Introduction:
I first discovered chef Keisuke Takeda's Tonkotsu
King in 2013, when it was only 1 tiny branch at Orchid Hotel and served the
best Tonkotsu ramen in Singapore. It was so good that I had planned to leave it
as the conclusion to our ramen series. Needless to say, it proceeded never to
materialise. During my period of self-rationalised procrastination, Tonkotsu
King has expanded into 4 branches island-wide, and still consistently serves
the best Tonkotsu ramen in Singapore, bar none (Ikkousha's version has better
balance, but ever since it's move from Ramen Champion, it's standards have been
fluctuating, to say the least). That being said, out of the 4 branches, the
original one at Orchid Hotel is still the jewel in Keisuke's crown, and the one
most worth visiting, if travelling to Tanjong Pagar isn't a big inconvenience.
Ambience:
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| Come early (at say, 11:15am) to avoid the queues |
Tonkotsu King isn't tough to spot at all -just look
for the throng of people standing at Orchid Hotel and you'd have found it. The
fact that it still attracts long queues and longer waiting times, even years
after opening in fad-obsessed Singapore (read: even after the frenzy has
largely shifted from ramen to other crazes), is a testament to Tonkotsu King's
lasting greatness.
The eatery itself is tiny, accommodating only 18
people at any one time. Even then, to move around, these 18 lucky ones have to
contort their bodies in various yoga positions. This is why, in line with the
utilitarian ethos of the eatery, it might be wiser to simply sit down, shut up
and enjoy your ramen.
Despite its Japanese interior, Tonkotsu King isn't
one of those eateries that pretends to be what it isn't -that is, despite its
success, it remains true to its roots of being a humble ramen shop. The only
concessions it gives towards decor would be the various Japanese posters pasted
around the shop, including some articles featuring Keisuke himself.
In light of this, this isn't a place where you'd go
to for attentive, personalised service. Neither is it a place conducive for
conversations or "hanging out" of any kind. Instead, this is a
utilitarian, almost gritty place, one in which food quality comes first and customers
second.
What's arguably the most important to the
atmosphere of an eatery is how it makes the customer feel. In this regard,
Keisuke does an amazing job in importing the ambience of a small, traditional
ramen shop, as Tonkotsu King makes one feel as though he's dining in a
hole-in-the-wall eatery in Japan. To put it simply, Tonkotsu King exudes
authenticity, which is often missed by most restaurants. In line with ramen's
roots as a humble salaryman's dish, Tonkotsu King indeed feels like an establishment
that a salaryman would visit after a long day at work. The phrase "the
devil's in the details" could not be less apt; simplicity and authenticity
are details that Tonkotsu King excels in.
Taste and quality:
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| What I had -Tonkotsu King ramen with a flavoured egg, strong taste and more oil. Go big or go home |
Like a true traditional ramen shop, Tonkotsu King does not have many options. Essentially, what a customer has control over is the saltiness and oiliness of the pork-based soup, with an additional option of choosing various sauces (black or red) to add spice. The newly-initiated should go for "normal" levels of saltiness and oiliness in a plain Tonkotsu soup base, which might be too strong compared to other eateries. This is how ramen's supposed to taste though. For subsequent visits, the "strong" levels are worth venturing into.
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| The perfect bowl of ramen? |
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| Mmmmmm, fats... |
Upon receiving the order, the amount of fats
floating within the soup might be shocking for the faint-hearted. Don't fret
though, the fats add richness to the soup. Forget momentarily about cholesterol
and sodium content; this is one of the best bowls of ramen you're gonna get in
Singapore, so enjoy yourself and eat up. While we're on the topic, the soup is
exceptionally thick, and for lack of a better word, "creamy". It
tastes as though a live pig was thrown squealing into a pot of boiling water,
and kept there until its flavour has thoroughly infused every water molecule.
The broth is definitely a hard-hitter and takes no prisoners. When compared to
some of the ramen we had in Japan however, Tonkotsu King's broth is more
reliant on oil to bring about its heaviness and taste, whereas ramen in Japan
was less oily but still more substantial and flavourful -perhaps due to the
differences in pork quality, the duration of boiling or the amount of pork
actually used. With that caveat aside, Tonkotsu King's broth is definitely one
of the best you can get locally.
The taste of a bowl of ramen is important, but so
is its mouthfeel. Amidst all the attention paid to the taste of the broth, the
greatest contributor of mouthfeel is one that's overlooked -the noodles. In
roping in his noodles supplier to support his Singapore venture, Keisuke
clearly understands the importance of the noodles used, which can make or break
a bowl in subtle ways. In doing so, Tonkotsu King's noodles have a decent
amount of bite (choose the "normal" option), they are of an
appropriately medium thickness befitting the thick broth, so just the right
amount of soup clings on to them. Crucially, the noodles and the soup are
perfectly complementary, as though they're made for each other.
 |
In my opinion, all of Keisuke's ramen eateries (ie
including Tori King, Keisuke Ramen Tokyo) have mastered the art of making the
perfect flavoured egg (or ajitsuke tamago). The flavoured egg has a
beautifully molten core, and as seen from its dark exterior, has clearly been
seasoned. It's also refrigerator-cold -a nice refreshing touch, so eat it
before the soup warms it up! Keisuke's pork chashu is similarly well-marinated,
unlike most other shops which don't marinate theirs. A huge slab of pork cut
thick, it's a very generous serving of chashu. Due to its thickness, it doesn't
have that melt-in-your-mouth texture that some ramen shops' chashu have, but
with its marination, that's perfectly alright.
If you get tired of the heaviness of the meal, there's
also a free flow of marinated beansprouts to help take some of the edge off the
meal. I'm not sure what sauce that is, but as an ex-beansprout-hater, I've come
to love those at Keisuke.
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| Incredible beansprouts! |
Conclusion:
Keisuke's Tonkotsu King is a ramen shop that any
true ramen fan would be loathe to miss, and with 4 branches in total, it's more
accessible than ever. It could just be my nostalgia speaking, but it's probably
worth mentioning that out of its 4 branches, the one at Orchid Hotel is the
most consistent, which I suspect could be attributed to the fact that its
smaller seating capacity gives them more control over quality.
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| The ideal state of a bowl of ramen -in my stomach |
FOODIE’S RATING
|
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Quality & Taste(75%)
|
8.7
|
Not as good as Japan, but probably
the best in Singapore
|
Value (15%)
|
8
|
Reasonable pricing, sizeable
portions, fantastic quality
|
Ambience & others (10%)
|
7.7
|
Entirely reminiscent of a
hole-in-the-wall shop in Japan -good or bad, you decide
|
Total
|
8.4
|
One of the closest to Japan’s
ramen standards you’ll get in Singapore
|
Address:
#01-19, Orchid
Hotel, 1 Tras Street, 078867
Opening Hours:
Daily: 11:30 - 22:00
My obligatory thanks:
As a man of my word, I am bound to reluctantly acknowledge that the photographs above were taken using an iPhone 6. I still typed the entire post on my BlackBerry Q10 though.
My obligatory thanks:
As a man of my word, I am bound to reluctantly acknowledge that the photographs above were taken using an iPhone 6. I still typed the entire post on my BlackBerry Q10 though.
