Ultimate Ramen Champion (Gantetsu) - King Cha Shu Men & Special Miso Ramen @ iluma [Bugis]

*my car zooms past Bishan Junction 8*

Mom: The ramen in J8 is nice.

Me: But i blogged on RamenPlay before leh.

-silence for ten seconds-

Me: Why not we try Ramen Champion at Bugis?

Yes! I am finally here even though this outfit has been in operation for coming eight months now and my foodie friends have been talking about it for ages! This is no doubt a great embarrassment for someone, like me, who enjoys Japanese ramen.

Ramen Champion adopts a very unique concept in Singapore - six reputable ramen restaurants from Japan competing with one another in order to be crowned the ultimate ramen champion at the end of June 2012!

Singaporeans will be well acquainted with the layout though; food court style with ample seats.

And a slight Japanese twist.

With six different ramen stalls to choose from, it's hard to make a decision. Gantetsu was eventually selected for a simple reason; it's the stall nearest to the entrance.

But Cavin is not known to be a man of convenience when it comes to food! To be frank, Gantetsu [winner for three consecutive years in Sapporo] had a longer queue and i was particularly attracted to its popular number one offering; King Cha Shu Men!

In order to collate the votes and sales for this heated championship, all transactions shall take place with the use of this card and you only need to fork out the money at the exit point. Don't lose it or you risk incurring a S$100 penalty!

A good bowl of ramen takes time - no one can argue the importance of timing when it comes to food. Waiting is another issue altogether and that's when i truly appreciate the technology of this round disc.

Once the lights lit up (like the picture above), your food is ready for collection! 

King Cha Shu Men

The four big and chunky cha shu momentarily took away my breath. Despite the pain on my wrist, I quickened my pace so that i could have them as soon as possible!

As i hastened to mix up the ingredients, my nostrils picked up a strong garlic scent that was invigorating and definitely a boost to my appetite (which was seldom bad anyway). The broth, cooked for at least six hours, was one of the most flavourful ramen soup i ever have.

Expectedly, there is some truth in the popularity of this cha shu based ramen. They were amazingly tender, breaking immediately upon a slight contact with my muscular tongue and very delicious! Each bite was no less blissful than having ice cream on a hot day!

Noodles would be the black mark for this ramen; slightly thinner than typical yellow noodles which i don't fancy (thanks to mom). This is more of a personal preference and would have been reviewed differently by foodies who enjoy yellow noodles.

Special Miso Ramen

Mom's order - this was featured on the main brochure and appealed to my mom due to its significantly lesser pork content and a heavier weightage for vegetables (corn and bamboo shoots).

Broth wise, there is only one way to describe it, with no offence to either man or woman. King Chu Shu Men is like a man; strong and aggressive in its taste whereas Special Miso Ramen is like a woman; mildly flavoured and comforting.

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Location

201 Victoria Street,

Iluma Bugis Level 4

[still in operation even though the shopping complex is undergoing major renovation]

Price

King Cha Shun Men - S$15.00

Special Miso Ramen - S$15.00

Subject to GST.