JPN: Ramen Toride (らーめん砦)
I've fallen in love with its ramen right from the first bite!
Welcome to Sasebo, a core city located in the mid-northern part of Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan! Located within walking distance from Sasebo railway station and Sasebo Seaside Park is the original branch of Ramen Toride that has a maximum capacity of only 11 guests at any one time. I assure you that it's going to be worth the wait.
In addition to ramen, there are one or two rice dishes served at the eatery. I didn't try any of the latter though.
The actual name of the dish is 肉まぜ麺. The dry version was delicious as it was bursting with flavours, having an almost perfect balance of the sweet and the salty. Served with lots of spring onions on the side and topped with sesame seeds, there were three cuts of meat. I especially relished the sinfully fatty slab of pork belly that was charred well.
The actual name of the dish is 黒豚餃子. Presented on the plate were six pieces of pan-fried dumplings that weren't oily. They were filled with minced kurobuta (lit. black pork), which I found to be adequately flavourful, but not as succulent as expected. Still, they went well with the black vinegar that can be found on the table (not shown).
Welcome to Sasebo, a core city located in the mid-northern part of Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan! Located within walking distance from Sasebo railway station and Sasebo Seaside Park is the original branch of Ramen Toride that has a maximum capacity of only 11 guests at any one time. I assure you that it's going to be worth the wait.
In addition to ramen, there are one or two rice dishes served at the eatery. I didn't try any of the latter though.
Original Toride Ramen ¥800 (~S$10.15)
Taste: 8.5/10
The actual name of the dish is simply 砦. What a bowl of satisfaction it was, for the noodle was enjoyably al dente and the tonkotsu (lit. pork bone) broth was so rich. Besides quite a generous amount of seaweed and spring onions, there were clams and a slice of smoked fatty bacon that was really fragrant. Pika's advice: Finished your noodle, but not feeling full yet? Still have some soup left? You may want to go for the so-called Dunk Rice (ダンクライス) for an extra dose of carbohydrate in your remaining broth. Prices vary between ¥100 (~S$1.25) and ¥200 (~S$2.55).
Prawn Ramen ¥900 (~S$11.40)
Taste: 9.5/10
The actual name of the dish is simply 超人的海老潮. Without intending to exaggerate, that was the most delicious ramen I've ever had so far. The broth was so full of the tang of the sea, having a perfect union with the deep-fried shallots that were compellingly aromatic. Besides a whole prawn, there were wantons filled with minced prawns. The only reason why I didn't give it 10/10 is that the prawn was just slightly overcooked, but still sweet and not rubbery. Anyhow, I've never given a perfect score till date.
Dry Pork Ramen ¥900 (~S$11.40)
Taste: 9/10
The actual name of the dish is 肉まぜ麺. The dry version was delicious as it was bursting with flavours, having an almost perfect balance of the sweet and the salty. Served with lots of spring onions on the side and topped with sesame seeds, there were three cuts of meat. I especially relished the sinfully fatty slab of pork belly that was charred well.
Gyoza ¥490 (~S$6.20)
Taste: 7.5/10
The actual name of the dish is 黒豚餃子. Presented on the plate were six pieces of pan-fried dumplings that weren't oily. They were filled with minced kurobuta (lit. black pork), which I found to be adequately flavourful, but not as succulent as expected. Still, they went well with the black vinegar that can be found on the table (not shown).
Melon's Rating
Taste: 8.5/10
Ambience: 7/10
Service: 7.5/10
Overall: 7.5/10
While not as prevalent as other bigger ramen players, there are a few branches across the nation. At the point of writing, there are two in Tokyo and three in Osaka.
Ramen Toride
(らーめん砦)
7-11 Yorozucho
Sasebo, Nagasaki
Sasebo, Nagasaki
Japan
(Daily: 11.30am - 3.00pm, 5.00pm - 8.30pm)
*Prices quoted are nett prices.
Have a nice meal,
Cliff(y)
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