Sanpoutei Ramen

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在荷蘭村，非常有文青feelTsukemen SD 16.00最近流行沾麵，本店名物是沙丁魚醬汁，入口香濃，店家非常細心，付上熱水，吃完沾麵可把濃湯底冲开再享用傳统猪骨湯底 Tonkotsu Egg SD 17.00Shoyu Egg SD 15.00酱油湯底Tarako Onigiri SD 4.00 continue reading

Having been to Sanpoutei latest outlet in Orchard, its time to try out their ramen from the 1st outlet. Sanpoutei in Holland Village is strategically located within 1 minute or less walking distance from the exit of Holland Village MRT Station via Circle Line Exit B.Traditions and style are more or less identical to what I had seen in their other outlet, charming with wooden theme furnishing featuring a modern Japanese cosy environment.Some of the dining area was partitioned to mid level with grills. I'm quite comfortable with such settings as it enclosed us to an area especially we are on a small group gathering for dinner and we can exchange our chats easily. The dining crowd has a good balance of Japanese and locals.With partitioning around, servers have to be extra attentive and have to be on standby by the walk ways in case any customers have some requests.The Qoo soft drink perhaps need no further explanation as this drink is rather common in singapore.Not only that Fuji apple is one of the most famous apple in Japan and this drink is close to drinking a cup of apple juice.Fujiya Nectar Peach is made from juicy and refreshing peach pureed. The peach flavoured drink was a very good experience to try out it's sweetness from the nectar and richness of the fruit.Calpico is a Japanese non carbonated softdrink made of high quality milk. When asked how does it taste like, the server relate me to the popular cultured milk drink, Yakult. Indeed it tasted like one with refreshing sweet tangy tasted with hints of yogurt and citrus flavours.If you have some stomach spaces to start with, do try out their Agedashi Tofu, they are really good!Having tried their Tsukumen the last round in Orchard which left so much impression even till now, it didn't stop us from ordering the same dish again! Tsukumen is one of the best choices with 1.5x noodle volume. Being springy, smooth and silky texture is one of the top reasons of be coming back to them. Awww its still addictive!The soup is thick and richly filled with sardines. Yummy!Another value for money meal will be their Maze Soba Aburi Chashu with chicken soup with noodle volume 1.5 times too. Those flat noodles are homemade in the shop using their noodle making machine. The fragrant and tender aburi chashu was chopped into pieces after prepared in the stew for about 3 hours and roasted right before serving. 3 pieces of seaweeds were given and paired with their special sauce made of dried sardine oil, spicy and shoyu condiment.Chicken soup was perfect on the go with the dried flat noodles. They were very fragrant and tasty with hints of chicken and mushrooms. It just wont go wrong ordering this. Close up of Maze Soba Aburi ShashuDeliciously rich TORI x MISO Ramen has it broth simmered under the fire about 8 hours with SANPOUTEI original blend MISO. It was served in a metal liked bowl with stir fried vegetables and minced chicken, flavoured soft-boiled egg and Aburi Chashu. Totally yummy!For those who enjoy spicy can opt to have their Spicy Version of Rich TORI x SPICY-MISO Ramen. Likewise, the broth is rich and perfect with TORI soup stock mixed with SANPOUTEI Original Spicy-MISO blend MISO. We upgraded the dish with extra Aburi Chashu and was really contented to have 5 pieces of tender charred meat. The feeling when you got the Aburi Chashu into your mouth and tinge of smokiness from them was just heavenly.Having a tried dining at both Sanpoutei Outlets, I conclude that service are above expectations with servers being responsive and attentive. Food wise, it's really addictive and I can imagine heading down for their ramens and sides again. With so many Ramen joints coming up recently, I hope SANPOUTEI standards can remain or even excel under stiff competition and stands up among the rest. For more food reviews, visit www.umakemehungry.com continue reading

