WHAT WE ATE
- Truffle Shoyu Soba, 70/100(Jurassic Nest @ GBTB, 12 Nov 2022)
- Premium Char Siu Shoyu Soba, 75/100 (313 Somerset, 4 July 2021)
- Kurobishio Tonkotsu, 60/100 (313 Somerset, 4 July 2021)
- Tonkotsu Soba, 60/100 (313 Somerset, 4 July 2021 / Jurassic Nest @ GBTB, 12 Nov 2022)
TRUFFLE SHOYU SOBA 65/100 POINTS
Noodle – 25/35
The noodle is medium thick and straight. Bite is good. Nice aroma of the noodles overall.
Soup – 25/35
I don’t recall having this before at the other Tsuta outlets. Firstly, there’s a clammy taste somehow and the truffle smell is a lot more in your face here. The broth is light and refreshing with a hint of sweetness and truffle aroma. But it gets a little flat towards the end.
Meat – 10/20
The meat feels a little dry and be more tender. Taste wise is well balanced – not too salty and flavours pairs nicely with the broth.
Toppings – 5/10
Eggs nicely done. Golden gooey goodness. Marination is well balanced. Menma tasted ok. Nice and tender. The shiranegi however (white shredded part of green onion) is a little tough. Other toppings are so sparse, they hardly made any difference.
PREMIUM CHAR SIU SHOYU SOBA 75/100 POINTS
Noodle – 25/35
The noodle thickness was quite unique – despite being a Shoyu-based ramen, the noodles are thinner and closer to the Hakata type instead of the ones you usually find in Tokyo Shoyu ramen. Personally, I prefer my noodles with a bit of ‘bites’ like the Hakata ones vs the curly and springy ones. The choice of noodle thickness here paired quite well with the broth so some extra points here.
Soup – 30/35
This is I guess the Michelin star comes from. Having eaten so many types of ramen in Singapore and Japan, I must say it’s a really complex broth. It’s sweet, savoury and with a tinge of sourness towards the end (almost like there’s mustard?) – not in a bad way. There’s this familiar fragrance in it – can’t figure whether it’s dates or goji berry – but in short it’s an impressive broth even to someone who isn’t a fan of Shoyu ramen.
Meat – 10/20
It’s premium Kurobuta but I can’t taste the Kurobuta-ness. Maybe a little too thinly sliced for me. Overall, more like a side-kick to the broth.
Toppings – 10/10
On the 2nd page of the menu the word used to describe the Ajitama is ‘golden’. And wow it’s really is.. that gooey golden goodness. Oh my gawd… but the Mirin taste is just so slightly much for me. I’ve never really liked Menma – haven’t figure out how to appreciate it but I must say Tsuta’s way of handling it is interesting – thinly shredded and infused with truffle. The end result is truffle aroma first followed by a light residue of Menma.
KUROBISHIO TONKOTSU 60/100 POINTS
Noodle – 25/35
Similar to the Shoyu ramen. The noodle thickness was quite unique – despite being a Shoyu-based ramen, the noodles are thinner and closer to the Hakata type instead of the ones you usually find in Tokyo Shoyu ramen. Personally, I prefer my noodles with a bit of ‘bites’ like the Hakata ones vs the curly and springy ones. The choice of noodle thickness here paired quite well with the broth so some extra points here.
Soup – 20/35
The highlight of the broth is the burnt garlic but in this case, it’s a little overdone – resulting in an interesting first impression – the black pepper comes through quite nice with the garlic but starts to flatten thereafter as you continue your meal.
Meat – 10/20
Nothing special. A little on the thin side but still taste pretty ok.
Toppings – 5/10
Same as the Shoyu ramen. On the 2nd page of the menu the word used to describe the Ajitama is ‘golden’. And wow it’s really is.. that gooey golden goodness. Oh my gawd… but the Mirin taste a little too much – just so slightly. Black fungus, beansprouts, etc. To be honest… I can’t really taste the rest of the ingredients due to the overpowering burnt garlic taste.
TONKOTSU SOBA 60/100 POINTS
Noodle – 25/35
Similar to the Shoyu ramen. The noodle thickness was quite unique – despite being a Shoyu-based ramen, the noodles are thinner and closer to the Hakata type instead of the ones you usually find in Tokyo Shoyu ramen. Personally, I prefer my noodles with a bit of ‘bites’ like the Hakata ones vs the curly and springy ones. The choice of noodle thickness here paired quite well with the broth so some extra points here.
Soup – 20/35
The texture is a little more on the watery side – reminds us of Ichiran but with a sightly stronger porky taste. Overall, it’s not bad but compared to Ippudo, we prefer the latter a bit more.
Meat – 10/20
Nothing special. A little on the thin side but still taste pretty ok.
Toppings – 5/10
Same as above. On the 2nd page of the menu the word used to describe the Ajitama is ‘golden’. And wow it’s really is.. that gooey golden goodness. Oh my gawd… but the Mirin taste a little too much – just so slightly. The rest are some spring onions and black fungus. Nothing special.
CONCLUSION
Whether it lives up to the Michelin Star reputation, i won’t know until I get to try it in Japan. But! It’s still a rather good especially the Shoyu version. Also, what’s really good about Tsuta is that they sell half-bowl portions so you can try 2 ramen instead of one in a single seating.
DISCLAIMER
One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Find out more about our palettes and how we evaluate our ramen here. 😉
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