Eat Drink KL: Gokuraku Ramen

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Gokuraku Ramen

A cheerfully non-halal restaurant that we wanted to love but ended up barely liking, despite the briskly efficient service that's well worth a mention.

Ultimate Tonkotsu Ramen with char siew, egg, black fungus, spring onions, leek, bamboo shoots, seaweed & garlic oil. Had the vital ingredients, but we prefer the recipes at Fahrenheit 88's Marutama Ramen & Jaya One's Mai Ramen. The noodles here were chewier, like kolo mee, while the broth seemed to have pervasive overtones of pork liver (love it? hate it?). The eggs felt like ordinary hard-boiled ones, instead of the flavorsome seasoned versions.

Ishiyaki Rice, featuring garlic fried rice topped with raw egg & minced pork in a stone pot. Looked alluring, but we had mixed feelings about this too. Hearty enough for carb-lovers, but not particularly addictive. Paled in comparison to, say, paella or bibimbap.

Breaded octopus tentacles. Crisp, but a little too starchy. Not our kinda thing, that's all.

Grilled skewered pork belly (somewhat stinky) & chicken skin (somewhat dried out).

No sake, shochu or wine is available, so Asahi beer is the sole recourse for booze devotees.

Goku Raku Ramen,
S25-S26, Level 2, North Court, Mid Valley Megamall.