Best Ramen in Singapore Contender #6: Menya Shinchan: Have you got what it takes to be a Ramen Jiro Hero?

This Stall is Closed

Shoyu Ramen $11

You know that I have a soft spot for hawkers uncles and aunties with lots of passion about their food right?  Well, when it comes to Ramen, there are very few places where you would find a Ramen uncle who is so passionate about Ramen that he would actually make his own noodles and would personally supervise the bowls of Ramen that are being prepared in his kitchen.

ieat videos: ieat learns to cook a 62 degree egg!

In this final episode of our egg series, we look at the 62 degree egg which is very similar or at least based on the same principles as the Onsen Tamago or Japanese hot spring eggs.  It is amazing how different the egg is when you cook it at a different temperature.  Tim also shows us how to make some delicious Salmon Croutes to go with the egg.  It's not easy to control the temperature but if you persist, you will be rewarded with an egg with amazing texture.

Click here to view the rest of our cooking videos.

Two Fat Men: Most Unlikely place to find Excellent Thai Food!

Tom Yum Goong $6.90 nett

Here's a brief intermission before I resume my Ramen Rampage.  Phew!

I must admit that I found it hard to believe when Holydrummer told me how he found this bar that sold the best Thai food he has eaten since his trip to Bangkok.  I have lived in Bangkok for two years in early 2000 and I have been off Thai food since I got back because I have not found a Thai eatery that would remind me of the stuff I used to eat in any of the non-descript hole-in-the-wall eateries that dot the streets of Bangkok. So I have stopped eating Thai food for years.

Would you eat Ice Cream that does not Melt?

Last Sunday, there was an article in Sunday Times which talked about an unmeltable ice cream from Ya Kun.  I don't know about you, but I am very concerned about this.  As you can see, the ice cream retains it shape for an hour instead of melting into a liquid like most ice cream should. In the article, it is explained that this is because the manufacturers added emulsifiers and stabilisers to the ice cream to prevent it from melting.  According to them, the amount of stabilisers used is in compliance with the US FDA requirements so it is safe for human consumption. Remember that these are the people who also told us that Trans Fats were safe!

Best Ramen in Singapore contender #5: Ippudo: Stylish Hakata Style Ramen comes to Town

Ippudo Karakamen - Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen served with minced pork and spicy paste $17

The top ten list would not be complete without the inclusion of Ippudo, the world's largest Ramen chain of  restaurants.  Imagine eating Tai Hwa Bak Chor Mee in a chic airconditioned setting and you will understand what Ippudo is all about.  You see, Ramen is the Japanese equivalent of our hawker food.  The Ramen-yas in Japan are typically one man operated shops with a small counter and a line of "salaryman" lining up to fill their tummies after a hard day's labour.  The floor is often covered with grease and everything is dirty.  For us in Singapore, that's just a hawker centre, but in Japan it is one of the cheapest ways to eat out compared with the other stuff like sushi or tempura.

Best Ramen in Singapore Contender #4: Marutama Ramen: Still trying to figure this one out

Marutama Ramen $12

A lot of people are going to be upset with this particular post.  Those who don't think much of Marutama will wonder why I even feature them.  Those who love Marutama will be very upset with my ratings. This is one Ramen-ya which really polarizes our readers to those who love it and those who hate it, very much like what Durians do.

Earth Day 2010: Things to do with your kids

Advertorial

Did you know that Earth Day was founded 40 years ago?  I didn't.   I thought it was a recent thing in response to global warming and climate change.

And that, I think is the problem.

You see, even though Earth Day has been around for as long as I have, I didn't know much about it until 15 minutes ago, much less done anything about it. I don't remember doing anything about the environment and issues of recycling as a kid.  Do you?

And in the last 40 years, the environment has deteriorated to the extent that we actually realize that nowadays our weather reports are predicting a high of 34 degrees Celsius regularly.  When I was young, I remember that most of the time the high was 31 to 32 degrees and 33 was hot!

