WHAT WE ATE
- Kumamoto Black Ramen – 75/100, Kumamoto
- Kumamoto Shoyu Ramen – 70/100, Kumamoto
Nestled within the Castle Compound is Josaien – the Castle Town Park. Filled with restaurants and souvenir shops, its your starting and also ending point when visiting Kumamoto Castle.
Kumamoto Black Ramen 75/100
Noodles – 30/35
The noodles in Kumamoto Black Ramen are straight, medium thin, and have a satisfyingly dense texture. They possess a delightful wheat flavor, with no detectable taste of kansui.
Broth – 30/35
The broth of this ramen begins with a delightful aroma of sesame oil and garlic oil. It then reveals a subtle sweetness from the tonkotsu base, accompanied by a gentle peppery note. Contrary to its appearance, the broth is not thick in terms of viscosity, measuring only 6.4 on the brix meter.
Meat – 10/20
The meat in this ramen is cut quite thickly, but unfortunately, its texture is not the best. It tends to be slightly dry, although the flavor is acceptable. The savory taste has penetrated well into the meat.
Toppings – 5/10
The marination of the egg is well-executed, resulting in a balanced level of saltiness, although the yolk could be runnier. The remaining toppings do not contribute significantly to the overall experience.
Kumamoto Shoyu Ramen 70/100
Noodles – 30/35
The same noodles are used here. Straight, medium thin, and have a satisfyingly dense texture. They possess a delightful wheat flavor, with no detectable taste of kansui.
Broth – 25/35
The broth in this version is slightly milder. The distinct flavor of sesame oil is more pronounced since there is no garlic oil present like in the black version. The sweetness derived from the Tonkotsu base is also more prominent. Interestingly, when we attempted to measure the salt level of the soup using a refractometer, we encountered an unusual phenomenon where the reading consistently showed zero, despite multiple attempts. This is a unique occurrence that we have not encountered before.
Meat – 10/20
The same meat appears to be used here. Thick cut but unfortunately, its texture is not the best. It tends to be slightly dry, although the flavor is acceptable. The savory taste has penetrated well into the meat.
Toppings – 5/10
The other toppings are similar. The marination of the egg is well-executed, resulting in a balanced level of saltiness, although the yolk could be runnier. The remaining toppings do not contribute significantly to the overall experience.
DISCLAIMER
One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Find out more about our palettes and how we evaluate our ramen here. 😉
