Singapore, August 5, 2010
Great value meal at Kusabi!
For short period only
August 6 - 19
4-course $24 meal is now yours for $15.50 nett!
Enjoy the No. 1 Fuskushima Ramen - Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen - plus 2 Nikumaki Rice Balls and salad with a FREE Green Tea Ice Cream thrown in - at $15.50 nett only! (down from the usual price of $24 nett).
Both the chosen Ramen and Pork Rice Balls made with premium rice are highly recommended!
Lunch: 12pm to 3pm
Dinner: 7pm to 10pm
Kusabi
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#01-68/69
The Central @ Clarke Quay (above Clarke Quay MRT)
Tel: 6225 9415
Read review below:
Singapore, August 2, 2010
Central shopping centre above Clarke Quay MRT station has added another notable Ramen eatery to its small but renowned collection of Ramen joints.
The latest to open is Kusabi, on level 1, just a few doors away from Subway.
With a name that means a wedge in Japanese, Kusabi from Fukushima prefecture has definitely made inroads into the Ramen scene in Japan, especially the northern region - after having won top recognition in a few Japanese magazines.
Although it appeared only seven years ago, it was hailed as among the best Ramen in North Japan by online voting on Yahoo Japan.
So what's so special about it?
Its USP is the fish powder, a blend of flavourful bonito (katsuo) and baby sardines, that's kneaded into the Japanese flour for making Ramen.
In Singapore, the Ramen is made at a factory.
After it's being cooked in boiling water, the base soup is ladled over the slightly thick flat noodles (compared to thinner Hokkaido ones), allowing the fish powder to infuse the soup with its flavour and aroma.
The most delicious, which is also their award-winner in Japan, is the Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen ($13.50).
After the main soup base (a blend of soy sauces) is added, a thick collagen-rich soup (made with pork bones) is poured over the noodles.
The thick pork soup base (discernibly heavy with collagen but not porky), of flavourful soy sauces and the umami sweetness from the fish powder made a winning combination.
It was incredibly good!
If you're sick of eating another bowl of porky Ramen, try this one. You don't need MSG when you've got the super fish powder. And it's neither too fishy.
The combo of pork collagen, soy sauces and fish powder was a nicely balanced art.
The noodles were cooked through, and yet springy, and soft enough to eat. The meaty char siew was salty and tender too.
If you want more toppings, with half-cooked egg, char siew and menma (preserved bamboo shoots, order the Marutoku version ($19).
The Marutoko version is also available for two types of Ramen - Miso Tonkotsu (with pork collagen added) and Uobushi Tonkotsu Shoyu.
If you don't like greasy pork stock, but don't mind a piece of pork char siew, go for the Toribushi Shoyu Ramen ($14). The salty-sweet soup is made with soy sauces, chicken and dried fish.
The taste of the soup and the noodle shape (thin and round) remind you of Soba (buckwheat noodles in soup). And the taste? Delicious!
The Uobushi Tomkotsu Shoyu Ramen has interesting touches - of garlic and oil infused with Kusabi's fish powder.
What could be off-putting, if the restaurant is not careful, is the strong-smelling menma, which I feel, has ruined many a Ramen elsewhere.
Many Ramen eateries use commercially produced ones which reek of chemical. The ones at the rather sophisticated Keisuke at Parco did not have any offensive odour.
What else to eat at Kusabi
The spicy Ramen concoctions are topped with a chilli oil spiked with a secret blend of spices for that uniquely Kusabi flavour - I've to check this out another day.
What else should you eat here?
The yummy Nikumaki Rice Balls ($5.60 for two) are highly recommended.
Thin pieces of streaky pork were cooked in flavourful Ramen sauce and then wrapped around rice balls that had been flavoured with salt and sesame seeds and draped with a mint-and-basil-like Shiso leaf.
Enjoy the mingling of flavours and textures as you take bites of each rice ball. You'd never expect a humble rice ball to be addictively good.
By the way, Kusabi uses premium rice - Nitamai - the top range of Koshihikari, which has won gold twice.
The glistening pearl-like rice was evenly soft and sweet, and should go well with dishes like the ginger pork, teriyaki chicken and kara age (deep-fried chicken) that Kusabi offers in their set meals.
I also enjoyed the piquantly refreshing Kusabi's Original Ramen Salad.
The noodles were tossed with mizuna greens, shiso leaves, radish shreds and nori, and a dressing that includes fish broth, sour plum paste and citrussy yuzu juice.
And desserts?
As the Ramen chain is from the north, it naturally uses Hokkaido ice cream for its dessert creations.
But it does a mean Almond Jelly, better than those offered by many Chinese restaurants here.
It's light and super-smooth with a delectable almond flavour. I like it plain with a few sweet wolfberries.
It slipped down rather comfortably after a heavy Ramen meal. I'm not sure whether ice-cream would be able to do that well.
Anyway, I will definitely be back for more Ramen.
Rating:
8.5/10 for Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen
7.5/10 for Toribushi Shoyu Ramen
7.5/10 for Nikumaki
7.5/10 for Almond Jelly
6.5/10 for Ramen Salad
Overall rating: 7.5
Kusabi
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#01-68/69
The Central @ Clarke Quay (above Clarke Quay MRT)
Tel: 6225 9415
Open Daily 11am-9:30pm
See pictures of Kusabi Ramen:
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| See pictures of Kusabi and its Ramen and other dishes |
Other good Ramen eateries at The Central
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| Ramen Santouka at Level 2 |
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| Marutama Ramen at Level 3 |
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