It is said that the best time to plant an Oak tree was 20 years ago.  But the second best time is now.

Best Ramen in Singapore Contender #3: Santouka: The secret is Kurobuta!

Santouka's Shio Ramen with signature Umeboshi $13

Remember that in my previous articles I made the point that Tonkotsu (Pork Bone) style broth is found in Kyushu but not in Hokkaido?  There is one exception to that rule and that is the Ramen found in Asahikawa, the 2nd largest city in Hokkaido after Sapporo.  Here is an oasis where you can find the marriage of curly yellow noodles with Tonkotsu based soup which is the combination that is the favorite amongst Singaporeans.  It is said that Asahikawa is the only place in Hokkaido where Tonkotsu based soup is an acceptable variation.  But theirs is not purely Kyushu style Tonkotsu soup either, but rather it marries the Hokkaido style of a seafood based soup with the rich Kyushu style Tonkotsu broth to produce a hearty, muscular soup which is sweet and delicate at the same time.

Best Ramen in Singapore Contender #2: Tampopo: A Tale of Two Ramens

Hokkaido Style Ramen

According to the hungrygowhere Top 10 site, Tampopo seems poised to be voted the top Ramen in Singapore, followed by Santouka, Ippudo, Yoshimaru and Sapporo Miharu.  It seems like no one voted for Yu Sai Shoku and Hakan Nihon Ryori, so I will probably drop them from my must eat list unless some readers really insist that they should be blogged. So what do you think of the results so far?

Tampopo has been around for a while so understandably, they have built up their reputation and have many fans.  It is an Izakaya style restaurant rather than a dedicated Ramen-ya like many of the new Ramen restaurants opening up in Singapore. If you can't decide if you want to head up north to Hokkaido for its curly noodles or down south to Kysshu for the Tonkotsu broth, then Tampopo might be the place to go, because they serve both.




Its amazing that Tampopo managed to get so many votes, even though it is not a dedicated Ramen-ya. They basically have two styles of Ramen and variations on these.  Hokkaido style Ramen is characterised by buttered corn, a clear soy sauce and seafood based soup with curly yellow noodles.  I don't quite enjoy the Hokkaido style soup base, but the imported yellow noodles were fragrant and QQ with no smell of the kansui (alkali). The best part of this bowl of Ramen though, is the Charshu which has that melt in your mouth texture and roasted caramalised soysauce flavour.  



The more popular Kyushu style ramen typically uses the straight thin noodles and thick Tonkotsu broth.  When describing broth, the Japanese use the word kotteri which basically describes a soup which is really thick and rich with bits of fat and protein precipitates in the soup.  The soup here is not kotteri, but it is quite pleasant and light enough for you to finish the bowl.  However, I felt that it was more salty than it is umami.  ie it was salty but it lacked a certain depth and complexity in flavour.


Hakata style noodles

It is said that the Kyushu style noodles are straight and thin because with the thick Tonkotsu broth, you don't really need the curls to hold the soup onto the noodles.  What you want are thin straight noodles which you can slurp into your mouth quickly while carrying enough of the rich broth to excite your palate. The Kyshu style noodles are good but not as special as the curly ones.  It really is too bad you can't order curly yellow noodles with the Tonkotsu broth.  For that, you would have to look for the Asahikawa style Ramen which will be featured in an upcoming post.

Conclusion

There are many other flavours here which we did not try like the very popular Kurobuta Shabu Ramen.  I chose the basic two versions to get a sense of the noodles and soup base. I think that Tampopo gives you a very good bowl of Ramen with an outstanding Charshu but with new Ramen players in town, they will need to work hard to keep ahead of the pack.

Tampopo is currently having a promotion with Standard Chartered Credit/Debit Card at their Takashimaya branch, so you can enjoy a further 10% discount in addition to the 15% cashback! That means your $13 Ramen is effectively about $10 which makes it probably the best value Ramen in Singapore for the moment!

