JPN: Ajisen Ramen (味千拉麵)
Thick-cut 'chashu' ramen at the original branch!
On the day when we reached Kumamoto, Japan, my BFFs and I made it a point to go to the original branch of Ajisen Ramen that was founded in 1968. Its specialty ramen was born when Liu Tan Hsiang from Taiwan experimented with infusing garlic into tonkotsu (lit. pork bone) ramen that originated from Kurume in Fukuoka.
All the set meals come with rice.
The Japanese writing on the menu for this dish is 焼きそば. The stir-fried soba (Japanese buckwheat noodle) was pretty good, though I felt that it could use slightly less oil and more mirin (a kind of Japanese sweet rice wine). Besides crunchy cabbages, carrots and spring onions, there were a bit of pork and fish cakes in the concoction.
On the day when we reached Kumamoto, Japan, my BFFs and I made it a point to go to the original branch of Ajisen Ramen that was founded in 1968. Its specialty ramen was born when Liu Tan Hsiang from Taiwan experimented with infusing garlic into tonkotsu (lit. pork bone) ramen that originated from Kurume in Fukuoka.
All the set meals come with rice.
Ajisen Ramen + Chashu Don Set ¥946 (~S$11.75)
Ajisen Ramen - Taste: 8/10
Chashu Don - Taste: 8/10
The set is written as 炙りチャーシュー丼セット in Japanese. Even though the specialty ramen with thinly sliced pork belly appeared rather oily, the broth was delicious and indeed had a heady aroma of garlic. As for the noodle, it was delectably springy. The roasted pork belly rice topped with spring onions was satisfying, though I was hoping for the meat to be slightly fattier. Pika's advice: It's possible to change the ramen for the set meal. Also, you can upsize your ramen for an additional ¥137 (~S$1.70).
Thick-Cut Chashu Ramen (Set C) ¥1,091 (~S$13.55) + ¥264 (~S$3.30)
Thick-Cut Chashu Ramen - Taste: 8/10
Fried Rice (Half) - Taste: 8/10
The Japanese name of this particular ramen is 贅沢切り炙りチャーシュー麺, while that of the fried rice included in Set C is 半チャーハン. The ramen that came with half an egg, wood ear mushrooms and spring onions was similar to the one mentioned above, but with thick-cut roasted pork belly strips. The latter had a nice smoky flavour, but again, they didn't really have much of the melt-in-the-mouth fats. For half a portion, the fried rice was pretty sizeable. Anyway, it was tasty without being too oily.
Yakisoba ¥746 (~S$9.25)
Taste: 7.5/10
The Japanese writing on the menu for this dish is 焼きそば. The stir-fried soba (Japanese buckwheat noodle) was pretty good, though I felt that it could use slightly less oil and more mirin (a kind of Japanese sweet rice wine). Besides crunchy cabbages, carrots and spring onions, there were a bit of pork and fish cakes in the concoction.
Melon's Rating
Taste: 8/10
Ambience: 7.5/10
Service: 7.5/10
Overall: 7.5/10
Ajisen Ramen used to be my go-to place for ramen during my schooling days here in Singapore.
Ajisen Ramen
(味千拉麵)
*Prices quoted are subject to 10% VAT.
Have a nice meal,
Cliff(y)
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