WHAT WE ATE

• Rich Dried Sardine Tsukemen, 60/100 (1 Dec 2022)
• Kotteri Se Abura Ramen, 60/100 (9 Jun 2022)
• Rich Tori x Nikumori miso ramen, 70/100 (15 May 2021)
• Niigata Shoyu Ramen, 70/100 (15 May 2021)
• Maze Soba Aburi Chashu, 60/100 (14 Dec 2023)

MAZE SOBA ABURI CHASHU “Dried sardine oil x Shoyu” – 60/100 POINTS

Notes about Dry Ramen / Tsukemen / Mazesoba

Mazesoba is mostly about toppings and has little broth, while tsukemen serves noodles and broth separately. In tsukemen, you dip the noodles in the broth as you eat, but in mazesoba, there’s little to no broth, and you mix the various toppings directly with the noodles.

Noodle – 20/35

Featuring thick, oblong noodles with a satisfyingly springy texture, they adeptly capture the spicy sauce and carry a subtle aburi taste from the chashu. The noodles are dense, providing a delightful mouthfeel with a nuanced wheaty flavor, accompanied by a lingering kansui aftertaste.

Sauce – 20/35

While the sauce boasts a savory profile and a pleasant aroma from the sardine oil, its quantity falls short of fully coating all the noodles. The mildly spicy kick and balanced saltiness contribute to a lighter experience compared to some other mazesoba variations.

Meat – 15/20

The mazesoba impresses with a generous serving of “aburi-ed” chashu cubes, featuring a delectable combination of sweet and savory marination. However, the texture leans towards toughness and dryness, slightly diminishing the overall enjoyment.

Topping – 5/10

Additional toppings, such as negi and shiranegi, impart a subtle freshness that complements the dish’s moderately weighted sauce. The well-marinated tamago adds to the balance with a pleasing blend of sweetness and savory notes.

RICH DRIED SARDINE TSUKEMEN – 60/100 POINTS

Noodle – 25/35
The noodles are thick and flat which slurps well with the thick dipping broth. The bite is ok but could be better if the mouthfeel is more springy than chewy. Overall noodles also have a nice aroma.

Soup – 25/35
The sardine taste is first noticeable followed by a savoury aftertaste. Overall wasn’t too fishy which is good but lacks a bit more punch.

Meat – 5/20
Cubes of meat can be found in the dipping broth. They taste ok. Savoury and flavour comes out as you chew along. But texture is a bit too tough and dry. It gets tiring after chewing for a while.

Toppings – 5/10
The Tamago was nicely done. Golden and slightly runny in the middle. Leaves a nice lingering aroma. The rest of the toppings are scarce. The bamboo shoot is a little tough and pungent for me.

KOTTERI SE ABURA RAMEN – 60/100 POINTS

To be honest, its not the most pretty looking ramen and a few of you might squirm if I tell you those floaty bits are pork fat. But if you are still with me, you might find this ramen interesting enough.

According to their menu, this ramen originated in Niigata. “It was created for western tableware craftsmens. The very rich yet mild flavor made from dried small sardines soup, thick soy sauce and pork backfat represents the most traditional Niigata Ramen.”

Noodle – 25/35
The noodles are thick and flat. A little like your meepok or linguine. The texture is springy and a little on the chewy side. A very light taste despite being thicker and compliments the broth well.

Soup – 20/35
The sardine based is savoury with a slight hint of sweetness in it. Quite refreshing at the start but towards end of the meal, the fishiness starts to feel flat once your palette gets used to it. The floaty pork back fat also didn’t quite contribute much taste – the gelatinous texture however is quite interesting.

Meat – 10/20
The chashu during our revisit tasted much better than what we had before. Its firm yet tender texture comes through as it crumbles in your mouth. The chashu is also less salty than many that I’ve tried before but yet there’s also no funky porky taste – some chashu is either too salty or have a strong porky taste.

Toppings – 5/10
The Tamago was pretty nicely done. Golden watery in the middle. Very soft in the middle and leaves a nice aroma. The choice of seaweed is also quite interesting. It’s unlike your usual large sheets of Nori seaweed and also not your typical miso soup Wakame seaweed that is thicker and leathery. Not sure what exactly is it but seems like some sort of Iwanori. It’s very soft and delicate yet packs a stronger taste of seaweed. Quite a nice addition along with the spicy red onion bits. The only thing I didn’t quite like is that the bamboo shoot is a bit too pungent for me.

RICH TORI X NIKUMORI MISO RAMEN – 70/100 POINTS

Noodle – 25/35
The noodles here regardless of which ramen you pick seems to be the same thicker type of noodles that you typically find with Shoyu ramen. The overall texture was springy and didn’t have the alkaline taste that is quite common with other thicker noodles (aka “yellow noodle taste”).

Soup – 25/35
We are typically not huge fans of miso ramen but this is pretty good. The broth is quite thick for a miso base and the mixture of Tori blend in it added much umami-ness.

Meat – 10/20
The Chashu was thinly sliced for this – just right for it’s texture. Overall was ok but didn’t leave us craving for more.

Toppings – 10/10
The Tamago was pretty nicely done. Golden watery in the middle. Not sure what was used to marinate it but there’s a rather pleasant after taste. There wasn’t any other complimentary side dishes or toppings provided but the ramen came with generous portions of beansprouts and leafy greens which was great to cleanse your palette in-between.

NIIGATA SHOYU RAMEN – 70/100 POINTS

Noodle – 25/35
We felt that the thicker noodles is a better combination with the Shoyu broth than the other Miso version we had.

Broth – 30/35
One of the better Shoyu ramen we had before – the base had a slightly thicker consistency than some of the Shoyu ramen out there but still maintains the “lightness” that most people like about Shoyu ramen. The lingering fragrance of the Shoyu in your mouth is something quite refreshing.

Meat – 10/35
The Chashu was thinly sliced – just right for it’s texture. Overall was ok but didn’t leave us craving for more.

Toppings – 5/10
The Tamago was pretty nicely done. Golden watery in the middle. The bamboo shoots used in a ramen is often a make or break for us. In some places the bamboo shoots used tasted much like the ones you find in Chinese dishes which have a pungent taste. But most of Japanese version will only have a very slight hint of it and adds a bit of dimension to the ramen as you bite into it between mouthful of noodles and broth. Thankfully this is more of the latter

DISCLAIMER

One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Find out more about our palettes and how we evaluate our ramen here. 😉