Hokkaido Style:  Noodles:  4.5/5 | Soup 3.5/5 
Kyushu Style: Noodles: 4/5 | Soup: 4.25/5
Chashu:  4.5/5

Tampopo
177 River Valley Road
Liang Court Shopping Centre, #B1-50
Singapore
Telephone: 6338-3186

391 Orchard Road
B2-33 Takashimaya Shopping Centre
Tel:  62352318

Check out the Ramen Map of Japan at Rameniac!

The Bank's biggest dining promotion is back again till 16 June. This means you can enjoy 15% CashBack on any meal, in any restaurant, at anytime, anywhere is Singapore! So charge your meal to your Standard Chartered Credit/Debit card to enjoy 15% CashBack at all Ramen joints from now till 16 June and another 10% to 15% off (almost 30% off) at selected merchants!  SMS GET15[space]card number to 78722 to register for this promotion!

The list of the Hungrygowhere Top 10 ramens can be found at the Hungrygowhere website. Voting is ongoing now for the 10 best ramens so you might want to cast your vote too!

I shall be keeping an eye on the the voting in order to make sure that I blog at least the top five.


This project is sponsored by Standard Chartered.  You can find out more about their excellent dining promotions at - www.standardchartered.com.sg.

Best Ramen in Singapore Contender #1: Miharu Sapporo Ramen

Sapporo Miso Ramen

There are three dominant styles of Ramen in Japan. Sapporo, Tokyo and Kyushu.  On the map of Japan, this corresponds to Northern, Middle and Southern regions of Japan.  Because Ramen is such a recent food in Japan, there are many variations to the style of Ramen and each area develops its own style and it keeps evolving with new flavours being introduced.

There are four main types of soups in Ramen.  The simplest is Shio (salt) which is a clear pork bone/chicken broth which is similar to our Bak Chor Mee soup, Shoyu, which is a soy sauce based clear soup, Tonkotsu,  which is the familiar creamy pork bone soup which most Singaporeans associate Ramen with, and Miso which is the latest flavour to be developed.

It is believed that Shio was the oldest of the soups as it is most similar to the Chinese maotang (毛湯).  However, the Japanese regard Shoyu to be the de-facto style of Ramen ie the Ramen that you would be served if you don't specify what soup you want.  That is probably because the very first dedicated Ramen restaurant Japan was a stall called Rairaiken which was founded in the old district of Asakusa, Tokyo, in 1911 and Shoyu was the style of Ramen that they served.

The latest style of Ramen soup is the Miso Ramen for which the City of Sapporo in Hokkaido is famous for. This style of ramen was created in 1954, when a miso lover named Morihito Oomiya read a Reader's Digest article complaining that even though the Japanese invented miso, they did not use it for anything else but miso soup! He added miso paste to the then popular shoyu ramen and thus was born Miso Ramen.  Today, there are more than 1000 Ramen-yas in Sapporo which is why Sapporo is known as the City of Ramen.

Nishiyama Seimen

In Singapore, you can try Sapporo Style Ramen at Miharu Sapporo Ramen who uses Sapporo Nishiyama noodles which are imported directly from Hokkaido.  These noodles are invented in Sapporo by Nishiyama Seimen who also supply the noodles for Morihito Oomiya's legendary Aji no Sanpei restaurant where Miso Ramen first appeared.  Of all the different styles of noodles, I observe that these curly yellow noodles are the favorite amongst Singaporeans.  Personally I think it is because it reminds us of those cold rainy nights when we open up a packet of Maggie Noodles and we Singaporeans like our noodles which are lively and QQ (al dente with bounce). We are willing to pay more for these because our own local noodles are nowhere as curly and as crunchy as these.  If you are looking for this type of noodles, then you will not be dissappointed with the noodles here.  They have a nice bite and it doesn't have that kansui (alkali) aftertaste.