For full review: http://www.amiehu.com/2014/10/sanpoutei-at-holland-village-must-try.htmlSANPOUTEI. A name that used to be the elusive ramen place that everyone keeps talking about but now I've jumped onto the bandwagon and tried it for myself. And I say, yes, yes, yes! But only if you picked the right soup base for your ramen.There was a good mix of locals and Japanese in the brightly-lit ramen bar. It sounds weird to mention that it's brightly lit, but only because most of those I went had this hole-in-the-wall factor - SANPOUTEI actually reminds me of cafes with its unabashed neat arrangement of seating areas.Baskets and purse hangers are provided for bags of the patrons, allowing for 100% comfort level despite the slightly squeezy floor plan.The first ramen on the menu (which I've decided never to trust, ever again) was the NIIGATA SHOYU Ramen. The shoyu soup stock was rather thin, saltish (rather than savoury), hints of sardine and tonkotsu. I don't like how it didn't match up to the springiness of the ramen noodles which were really awesome. After eating so much ramen, I can't really tell objectively how different the ramen noodles were except that this was above average. But... the one that took my breath away was this:Rich TORI x MISO Ramen is the one you've gotta try when you are here. I haven't tried the Spicy version which I suspect I would love as well, but the original is definitely awesome. It's the first time the ramen broth diminished way faster than the ramen noodles did in my bowl! The broth was so thick, not with random nonsense, but eggy goodness with very rich tonkatsu to form a umami goodness that slips into the ramen spoon like velvet. No kidding. It's addictive and I slurped it all up spoon after spoon (I usually only fill the broth up to about one-fifth per spoonful). No fancy tricks with the ramen noodles, aburi chashu and the egg yolk was expectedly good, but I was too preoccupied with the broth anyway. With good soup base, three-quarters of the battle is won. Please try this.The price point is pretty high - $16++/bowl, comparable to Ippudo's pricing. However I must emphasize that this is better than Ippudo and if you can only choose one, choose Rich TORI x MISO Ramen from SANPOUTEI. In fact, they are so popular they even opened a second branch at Shaw Towers. You can browse more restaurant reviews at Holland Village or follow my ramen trail here! continue reading

Many ramen joints have been sprouting around the island. Most of them being in town, I was especially happy that a reputable ramen joint opened near my place of residence. Opened by the Breadtalk Group, which opened the Ramenplay chain of ramen restaurants, I was quite confident that Sanpoutei wouldn't disappoint. Bouyed by the fact that a queue is often seen at Sanpoutei, I knew I had to give this ramen joint a try! I was lucky on a weekday and didn't have to wait for a table. After much deliberation, I decided to go for the Rich Tori Miso Ramen. I had rather high expectations for the ramen here and I certainly wasn't disappointed!! The broth was rich and flavorful. So good that I finished it to the last drop! The noodles were nice and springy, while the egg was decent. The star of the show was without a doubt, the Aburi Cha Shu. The flame seared Cha Shu was so tender that it melted in my mouth with a tinge of smokiness. I was sold right away!! I'm definitely coming back for more ramen goodness @ Sanpoutei!  continue reading

