Right at a corner of Tanjong Pagar Plaza stood a ramen shop call IKKOUSHA HAKATA RAMEN. What does IKKOUSHA mean? One Happy Space and that is what they want to bring for everyone in one space. Neighbouring them are many eating and drinking places, that prominent red signboard catches one's eyes easily. You can't miss it. Despite the limited seating capacity of 28-30 pax, the turnaround time is fast according to their friendly staff. So be patient when it comes to yummy food.
Stepped into a small yet cosy shop makes you felt like you are in one of those ramen shops in Japan. Once seated, right in front of you is the order sheet where you get to choose the types of ramen, the noodle texture, the level of saltiness and additional toppings if you like to have. Their varieties on the menu are limited but that also mean their focus is on one main food and that is Ramen. And that is IKKOUSHA's mission in bringing customers the authentic taste of Hakata Ramen.
While waiting for our ramen, exploring the side of the table with some condiments which we can have along with our ramen and also not forgetting the hard-boiled eggs. The staff recommended to try adding the Spicy Takana. It was nice with two layers of taste: spicy and sour. You can choose your condiments to go with to suit your taste bud.
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| Spicy Takana |
Here comes our bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen ($12) where we topped with seaweed ($1.50 for 3pcs). That was quite mandatory for me when it comes to ramen. The soup was commended with that flavourful and thick taste. Boiled/simmered with pig bone for hours to achieve this consistency everyday isn't an easy task. But that is what the chefs at IKKOUSHA aims to do. Adding the hard-boiled eggs into the soup was the best choice made. A marriage of the soup and egg. My husband suggested that adding a soft-boiled egg would achieve even better taste. Why not. Ordering the normal texture for noodles was the safest choice for me. Neither too soft nor hard. Apart from that, it absorbed the soup easily to make it so smooth to have. Not forgetting the thin slice of chewy Chashu that adds on to the beauty of this ramen bowl.
Not forgetting their side dishes like their juicy tiny Gyoza ($5) and succulent Fried Chicken ($5). An add-on if you want to satisfy your craving for Japanese food further. Check out their menu.
Thank you J Passport and Hakata Ikkousha. And enjoy your meal people! Passport chopped!
Hakata Ikkousha
Block 7, Tanjong Pagar Plaza
#01-104 Singapore 081007
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (East-West Line)
Website: http://www.ikkousha.sg/
Opening Hours: 11.30am to 10.00pm
There is another outlet at Chijmes so check out their website for more details.
And if you haven't, download J Passport now on App Store or Google Play for a 'passport' to around 200 Japanese brands/outlets.