When it comes to the soup, the creamy Tonkotsu soup is the one which I prefer.  I think it is the one that sets Ramen apart from the local versions of our noodle soup and most similar to Laksa.  The Miso based soup at Miharu takes a bit of getting used to.  It is very salty as you would expect from a soup that is made from Miso Paste and Soy Sauce.  To me, it lacks body but it is full of salty, umami flavour with the balance tilting a little too much towards saltiness.

They do serve Tonkotsu Ramen even though it really isn't the specialty of Sapporo.  Tonkotsu soup is the style that is popular in Kyushu which is the Southernmost part of Japan.  But I guess they serve it here to cater to our local preference.  The soup here is good but not really the best that I have eaten.  The charshu was a real letdown.  According to them, the soup base and the noodles are imported from Japan, but the pork is from Brazil.  The Chashu was bland and dry which really is dissappointing.

One more thing you might notice about Sapporo style Ramen is the topping of buttered sweetcorn.  This is very typical of Hokkaido style ramen and gives a bit of sweet contrast to the otherwise rather salty soup.

Ratings:
Noodles: 4.5/5
Tonkotsu Soup: 4/5
Miso Soup: 4/5
Charshu: 3/5

MIHARU SAPPORO RAMEN
The Gallery Hotel
76 Robertson Quay (or is it 1 Nanson Road?) #01-11
Tel: 6733-8464




This project is sponsored by Standard Chartered.  You can find out more about their excellent dining promotions at - www.standardchartered.com.sg.

The Bank's biggest dining promotion is back again till 16 June. This means you can enjoy 15% CashBack on any meal, in any restaurant, at anytime, anywhere is Singapore! So charge your meal to your Standard Chartered Credit/Debit card to enjoy 15% CashBack at all Ramen joints from now till 16 June and another 10% to 15% off (almost 30% off) at selected merchants!

The list of the Hungrygowhere Top 10 ramens can be found at the Hungrygowhere website. Voting is ongoing now for the 10 best ramens so you might want to cast your vote too!


I shall be keeping an eye on the the voting in order to make sure that I blog at least the top five.

Best Ramen in Singapore Series: Blogging the 10 Best Ramen!

You know why Singaporeans love Ramen so much? Well, its because we have been programmed to enjoy it since we were kids. Even though the first proper Ramen-ya only appeared in Singapore maybe ten years ago, the Japanese have prepared us for the subsequent invasion of Ramen into our society. It is a very subtle, but very effective strategy. They didn't even call it Ramen then, it was known simply and innocuously as "Maggie Mee".

Yes, we were all brainwashed by the 2 min Maggie Mee ads when we are kids. Instant noodles was, and still is one of the the easiest and tastiest way to prepare a hot meal. I know of people who will always include a few packs in their luggage when traveling overseas!

ieatishootipost is now part of Sec School Syllabus!

Well, not so dramtic lah, but one of my articles was reprinted for students to practise their speaking skills.

Still, I never thought the day would come that I would contribute an article for an English Textbook. My GP teacher would be pleased!

Restoran 2020: Sandakan the Undiscovered Seafood Paradise: Update on our Community Project

Stir Fried Grouper with Brands Essence of Chicken

Sandakan really is a food tourist's paradise. The seafood is abundant and fresh and the people here really know how to cook it into a tasty dish that hits the spot. When you eat the food there, you can't help but feel that the food is an extension of our own Cze Char cuisine. In fact, any Cze Char chefs seeking inspiration might find that a trip to Sandakan would shake them out of their Culinary block.

Everything with Fries: Everything but the Fries

 One Egg Soup $3.90

I remember the time I started writing the blog over 3 years ago.  One of the restaurants that really got everyone excited was Astons Specialties which had just opened their first restaurant at East Coast Road.  Everyone loved the idea of Western food at great value.  Since then, quite a few other stalls have tried to create the buzz which Astons did but none came close.  Essentially these stalls were just copying his model but not creating anything novel to get our attention.

