Despite
the prevalence of pork broths here, I’ve always had a soft spot for
chicken-based Ramen, created by the now-defunct Gensuke’s unforgettable take on
it, along with my grandmother’s home-made chicken soup. At that point in time (mid-2012),
Singapore was just not ready for anything other than Tonkotsu Ramen, which
caused Gensuke’s mournful departure from Ramen Champion. Two stores serving
chicken Ramen have popped up since then, one being Matsuri Ramen and the other
being Keisuke’s Tori King, of which I will be reviewing the former today.
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| Matsuri Ramen's cosy interior |
To
rehash a little on the nature of the chickens used at Matsuri Ramen (you can
read more here), they are of the Sakura variety, which are reared using more
humane methods and are supposedly healthier by extension (and more expensive,
doubtless). While I’m not entirely convinced by the touted health benefits of
Sakura chicken, I definitely welcome the presence of another joint serving
chicken Ramen.
Ambience:
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| Even the entrance to the toilet feels welcoming |
Like
all Ramen stores, Matsuri Ramen has the obligatory Japanese decorations around
its store, along with the every-bit-as-obligatory Japanese music playing over
the speakers. Unlike the gargantuan proportions of Ramen Champion though, Matsuri
Ramen probably has a maximum seating capacity of 18 people in its store,
although there is outside seating available as well. This evokes a sense of
homeliness, which is compounded by the all-Japanese staff, consisting of
all of 3 men. In fact, as I had my meal, I witnessed a friendly conversation in
Japanese between a staff member and a customer.
Besides this, we did receive rather
efficient and friendly service from all the staff in general, highlighting that
the above-mentioned incident wasn’t just a countryman-specific one-off. The overall
willingness of the staff to interact with their customers and their
attentiveness to them is much appreciated and makes diners feel welcome, which
is unfortunately lost in most of the more commercialised Ramen joints here.
Quality and Taste:
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| The menu, with other options as well. Pork broth menu not shown |
Sakura Chicken with Spring Onion Sauce ($7.00, free of charge via J Passport until 27th June)
This dish was served chilled, which provided a refreshing contrast from my Ramen (more on that later). It doesn’t look like a particularly big portion, but this is attributed more to the generous serving of spring onions covering it, and was substantial enough for my girlfriend and me. In general, the chicken was well-marinated, veering a little on the salty side, although this wasn’t enough to be overwhelming.
Despite
its title stating the sauce to be spring onion, it probably isn’t composed of
that alone, as I could taste prominent hints of ginger too. The combined effects
of these two flavours, along with the cool temperature of the dish, resulted in
it being a sheer delight to eat while enjoying the Ramen.
(On
a side note and as a point for comparison, this really reminded me of the wine
chicken served by dimsum restaurants.)
Rich
Soup with Tamago ($13.90)
Unlike
the hard-hitting heaviness of pork-based broths, the chicken broth used here
relied more on subtlety, with its herb-like undertones and spring onions
creating a sweet fragrance. The flavour of chicken was unsurprisingly apparent
too, though I did feel that even when taking chicken’s naturally lighter flavour
into account, it remained just a bit too light for my liking.
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| Rich Soup with Tamago ($13.90) |
The
noodles were unusually curly, almost maggimee-esque, which I suppose is for the
purpose of having more soup cling on to it, given the broth’s lighter nature. However,
I felt like they were a little overcooked as they didn’t really provide much
resistance to the bite.
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| A poster set meal at Matsuri Ramen |
I
found the chicken chashu rather unremarkable, which was a letdown considering
its grilled exterior. Don’t get me wrong, the texture was done alright, it’s
just that it was lacking a little in flavour, and I much prefer the chicken in
spring onion sauce.
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| The promising grilled chicken chashu skin |
The
flavoured egg was one area in which they could have gotten away with an
infusion of strong flavour but didn’t, rendering it quite a disappointment.
Despite the yolk being done pretty well, I really feel that the chefs could
have seasoned it more to make it stand out against the rest of the light ingredients.
Value:
I really
like the fact that the prices shown on the menu are net prices, in which case
the Ramen is cheaper than the industry’s average price, and which also subverts
my expectations that Mozart-listening chickens would cost the consumer more.
The price of $13.90 for the Ramen feels about right, although I have some
gripes with the misnomer “Rich Soup”. As for the side dish, I felt that it was
a fantastic promotion, but its usual price is on the pricey side, especially
given its portion.
Overall:
As
a whole, Matsuri Ramen does deliver on its promise of being a healthier version
of Ramen, and I didn’t end the meal feeling bloated like I would when eating
Bario, for instance. It serves a refreshing take on Ramen, one which I do
appreciate. It’s clearly a small
operation, which I feel gives it a certain kind of homely, old-school charm. Matsuri
Ramen isn’t helped by its less accessible location, which is about 250m from
Clarke Quay MRT, and most Singaporeans wouldn’t be accustomed to its chicken
broth. Still, I hope that it isn’t overlooked because of these, as it is a nice
change-up from oily pork broths and a welcome addition to Singapore’s Ramen
scene.
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| Kitchen staff hard at work |
FOODIE’S RATING
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Quality & Taste(75%)
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7.0
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Healthy isn't bland by any means
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Value (15%)
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7.3
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Low net prices are much appreciated
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Ambience & others (10%)
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7.7
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Cosy, unpretentious atmosphere
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Total
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7.1
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A solid 7, not just for the health-conscious
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Address:
7 North Canal Road (along a stretch of shophouses between Raffles Place MRT and Clarke Quay MRT, although Clarke Quay is nearer)
Opening Hours:
Mondays to Saturdays: 11:30am to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm
Closed on Sundays and public holidays
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