WHAT WE ATE
- Shoyu Ramen, 35/100 (12 Oct 2024, Ang Mo Kio)
- Chashu Ramen, 45/100 (12 Oct 2024, Ang Mo Kio)
Kazutake Ramen, a relatively new chain in Singapore, offers a variety of affordable dishes, with their 24/7 outlets making it an ideal spot for late-night cravings. Their Serangoon Gardens branch has a fun Naruto-themed interior that’s sure to appeal to anime fans, adding a playful twist to your dining experience. We stopped by their original store in Ang Mo Kio to dig in and see what they had to offer. Whether you’re grabbing a quick bite or indulging in a hearty midnight meal, the huge menu there is sure to have something for everyone!
Review for Shoyu Ramen: 35/100
Noodle: 15/35
The noodles are medium-thick and wavy, but they were a bit of a letdown. They were too soft and didn’t hold their firmness well in the soup. Some of them even clumped together, which wasn’t great. The texture felt slightly clammy, with the noodles sticking to your teeth as you eat. Since the soup was really light, it made the lack of flavor in the noodles more noticeable. There’s a slight wheat taste, but nothing too exciting.
Soup: 5/35
For something called Shoyu ramen, the shoyu flavor was practically non-existent. All I could taste was dashi, and even that wasn’t smooth. The broth started off with a strong mackerel-like taste, but there wasn’t much depth or the rich bonito flavor you’d expect. The shoyu felt like it was just there for color. It had some mild savory and sweet notes but overall felt flat and lacking in flavor.
Meat: 10/20
The pork belly was a thin, fairly large slice, with charred edges that made it look like it had been torched. But the smoky flavor didn’t really come through. The meat was firm but not dry, though the fatty parts were too chewy and a bit stringy. It had a mild porky taste, which was okay, but nothing to get excited about.
Topping: 5/10
The toppings were pretty standard. The menma was surprisingly tasty, with a nice savourt tangy-sour flavor, but the negi was a disappointment. It tasted more like a local version of spring onion rather than the sharp, piquant kind you usually get in ramen. It felt like it was there more for looks than flavor.
Review for Chashu Ramen: 45/100
Noodle: 15/35
Same medium-thick, wavy noodles as before, but still underwhelming. They were too soft and didn’t hold up well in the soup. The texture felt a bit clammy, sticking to your teeth as you ate. There’s a slight wheat taste, but nothing really exciting.
Soup: 15/35
The broth feels like a chicken-based tori paitan, though it’s not explicitly stated. Visually, it looked a bit thin, but a quick check with our refractometer shows it holds up at over 8 brix, which is on par with most paitan ramen in Singapore. You first get a noticeable chicken flavor, followed by a light savory-sweet undertone. Unfortunately, the texture was a little grainy, and it could use the creamy smoothness you’d expect from a good paitan broth. The flavor profile felt flat, lacking depth or complexity—some how a reminiscent of chicken porridge for me.
Meat: 10/20
The same pork belly as before, just with more slices. The presentation looked promising with charred edges that hinted at a torching process, but the smoky flavor didn’t really come through. The meat was firm but not dry, though the fatty parts were too chewy and stringy. It had a mild porky flavor, which was okay but nothing extraordinary.
Topping: 5/10
Standard toppings again. The negi had the same issue—it tasted more like a local spring onion than the sharp, piquant version you’d expect in ramen. It seemed more for show than flavor. Instead of menma, you get a marinated egg here, which was a pleasant surprise. The sweet-savory marination paired well with the meal, and the soft, jiggly texture made for a nice mouthfeel.
DISCLAIMER
One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Find out more about our palettes and how we evaluate our ramen here. 😉
