotsu Shoyu broth is brought in directly from Bari-Uma headquarter in Japan. The recipe is closely guarded and to ensure authentic quality, the base of the broth is imported in from Japan and cooked up here on daily basis. So each bowl of ramen here at Bari-Uma Malaysia is as authentic as it is in Japan!

The flavours do emit the characteristic of a gorgeous Tonkotsu broth but with a richer depth with the addition of the soy sauce. It’s pretty much creamy and well pumped up with the essence of meaty goodness. The broth is also nicely balanced and is not heavy on the salt so one can enjoy it better. There is a light sticky essence of the broth which can only mean that the essence of the meat and bones has really emulsified into the broth. The standard bamboo shoots, spring onion and seaweed also contributed another level of flavours to the ramen. The molten Ajitama was cooked to my liking with just perfect molten egg yolk center.

Despite all the passing marks of the broth and condiments, I must say that the star was truly the thick-cut flamed grilled chashu! Now at Bari-Uma, even the pork is imported from Germany. After going through different pork local and international, it was settled that the quality of the pork from Germany is best suited to make the signature Bari-Uma Thick-Cut Flamed Chashu. The pork is braised for few hours till soften before it is braised again in their special marinade till the flavours are well infused into the pork. The pork is then left to cool in the marinade till an order is placed. Then it is sliced thickly and chargrilled to intensify the flavours of the pork belly, turning it into a damn good piece of Chashu!

If you love Chasu, order a side of this gorgeous Aburi-Chashu (RM18.80) which comes with four generous slices per order. There is also Aburi-Salmon (RM17.80) too for salmon lovers.

They make their own ramen noodles too. The ramen here is medium thick and has a lovely firm to the tooth texture which I really like a lot. Bari-Uma also practices Kae-dama which is where one can order these extra noodles for RM4 to add-on to your bowl of ramen. The ramen noodles comes in three textures of firm, original and soft so make sure to let the wait staff know what is your preference.

Now if you are a purist, then order the Bari-Uma (RM26.00) that has the same Tonkotsu Shoyu broth, ramen, Menma and spring onions. It is a favorite among the Japanese as they love simplicity in their bowl of ramen.

I love some heat and so I chose the Kara-Uma (RM26.00), a spicy version of the signature broth. Though it looks pretty spicy, I assured you that the heat level is very decent and fairly mild for me. It does give the ramen a great umami note with the chili heat. The Kara-Uma comes with a slice of Chashu, bamboo shoots and spring onions. Needless to say, I added an order of the Aburi-Chashu to this bowl and slurp happily.

My partner also went straight for a meatier touch and took on the Chashu-Uma (RM32.00). This bowl has the signature broth, four pieces of Chashu, bamboo shoots and spring onions. He was pretty happy with the bowl and polished it off with ease.

Dessert is basic with two choices of Macha and Kurogoma Ice Cream (RM7.90 each). I really didn’t mind as ice cream is perfect for ending a ramen experience. The cold and creamy factor is good for removing the heavier notes of the ramen. Both ice creams have a good wow factor. I really enjoyed the beautiful smooth intense Matcha green tea while the Kurogoma is simply awesome as it is silky smooth, nutty and aromatic with bits of whole black and white sesame seeds in it.

In total, Bari-Uma has eight varieties of ramen in their menu. Of course, one is welcome to make it his or her own and add on more toppings. The choices here are not as large as the other ramen houses but it’s sufficient to satisfy most ramen lovers.  With house made ramen noodles, Tonkotsu Shoyu broth from Japan, Chashu pork from Germany and beautiful molten Ajitama, it just can’t get any more serious than this. The dedication of Bari-Uma’s ramen is truly shown in the flavours and the quality of the ramen with its ingredients.

Looks like I have found another strong ramen contender in KL and I am pretty sure I will be heading back here for the Thick-Cut Flamed Chashu!

BARI-UMA RAMEN

Jaya Shopping Centre

L3-11, Level 3,

Jalan Semangat,

46100 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor

Website: www.bariuma.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bariuma.my

Store Hours:

Monday-Sunday 10am-10pm