For full review, please visit http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2014/06/sg-sanpoutei-ramen-taste-of.htmlThe ramen wave continues to see an influx of ramen speciality stores popping up at all corners around Singapore. When there is so much competition in the market, diners usually end up to be the beneficiaries since we become spoilt for choice! The next question then is, who serves the best ramen in Singapore?Being quite a huge fan of ramen myself, I have since grown sceptical about the trend when many fail to impress. Having walked past Sanpoutei Ramen, located along the stretch of shophouses at Holland Village, on numerous occasions, I finally had the chance to let my tastebuds do the judging!Founded in 1967 by Mr Yukihiro Kaneko, Sanpoutei is defined by its offering of authentic Niigata-style ramen, a shoyu-ramen in a clear fish stock-based broth. This contrasts with the more popular Tonkotsu (pork-bone broth) version such as that offered by Ippudo, Ramen Bar Suzuki or even Ichiran.Niigata Shoyu Ramen (S$14/++)The signature dish at Sanpoutei, this ramen surely did not disappoint as it checked all aspects of unami flavours. With a proprietary recipe from Japan, the savoury broth was rather intense as it had been simmered for six hours, comprising chicken, pork, mushrooms and two premium niboshi (dried sardines). The flavours were harmonious and the balance was spot-on for me.Apart from the al dente ramen which gave a desired springy yet firm texture, the aburi chasu was the star. The carefully chosen cut had a nice marbling and was beautifully torched to give a caramelised-smoky flavour to make this dish truly oishi! My only complaint was that my flavoured soft-boiled egg was mildly overcooked but there is no better compliment to the chef than an empty bowl!While the menu does not have a check-list for you to choose how you would like your noodles done, diners are encouraged to make known their preferences when placing orders such as adjusting the amount of oil to be added or even the texture of your noodles.An interesting titbit picked up while conversing with Kaneko-san was that the culture of refilling one's ramen bowl with noodles was a practice common in the Southern-region of Japan such as Kyushu. As such, Sanpoutei does not have the practice of offering diners the option to add noodles.Other specialty ramensTop to bottom left (clockwise): Rich Tori & Miso Ramen, Rich Tori & Spicy Miso Ramen and W Soup Tonkotsu RamenRich Tori & Miso Ramen (S$16/++)With seven types of miso blended with the chicken-based stock and simmered for eight hours, this would appeal to those with a hearty and savoury palate. Flavours were intense and you could taste the essence of the premium ingredients used.Rich Tori & Spicy Miso Ramen (S$17/++)Similar to the miso version, the chicken-based broth was packed with an unique blend of chillies. While it packed quite a punch in flavours and heat, hardcore chilli lovers might need a stronger kick.W Soup Tonkotsu Ramen (S$16/++)A familiar dish for most ramen-lovers, the collagen-rich pork-bone broth has been simmered for half a day at 12 hours. The savoury and unami flavours of the broth was beautifully delivered to everyone's palate. Leaving the bowl for less than five minutes while everyone was busy snapping photos saw the formation of a layer of grease which was a result of the fats and collagen within the broth. This also illustrated the quality ingredients that went into the making of the broth.While Sanpoutei is famous for their ramen, they are equally lauded for their selection of rice dishes since Niigata's crystal clear water produce top quality Kurotori rice which offer an exquisite taste. Sanpoutei imports only unpolished rice from Niigata and the tedious polishing work is carried out in-house to ensure optimum preservation of the rice's innate sweetness and texture. It was really intriguing to learn how much attention was paid to intricate details as such to ensure that the diners enjoy the best bowl of rice dish.Butariki Niigata Rice Mini Don (S$4/++)Among the three rice dishes tried, this was a clear favourite among those at my table. Stirring in the raw egg yolk and tossed with the pan-fried shoyu-flavoured pork, the flavours were spot-on with the right balance of sweetness and savouriness with Sanpoutei's special sauce.The Minced Chicken Niigata Rice Mini Don (S$4/++) was also a hit with its varied texture as the breadcrumb-like minced chicken and scrambled egg made this dish interesting.We also tried the Sanpoutei Japanese Style Small Curry Rice (S$4/++) which I felt was slightly spicier and packed a stronger punch in flavours compared to most Japanese curry rice dishes available in the market. While it suited my palate, it was not a dish that went well with the other diners at my table.Sanpoutei Deep Fried Spring Chicken with Oroshi Yuzu Ponzu Sauce (S$7.80/++)If you are looking for some sides to share with your dining companions, be sure to give this a try as the crispy batter coating the succulent spring chicken had its flavours nicely lifted with the grated radish mixed with yuzu kosho flavour sauce. While I would have preferred the yuzu kosho flavours to come across stronger, it was nonetheless an enjoyable side which made this a must-try.Crispy Tempura Shrimp Salad (S$12/++)Drizzled with sweet chilli sauce and wasabi mayonnaise, it offered an interesting twist of Asian flavours to the otherwise simple Tempura dish. The prawns were fresh and succulent with a nice crisp batter which suggested clean deep-frying oil unlike some places which had that stale touch.Mori Miso Cucumber (S$3/++)Some chilled sides to pique the palate? This chilled crunchy Japanese cucumber topped with a mildly-spiced miso paste may look pleasing to the eye but the cucumber might be too raw for some.Bamboo Shoots dressed with Spicy Miso served with leeks (S$3/++)Do give this a try if you are looking for something to titillate your taste buds as the spicy miso would awake one's appetite.Yuzu Sherbet, Matcha and Black Sesame Ice Cream (S$3/scoop)I enjoyed the Yuzu Sherbet and Black Sesame most as the flavours were rich. While the Matcha ice cream was good and relatively creamy, it seemed rather pedestrian compared to the others.Having tried countless ramen places in Singapore and the region, Sanpoutei certainly fits a spot in our must-try list. If you enjoy intense flavours in your ramen broth, this has to be one of the top three spots in Singapore.While there are some tables on the left which offer more privacy, the seating in general is rather public and faces the open kitchenWe are looking forward to our next visit already! continue reading