Ramen
Champion (“RC”) is a multi-brand ramen concept brought to
Singapore by Komars Group that sources popular ramen brands from
Japan and invite them to compete in the annual competition for the
prestigious “The Ultimate Ramen Champion”. Their latest outlet
after Bugis and Changi Airport Terminal 3 is located at Great World
City.
Following
their concept, each outlet will have different brand of ramen with
their own unique taste, flavour and personality of ramen. The outlet
in Great World City is represented by Bishamon Zero (existing brand),
Tonkotsu Itto (existing RC competitor), Miyamoto and Butaou (new RC
competitor).
The Four Ramen Masters |
The opening of this
outlet was kick start with inaugural Ramen Big Eater Challenge, with
the presence of celebrity competitive eater from Japan, Miss Tomoko
Miyake. I saw her on a variety show, and it seems that she has a
stretchable stomach and gigantic appetite. So without a doubt, she
was the winner of the eating challenge. If you got time, you should
check her out online, you'll envy her ability to eat so much and stay
in shape.
Different Bowls use Ramen Champion, including "Ramen Big Eater Challange " |
We begin this ramen
adventure with Bishamon Zero's Sapporo Miso Special Ramen ($14.80).
Originated from Sapporo, the broth is cloudy, robust filled miso
texture. The ramen has a medium thickness, springy (qq) and tasty.
The pork belly Cha Shu is tender and does not overwhelmed with its
fattiness. The egg is cooked to perfection. In the soup, there is
mild chilli flavour with subtle spiciness to give the warmness in the
ramen.
Bishamon Zero's Sapporo Miso Special Ramen |
Tonkatsu Itto's Special
Tonkotsu Ramen ($16.50) from Tokyo follow next. The ramen size is
very thin, similar to Angel hair pasta size. It is springy, not very
flavourful, but carry the broth well. The pork base soup is robust
and full of collagen taste from part of the pork bones. The egg is
cooked nicely with the soft yolk in the middle. The cha shu is
tender, however it is tasteless. You might want to eat it while its
hot, or you will be overwhelmed by the richness of the broth.
Tonkatsu Itto's Special Tonkotsu Ramen |
Narita's City Miyamoto's
Pork and Vegetable Ramen ($16). Once we saw the bowl, we decided to
named it Army Boys Ramen, due to its humongous size. It seems the
chef is throwing everything except for the kitchen sink in this dish.
The noodle size is pretty big, similar to Mee Pok, but thicker and
very resilient. The broth is difficult to spot as it is basically
buried under the the layers of ramen, bean sprouts, sliced cabbage,
cha shu and diced pork. Once you get through the layers above, you
can taste milky robust broth with a strong garlic presence.
Narita's City Miyamoto's Pork and Vegetable Ramen |
The half boiled egg here
serve in full, as it is slightly under cook compare to the previous
two ramens, the yolk just ooze out when you poke the egg. The cha shu
is tender and flavourful, but I find the most tasty and tender part
is the diced pork. Little Devil ('LD') and I feels that this bowl can
easily filled two person.
The Oozing Yolk |
The last bowl of ramen
that we tried was Butaou's Special Sukiyaki Ramen ($16). Originated
from Saitama Prefecture in Tokyo and inspired by Sukiyaki, the broth
of this ramen originated its taste from sukiyaki sauce. The broth is
robust and sweet, while the ramen is thin and springy. The egg was
slow boiled with the yolk ooze out as soon as we break it. The cha
shu is the tender, flavourful and the tastiest of all ramen, and the
shabu-shabu style pork is just tender. Something different, but take
a lot to get used to due the sukiyaki soup base and it will be a
favourite to those who love sweet soup.
Butaou's Special Sukiyaki Ramen |
The Oozing Yolk |
For the sides, we tried
Okonomiyaki Gyoza with bonito flakes ($5.80 for 5 pcs) and Mentaiko
Gyoza ($5.80 for 5 pcs). The gyoza are tasty with a combination of
crispy skin and juicy fillings. We prefer the Okonomiyaki gyoza as
the combination of bonito flakes and the sauce create a more
flavourful gyoza. The Mentaiko sauce, seems to lack the punch, it can
do better with stronger taste with extra mentaiko mayonnaise or
mentaiko toppings.
Okonomiyaki Gyoza with bonito flakes |
Mentaiko Gyoza |
Tori Karaage ($4.80) is
quite delicious. Crispy on the outside, with well seasoned juicy
succulent chicken thigh meat inside. While Spicy Chicken ($5 for 3
pcs) is quite ordinary. It lacks of seasoning, crispiness or even
spiciness. The meat is tender, but it seems lacking in the obvious
seasoning.
Tori Karaage |
Spicy Chicken |
Overall, we find the
Ramen served in Ramen Champion does have a certain standard. It is
very difficult to decide which as are the best as individual
preference and taste can be different. For LD's and mine, we decided
that Bishamon Zero's Sapporo Miso Special Ramen as our 1st
preference followed by Tonkatsu Itto's Special Tonkotsu Ramen. Why
don't you give it a try and let us know which ramen you like.
Kanpai!!! Cheers!!!
Thanks to Malcom and
Ramen Champion Team for the tasting invitation.
Food
& Drink: 8/10
Value:
7.5/10
Service:
N/A
Ambiance:
7.5/10
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