However, I think that this stall just around the corner from the original Astons might just be able to do it by taking the value for money proposition to the next level. Take for example the One Egg Soup which costs just $3.90.  For $3.90 elsewhere, you might get a bowl of mushroom or chicken soup that tastes as if it just came out of a can.  But here you get a chicken soup with a "Souffle" on top. The one egg soup is just what the name says it is.  It is made from one egg. The yolk is used to thicken the chicken broth while the white is whipped into a meringue to which flour is then folded in, ie like a "Souffle".  However, instead of baking it, it is deep fried and then placed on top of the soup.  Definitely one of the best value soups around and very tasty and satisfying way to start your meal! 4.5/5

ieatishootipost Flashback on Facebook Fan Page

I have been experimenting with lots of different topics over at the Facebook fanpage ranging from Kitchen gadgets to Photo captions to Photo tips.  The reason I like the Facebook fanpage is that it is more interactive and I can use it as a base to write short articles in order to get feedback and bounce off ideas.  To do it on the blog will make it rather messy as I want it to remain as a directory of good food.  I found that one type of post that gets a lot of "Likes" is the ieatishootipost Flashback and so I have decided to make this a regular feature.

With flashbacks, I basically go through some of my favourite posts from the early days of the blog and give you the inside story to these posts.  I realise that with over 1300 posts, it will be difficult for newer readers to read all the old posts, so this is a great way to revisit some of the really good food places.

So, if you haven't already joined our facebook fan page, do sign up at:  www.facebook.com/ieatishootipost
Over there, you will also get early warnings to upcoming events and be able to be involved in suggesting the next places to blog.

In today's Flashback, I take you all back to Aug 2, 2006 to look at the very first blog post which I wrote.  It is fun (and embarassing) to see how much the blog has evolved since then!

See you in Facebook!

Interview with Janice Teo of 938live on Food Blogging

This is a audio clip of my interview with Janice Teo on 938live recently. We talked briefly on the subject of food blogging.

Oriole Cafe and Bar: Arguably the Best Cup of Coffee in Singapore.... Arguably

Where can you get the best cup of coffee in Singapore?

As I hinted in the title, this is a very contentious question because everyone has a place for their favourite cuppa.  To make any assertion, one must have a basis.  If the basis is personal taste, then we can argue till the cows come home after milking them for cuppucino.  But if the basis is on something more objective like an award, then we might just have something to tilt  the argument to our favour.

Dadsforlife: Photography Workshop Photos

Kids grow up fast!  Before I know it, my son is already 11 and my daughter 8.  They are no longer the cute little babies that they once were, and all that I have to remind me of that period of my life are my photos.  I think I can confidently say that most people nowadays own at least one camera in some shape or form, and so the ability to take some nice photos of the family as they grow up is a skill that is very useful to pick up.

My workshop, which was conducted for Dadsforlife during the school holidays was targeted at beginners and the main message was that with just a few tips, everyone can take better photos of their families with whatever camera they currently own.  There is no need to spend more money buying expensive equipment.  All you need is some basic understanding of composition and lighting and the way your camera works.

Hui Ji Fishball Noodles and Yong Tau Foo: Best bowl of noodles this year!

Damien has been one of my most trusted makan kakis since the early days of the blog. He is one of the few people I know who is a second generation foodie. I believe he was weaned onto pureed Hokkien Mee from Geylang Lor 29 even before he could say the words "Hokkien Mee".

There isn't a stall that Damien does not know about and I guess one of the reasons he never wrote a blog is because, well, it would never, ever get done. There is just no way to transfer the godzillabytes of information from his temporal lobes onto a hard drive.

Easter: The Meaning of Life - in one sentence

Can you summarize the meaning of life into one simple sentence?

Well, if you consult the Hitchhiker's guide, the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is simply 42.

If you ask the Physicists, the answer to the ultimate question as to why we exist lie in what is known as the Unified Field Theory.  Basically, if you can explain why the Big Bang occurred and come up with an equation to represent  it, you would have distilled the meaning of life into one simple equation.  Modern Unified Field Theory attempts to bring the four fundamental forces in the universe into a single framework, thus explaining the very nature of existence.  OK, physics is not one of my favorite subjects so that is about all that I can make out of it.

