When you combine two much-loved dishes, ramen and bak kut teh, is the result a travesty or a marvel? For my tastebuds, it was a pleasing, albeit confusing, experience.
Available exclusively at Ramen Dining Keisuke Tokyo at Suntec City, Bak Kut Teh Ramen is the latest addition to its menu. Also, the ramen is kind of limited edition since only 20 bowls are available each day.
The concept of bak kut teh ramen was inspired by an upcoming movie, Ramen Teh, by local director Eric Khoo. Keisuke Takeda, founder of the Keisuke Ramen restaurant chain, supervised the ramen making for the film and decided to bring this creation to the public.
We spoke to the chef who shared with us that the ingredients used are a little different from usual and hence, they can only produce the ramen in small batches daily.
To create the bak kut teh soup, soft bones and pork ribs are boiled for an hour each to slowly release the flavours. Afterwards, they are mixed together and left to simmer.
Spices are then mixed in upon order. In line with traditional bak kut teh, goji berries and garlic are added to the dish, differentiating it from traditional ramen.
The presentation of the dish was seriously ace. Upon seeing the steam rising from the freshly-prepared bowl of ramen and smelling the fragrant whiff of bak kut teh, I couldn’t wait to dig in.
The ramen is served with a side of you tiao and black soy sauce, just like how a typical bowl of bak kut teh is supposed to be enjoyed.
When I took my first sip of the soup, I was ever so slightly disappointed.
There were hints of the bak kut teh flavour in the soup but I wished the taste was stronger. The broth was a little richer than the typical bak kut teh soup and yet lighter than typical ramen broth.
Diners can choose from three varying intensities for the taste of the soup, flavoured oil and noodle texture. We opted for normal for all three options but I felt that the soup was slightly too salty and oily.
We were told that this is because the Japanese prefer a stronger and richer taste which Singaporeans might not be used to. Perhaps if you’d like something lighter, opt for light and less oil respectively instead?
Also, Keisuke Ramen made the noodles for this dish thinner than usual ramen noodles so as to complement the bak kut teh soup. They were springy and indeed, tasted great with the soup.
The meat from the pork ribs was slide-off-the-bone tender as described and had soaked up the bak kut teh flavour well. But, I loved it best when dipped in black soy sauce with some chilli mixed in. The taste packed a punch and was really delicious!
Overall, the dish tasted too much like ramen and too little like bak kut teh. Nonetheless, it was still a really tasty and satisfying bowl of ramen.
Besides, having the you tiao to dip into the soup and the black soy sauce for the pork meat does kind of recreate the bak kut teh experience. This dish is a refreshing alternative to typical ramen flavours and definitely worth a try.
Do note that this ramen is only available till 30 April 2018. If this fusion dish has piqued your interest, hurry down and try it for yourself before it’s gone for good!
Expected damage: $13.90++ per pax
