For those who are not familiar with the Ramen Champion concept at Bugis+ will be in for a treat. 6 different ramen flavors and recipes from the different regions of Japan are brought together in this 'stadium' setting to compete against each other for a year. The winner will be invited to set-up a restaurant in Singapore while the losers get booted out.
Two appetisers I would recommend are the Tebasaki fried chicken ($6.90) from Shodai Koji and the Deep fried gyoza $5 from Buta God. The chicken was cooked to a crisp while still maintaining moisture on the inside and the lemon wedge provided helps cut through the oil if you're having this dish all by yourself. The deep fried gyoza should only be ordered if you prefer vegetables it barely contained any meat.
The Triple Charshu Ramen ($16.80) by Shodai Koji (Yokohama) was the first new competitor that popped up onto our table to the collective ooohs and ahhhs. Coming from a country that loves gooey eggs, everyone attacked them first before tucking into the other parts of the dish. And it was sad to say.. disappointing. Just from the picture alone tells you it was overcooked bar the middle. The rich and flavorful tonkotsu broth is cooked for over 8 hours but was on the lighter side of things, which helped because the noodles were of a medium thickness. Thankfully they were cooked well and had a bite to it. The 3 types meat given were chicken thigh, pork belly and pork collar, and they were cooked to perfection.
The second ramen isn't a new competitor, but their Bugis+ outlet is their second and hence warranted a mention. The Special Power Riki Ramen ($16.50) by Tokyo Riki Ramen is totally unlike what you normally find in Singapore. Their milky white broth and amazingly cooked egg are where the similarity ends. They use thick cut noodles like udon AND heavily top it with bean sprouts before heaping a generous amount of garlic in. Before serving, the pork is given a gentle licking by a blowtorch which gives it a nice smokey taste and aroma. The excessive amount of bean sprouts helped to cut through that very heavy soup base and thick noodles but unfortunately I wouldn't go for this and I am no fan of garlic.
The second new ramen served was the Menya Ryu Special Miso ($15.80) from Sopporo, Hokkaido. The chef retains the original flavors by using 3 kinds of Miso (red,white & black). This was the only ramen we've tested on the night that used thinner curly yellow noodles. Sadly it was a tad overcooked, but that was the only fault I could find in that dish. Their soup base is a mix of tonkotsu and chicken, and was a clear winner of the 3 tested. The corn and bamboo shoots helped to counter the overall saltiness of the dish while the spring onion and radish gave a texture variance in the mouth with each bite. I got a feeling this is going to be pretty popular with the local palate and might be a winner.
My only gripe with Ramen champion is with 6 stores to choose from, you might pick something you dislike. It's best if you do your research before heading down as you will definitely be overwhelmed by the amount of pictures pasted everywhere. I will definitely be heading back soon to try out the other competitors.
This was an invited tasting.
Ramen Champion, Bugis+
201 Victoria Street, #04-10
Singapore 188067
Near Bugis Mrt Station
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