Ikkousha Fans rejoice! Ikkousha Ramen has just opened their first and only standalone store at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, just a short walk from Tanjong Pagar train station exit A.
Their new store at Tanjong Pagar will actually bring it a total of 4 ramen stores within the vicinity. Looks like ramen lovers will have to come by Tanjong Pagar soon!
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| Together with Head Chef Kosuke Yoshimura |
Me and a friend visited them just before they officially opened their doors to public.
Amongst those that I have tried, I would say that I enjoyed the Tonkotsu Ramen and Red Tonkotsu Ramen the most. Shio and Miso comes next. Followed by Black Tonkotsu and God Fire.
Oh by the way, my friend liked their Shio Ramen matched with their Ramen Sauce. Read more below.
Have shared them in order of my preference:
1. Tonkotsu Ramen $12.00
Style hails from Hakata, this ramen features Ikkousha's original pork broth. As their menu aptly mentions, it is really of a full-bodied and collagen flavour. I am extremly fond of the thin (yet not soggy) ramen noodles. The crunchiness of black fungus served alongside provdies an excellent contrast in texture. I also liked that the chashu is thin and soft and less fatty, slightly different from the thick round fatty ones served at other ramen stores.
Thumbs up. Will be back for this.
I love spicy kick from the blend of the spicy cod roe in the tonkotsu broth. Served with the signature chashu, beansprouts and and spring onions, I found the spicy a nice change to its regular broth. This is great for people who like their ramen spicy but not overwhelming.
Will be happy to eat this again, especially when my tongue is craving for a little spicy kick.
My friend is a huge fan of this. She matched the ramen with a little ramen sauce. This ramen sauce is part of the continents provided at the table, the staff told me that the ramen sauce is a special created sauce by Ikkousha, where customers could add to their ramen as desired.
The shio ramen is really light compared to all the ramen served here. If you prefer something much lighter, and less saltier, this might be a good match.
The miso is pretty decent though not the best ramen I have tasted. Though we would have preferred that they served it with their usual thin cha-shu instead of the pork belly chashu. Other than that, I would say this would probably win the fans of spicy miso ramen.
Don't get me wrong, I love garlic! But for me I found the fragrance of the garlic paste in the broth a little overwhelming. Having said that, I actually spotted quite a lot of people who ordered this. So I would say, if you are a fan of fried garlic paste in ramen, go ahead and try this out.
Termed as Ikkousha's special blend of 'Spicy Fire', this ramen certainly lives up to its name. Between a scale of 1 to 5, one can select a level of spicy-ness. I went with level 2, boy... I choked at the first mouthful.
Having said this, my friend was pretty cool with the spicyness level.
We akin this to fish head curry, if you love spicy fish head curry, like drinking the gravy, Level 2 is probably good for you.
If you are like me (I usually eat my curry with rice), one who enjoys spicy foods but too extreme, recommend to stick to Level 1 instead.
Have a hot time with this. :P
As a benchmark, I am a fan of Santouka, Ippudo and Marutama Ramen. Just so you kind of know how my ramen tastebuds are like.
No monetary compensation was provided. The meal was compliments of Ikkousha Ramen.
Ikkousha Ramen
Blk 7 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-104B S081007
Opening hours: 1130am to 9pm
Facebook (here)