Tokyo Ramen takes customers on an authentic exploration of Japan's beloved soul food, with restaurant founder Touichi Ishihara & his team bringing the steaming-hot comfort of noodle soups & rice bowls from their homeland to PJ's Atria mall, served in a calm, welcoming venue outfitted with a traditional water wheel, white cherry blossom replicas & Japanese artwork.
The familiar touchstones of ramen are all available here for Malaysians to savour, from the tonkotsu pork bone broth to the Tokyo-style shoyu chicken soup to a 'Dragon' ramen that showcases spicy miso flavours. We tried the tonkotsu ramen, with a medium-bodied golden base that pairs well with the noodles for a creamy, milky mouthfeel that - typical of Tokyo - is nonetheless notably lighter & less robustly intense than southern Japan's Hakata-type broths. Most servings of the fresh-tasting ramen here are priced from RM16.90++ to RM28.90++, with accompaniments that include pork cha-shu slices cooked for nearly three hours, seasoned eggs, minced pork meat, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, seaweed sheets, onions & leek.
If you prefer soup-free ramen, the outlet offers varieties like Abura Soba (RM16.90) - which translates into 'oil noodles,' reputedly hailing from Tokyo's Kitatama District - featuring ramen in the kitchen's own-prepared soy-based oil mix, tossed with everything inside the bowl for a flavoursome medley that patrons might find enjoyable in a way that evokes childhood instant noodles. The shop also promises tsukemen (RM21.90), or dry ramen served separately with a tonkotsu-based dipping sauce.
For a lighter meal or snack, the sake mentai don (RM13.90++) - warm rice blanketed with sliced & minced salmon, luscious cod roe, mayonnaise & seaweed - is a recipe we could happily eat over & over again. Other donburi offerings include rice with chicken curry or pork belly & spring onions, while side dishes comprise gyoza, tori karaage fried chicken, chashu stuffed in mantao buns, & chikuwa isobe age, or seaweed-laced fried fish surimi tubes. Many thanks to Tokyo Ramen for having us here.
Tokyo Ramen
Atria Shopping Gallery, T11, 3rd Floor, Jalan SS 22,23, Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Tel: 03-7496-5633
