I looked forward to trying it because it is said to be one of the famous ramen stalls from Asahikawa, Hokkaido.
Aoba is located in the Manpuku Japanese Gourmet Town on 3F. Manpuku itself is tucked in one corner and quite difficult to find. The concept is similar to Shokudo, but the stalls are all branded concepts from Japan.
Ramen Aoba counter at ManpukuThe basic of Asahikawa ramen is Shoyu. So I tried the Shoyu Corn Ramen (S$9.80)
Shoyu Corn RamenThe ramen looks good! But because of the way that the chef placed the seaweed into the ramen, it is already totally soaked in the soup by the time I took it back to my table. The presentation could be improved.
Then I took a sip of the soup... the soup is excellent! One of the best soups that I have tasted before. The soup base is a mixture of pork and seafood stock, giving the soup very good flavour. And what is good about it is also that it is not too concentrated. The thickness / saltiness is just right and you won't get sick of drinking it.
I think that the portion of the ramen is made slightly smaller, so that our stomach will still have space to buy more food from other stalls inside Manpuku. Because of that, the price is also made slightly reasonable at $9.8 for a bowl.
The char siew is ok, and the egg is a normal hard-boiled egg but not the seasoned ones. It is not bad too considering the overall lightness of the ramen. The noodle absorbs the soup well and made it delicious too.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with Aoba's ramen! It is one of the rare times that I actually finished every last drop of the soup!
Bottoms-up!!I recommend everyone to try this out. Very good quality!
I will definitely come back to try the other types of ramen.
It seems that the owner has created a type of spicy ramen to suit the Singapore palate.
If I'm not mistaken, they will be opening their standalone outlet later this year in Ion Orchard too. This will make it more accessible because I don't stay close to Tampines.
I've also added on my ramen map where you can find Aoba in Japan, for those who are going to Japan soon and would like to try the real thing!
View Singapore Ramen Map in a larger map
Ramen Data - Aoba Hokkaido Ramen - Tampines 1
Address: 3F, Tampines 1, Inside Manpuku Japanese Gourmet Town
Types: Shoyu, Shio, Miso
Price: $9-15
Rating: 8/10
In Japan (listing some...)
Head outlet: 北海道旭川市２条通８丁目２条ビル名店街１F
Asahikawa Ramen Village
What is the price range like? Same as Ippudo?
ReplyDeleteHi 8percentpa,
ReplyDeleteThe price range for Aoba is more reasonable, ranging from $9-15. Ippudo starts at about $13-14 and you will have pay more if you want to add toppings such as egg.
Thanks for visiting my blog!
The quality went way down. I tried it this year and it was the worst ramen I'd ever had
ReplyDeleteHi Agagooga,
ReplyDeleteYes I do agree with you that the quality went down too. I went there a while ago and felt the same. Hope that some of the other imported ramen brands won't suffer from the same fate. I should review and adjust my scores too from time to time.