Aoba Hokkaido Ramen (らぅめん青葉） - Ion Orchard

Went to the newly-opened Ion Orchard today to see what is in this new mall at the prime space of Orchard Road. And there it is, the new outlet of Aoba Hokkaido Ramen!

The long queue...

The queue was about 15pax long, I waited for about 15mins before I can get in. It was one of the more popular restaurants in Ion.

Rather than residing inside a food court like environment, it is a standalone outlet by itself. Compared to the Tampines 1 outlet in Manpuku, the menu here has much more side dishes and is more restaurant-like. In Japan most standalone ramen outlets' menu are basically ramen plus 2-3 more side dishes... guess its a way that these companies are adapting to Singaporean's eating style.

The interior is comfortable with a warm, wooden feel. Quite like the wooden boxes that are made into ceiling lights.



Tried the Miso Char Siew Ramen ($13.8) today.



The miso-based soup was light with both the pork & seafood double flavour, true to Aoba's style. Its good, but somehow I felt that the fish flavour is stronger this time round. The egg here is not hard-boiled (maybe the previous bowl in Tampines was a mistake?) - it is the proper flavoured egg with the egg yoke still soft and half-cooked. It is great that they actually serve 2 halves of the aji-tama! Overall its a good bowl of ramen and I'm satisfied.

I ordered a side dish of karaage (fried chicken, $5.80) too to see how the quality of the food is like.

6pc chicken karaage

As an opening promotion, some of the side dishes such as the karaage are on 50% off until 31 July 2009, so it only costs $2.80 now. The karaage is hot and crispy on the outside, quite delicious.

They are also selling their Zuwai Kani (crab) ramen at $16.80 from a usual price of $19.80. For those who like crab, its a good chance to try it during this promotional period.

Glad to know that there is a new place in Orchard that I can go to have my fix of ramen now!


View Singapore Ramen Map in a larger map

Ramen Data - Aoba Hokkaido Ramen - ION Orchard
Address: #B3-25, ION Orchard
Types: Shoyu, Shio, Miso
Price: $11-20
Rating: 8/10

Baikohken (梅光軒) Singapore

My ramen expedition this week brings me to Baikohken (梅光軒) at Raffles Place.
Wanted to visit this place for a long time and its great that I finally got to try it.

Baikohken Singapore

Shop Interior - waiters dressed in uniforms!

Baikohken comes from Asahikawa, and it one of the famous ramen stalls in the city. Started some 40 years ago, it won the top prize in the "Asahikawa Ramen Award". Currently, Baikohken has 6 outlets, and the Singapore outlet was their first overseas foray! We are quite privileged to have them here!

Baikohken's ramen is typical Asahikawa style, made with double animal-based and fish-based soup as well as medium chijire noodles.

I tried the standard Shoyu Ramen ($12), keeping my policy of trying the store's most basic item.

Shoyu Ramen

Two things about Baikohken's ramen that stood out are the giant menma (Japanese bamboo shoot) and char siew! The size of the menma and char siew gives them a very good texture when you eat it, Both are tasty too! The char siew especially is tender and falls apart when you put it in your mouth.

Giant Menma!

On further research, the giant menma and char siew are actually a signature of Baikohken's style. Baikohken also prides itself on the 100% company-made chijire noodles, which contains no additives and egg, making it safe for people with allergies to eat.

Something interesting about the Singapore store also is that it has a very clean toilet :P

For those restaurants that are in a shophouse in Singapore, my impression is always that the toilet is wet and dirty. But for Baikohken its different. The entrance to the toilet has a little Japanese stone garden and a pond releasing a mist. The toilet itself is very cleanly maintained and spacious too. This gives an excellent "total experience"!

The only complaint that I might have that the store is a little hot.

Overall, the food was great and the overall experience was good too. Its attention to details such as the noodle, menma, char siew and even the toilet is truly Japanese. I recommend this especially for those who likes char siew (and menma)!

In addition to its 3 stores in Hokkaido (2 x Asahikawa and 1 x Sapporo), you can also find Baikohken in Tokyo (Shinjuku Lumine Est 7F) and Hakata. I've marked Baikohken's Asahikawa outlet in my Ramen map.

View Singapore Ramen Map in a larger map

Ramen Data - Baikohken (Singapore Branch)
Address: 7 North Canal Road
Types: Asahikawa Ramen (double soup with Shoyu/Shio/Miso flavours)
Price: $12-17.5
Rating: 7.5/10