But how is 42 or a mathematical equation going to help you understand your meaning and purpose in life?  How is E=MC2 going to solve the problem of evil in the world? Obviously it can't, which is why there is philosophy and religion.  These two exist because there is an undeniable need for us to explain things which science can't.  You can explain how a baby comes into the world with biology, but you can't explain why that smile makes you melt. You see, even if you think that the answer to the meaning of life is 42, that does not give you any direction on how to live your life.

If you google "The meaning of life" on the internet, you will get a whole cornucopia of articles.  Perhaps for some, the meaning of their life is to find the answer to the meaning of life. However, if instead of "The meaning of life" you re-word the question to "The meaning of your life" then the answer becomes more practical and relevant.  So if you cast your mind to someone whom you love who has passed on, you can more easily summarize into one paragraph, the meaning of that person's life.

This weekend is Easter and it is during this time that Christians remember the death of Jesus Christ.  So what is the meaning of his life and how is it relevant to us?   If I were a reporter at the scene of his death on the cross, my one paragraph summary of the life of Jesus Christ might sound something like this:

"Yesterday saw the crucifixion of the 33 year of carpenter from Nazareth, ending the very short life of the self styled revolutionary who attracted a huge following with his charismatic sermons and uncanny ability to perform miracles.  The "Rabbi" or "Teacher" as they called him was found guilty of sedition against the Roman empire and was sentenced to death by crucifixion.  His disciples, which at one stage numbered in the thousands were nowhere to be seen. Jesus was known and admired by many to be a great teacher who preached peace and non-violence and was considered by some to be the possible Messiah.  It looks like they were wrong... again."

However, after his death, something amazing happened which changed the once cowardly disciples into men who would eventually sacrifice their own lives for his cause.  Christians call this event, "The Resurrection". There are numerous books written about the Resurrection.  One particular classic is "Who Moved the Stone?" which was written by a skeptic who started off wanting to write a book to refute the Resurrection, but eventually became a believer himself after considering the weight of the evidence.  I guess, there would be other books written to disprove the Resurrection, but to me, the evidence that the Resurrection did indeed occur lies in the existence of Christianity itself.

What happened on Easter Sunday that changed the cowardly disciples into men of great valour?  Jesus died without leaving behind any books about his teachings.  He only left behind his disciples.  If his disciples were all in hiding during Good Friday, what made them suddenly turn into martyrs, if not for the fact that they had really seen the Resurrected Jesus?  The existence of Christians today hinges on this fact.

One of his disciples was so transformed by the Resurrection event that he eventually wrote the very familiar words that summarizes the meaning of Jesus's life into one elegant sentence.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

So what then is the meaning of life and how can we summarize the meaning of our lives into one sentence?

I have been thinking about this for a while and I believe that there are common threads that are found in many philosophies and religions of the world.   These all revolve around doing good for humanity, loving and serving others, not having hatred in our hearts and having an attitude of gratitude.

If you look closely at John 3:16, you will notice that there are three key verbs.  These are "love", "give" and "believe".  These three verbs summarizes the meaning of the life of Jesus and I believe they also apply to us.   So basically, we humans are created to believe in God and to love and to give of ourselves in service to others.

This is in fact what the Ten Commandments instruct us to do. One Jewish Teacher of the Law summarized the Ten Commandments succinctly as:

" Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself."  Luke 10:27

I think this one verse is actually the answer to the meaning of life which I have been searching for.  I had thought that the answer would make up a thesis of sorts but I think the answer is as simple as a verse which I must have read it hundreds of times over.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions about Jesus and the meaning of Easter, please do write to me at leslie.tay@gmail.com. If you are still wondering what to do on the morning of Good Friday, do join us at Chinese Swimming Club at 10am for our Easter gathering followed by a buffet Lunch.  All you have to do is to tell the Security that you are coming for the TGIF event.

May I take this opportunity to wish all Christians a very Blessed Easter!