– Invited Tasting –
Ramen Champion has recently opened its third outlet at Great World City. In addition to existing brands Tonkotsu Itto and Bishamon Zero, two newcomers Miyamoto and Butaou form the line-up of competing ramen brands at Ramen Champion’s new outlet.
During the media tasting, we tried bowls of ramen from all four brands. First up was Bishamon Zero and we also helped ourselves to some of their available side dishes. The Tori Karaage ($4.80) was quite typical of the standard Japanese fried chicken, juicy and crispy but it could have been more tender. I quite liked the chicken with a dash of lemon juice squeezed over it.
The Mentaiko Gyoza (5 pcs) ($5.80) were not bad, doughy enough and nicely pan-fried.
I prefered the Okonomiyaki Gyoza (5 pcs) $5.80 which came with bonito flakes.
I thought that the Sapporo Miso Special Ramen ($14.80) tasted pretty decent even though the broth was somewhat light tasting and didn’t pack enough punch like how a tonkotsu based broth would.
Out of the four, the Special Tonkotsu Ramen ($16.50) from Tonkotsu Itto impressed misterchewy and I the most. The pork based broth was flavorful enough for our liking, and along with the thin and chewy Hakata style noodles which I adore, this was no doubt a winner for me.
We had actually tried something quite similar from Bario at Ramen Champion Bugis+ and didn’t like it. Sadly, the same can be said for the Pork and Vegetable Ramen ($16) from Miyamoto. With a heapful of cabbage shreds and tau ghey, everybody at our table decided that this certainly didn’t look very appetizing. Sorry to say this but I disliked almost everything about about it – from the thick yellow noodles, to the quite tasteless char siew. Never again.
The Spicy Chicken (3 pcs for $5) from Butaou is a must-order! Deep fried to a perfect light crisp and sprinkled with chili powder, the spicy chicken wings were surprisingly appetizing even after all that ramen we had earlier. I guarantee that you will not be able to stop at just one.
The last bowl of ramen which we sampled was Butaou’s Special Sukiyaki Ramen ($16). Just when we all thought that we were just going to just give up after one mouthful, the sweet and savory broth was pleasantly refreshing and for a moment, I was trying very hard to decide if I should give my vote to Butaou or Tonkotsu Itto. I dug in further and realized that while the sukiyaki broth was a nice change from all that saltiness we had earlier, I also got tired of the taste after a while, which will make it impossible for me to finish an entire bowl all by myself.
We only got to meet Chef Wang Hu Rong of Bishamon Zero up close and personal.
And here’s another photo with the cardboard cutout of Chef Yukihiko Sakamoto, whose ramen gets both our vote!
Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂
Ramen Champion
1 Kim Seng Promenade,
Great World City
#01-22
Singapore 237994
Tel: +65 6235 1295
Opening Hours
Daily
11.30am – 10.30pm