Here's a ramen round-up of Japanese noodle joints that have recently stormed the suburbs, starting with Kanbe Ramen at Damansara Perdana's Empire Damansara complex.
Kanbe Ramen serves springy house-made noodles with toppings like meaty roast pork fillet or garlic-&-chilli-laced minced pork. Its soup is made with boiled chicken bones & vegetables, a bid to produce milder, cleaner flavours compared to pork bone broth.
The result: Palatable ramen, though perhaps not as memorably tasty as it might have been. The absence of marinated eggs here should also be reconsidered. Kanbe's ramen ranges in price between RM17 & RM21 before taxes. Rating? Probably a B.
Next up, Komichi Ramen, a no-frills outlet at Desa Sri Hartamas.
Cha-shu ramen, bountiful with thick slices of pork that could nonetheless be more tender (RM22.90).
Rating for Komichi? Maybe a B-minus.
Moving on to Raku Raku Ramen at Sri Petaling.
Raku Raku is theoretically value for money; a very hearty serving with not only cha-shu, a full egg & the works but a chunk of buta kakuni braised pork belly costs RM22.90. Still, the meat here is afflicted with what comes dangerously close to a stench.
Rating for Raku Raku? C-plus; it might help if the broth were punchier, but it's fine for patrons who want less salt in their soup.
Kanbe Ramen
Empire Damansara, Damansara Perdana
One more for the road: Taking a look at Shizuku, the first outlet in Melbourne to start serving ramen burgers last year.
Luscious pork belly with prune-plum sauce & kewpie mayo in a greasy ramen bun.
Rating for tastiness: An extremely solid B-plus. Rating for nutritious healthiness: An exceptionally sad C.
Antioxidants to help counter some of the ramen burger's diet-destroying properties.
Kanbe Ramen
Empire Damansara, Damansara Perdana
Komichi Ramen
7, Jalan 26/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur
Lunch & dinner, except Mondays
Raku Raku Ramen
67, Jalan Radin Tengah, Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur
Shizuku Ramen
309 Victoria Street, Abbotsford
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As a separate initiative, the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites for January-March 2014 is now online, featuring 100 pretty nice eateries, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. This eBook of restaurant recommendations is available for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Jan-March-2014 (This link expires March 31, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link).
