Clarification is required before you read further as many would have assumed the legendary ramen i am referring to in the subject is Japanese ramen; it's actually Chinese ramen which isn't broth based.
To say the truth, i personally prefer Japanese ramen over Chinese ramen as the former has more ingredients and usually features a way more intensive flavor due to the soup (could also mean it could be MSG laden).
Nevertheless, i was drawn to the above poster which spoke of a legendary rainbow ramen! It didn't escape me that there were only three basic colors (rainbow has seven) although they represent three healthy ingredients that were added to the flour; pumpkin, spinach and carrot!
Touted as a must-try, it's easier for me to persuade my mom to give it a try since she has always believed in eating healthily.
It's also easier to convince her on the hygiene level when the dining establishment had an open kitchen concept that looked out into the common passage; similar to Din Tai Fung.
Photographs taken for the purpose of this posting were from my second visit. Hence, i have a better idea of what to order given the initial experience and i am also ordering more as my second visit comprised of a much larger group.
Signature Pickled Vegetables - spiciness is subjective as i found the supposedly mild spiciness to be too spicy for my liking and tasted more like kimchi without the sweetness found in Chinese pickled vegetables.
Fragrant Crispy Fried Beancurd - looking like fried dumplings / wanton from the menu, the main reason why i got it was because there was a "chef recommended" sign next to it.
It failed as a dumpling as the texture of the filling was too soft and it didn't succeed as a fried beancurd as the tofu was too weak in holding the ingredients together; a plain old beancurd (tau kwa) would taste better deep fried.
Lala Soup - i missed this out on my first visit as the waiter said i should try it when i was paying for my meal! Hence, i specially ordered this even though it wasn't even on the menu.
Obviously, i was expecting the soup to be darn flavorful but sadly, it just tasted heavy of coriander with a hint of Chinese wine. Thankfully, the lalas were meaty and had an extremely nice, sweet taste without the fishiness i sometimes encountered in lala.
Spicy Braised Pork Ramen - i mentioned earlier that healthy ingredients were added to the flour and even though the ramen in the menu for the dish was the plain whitish ramen, my sister opted for spinach ramen and it was served green like pieces of vegetables!
Visually appealing, i thought i already felt healthier just by looking at it! The ramen were flat like ban mian and honestly quite tasty with an appetising spiciness that's much more manageable than the pickled vegetables.
Golden Egg Fried Rice with Prawns - too dry and the wok hei only surrounded the dish without having it infused inot the rice; hence, resulting in a plate of fried rice that lacked the addictive flavor common in tze-char stalls.
Legendary Rainbow Ramen - for all the novelty (just the word rainbow is enough to raise a few eyebrows) and the way it was served, the expectation for this dish was high.
Mixed them all up (including the braised abalone) and you would notice they didn't generate much of a wow factor. Taste wise, it was more like sheng mian (生面) which doesn't rank high in the many types of noodles i have in my whole life. Spicy braised pork ramen was fact better tasting.
Steamed Dumplings (Original) - actually, the main reason for my return visit was because of the xiaolongbao at 王师傅 and you know what the interesting thing is? It didn't bear the "chef recommended" logo.
Whatever the case, it has been quite a while since i last had such great xiao long bao. The meat juice encased within each dumpling was generously rich and sweet; to the extent that i would want to eat it again and again! Pity there were only eight in one serving!
Of course the best way was to have it with vinegar and shredded ginger!
Steamed Scallop Dumplings - featuring the same delicious juice, the pieces of scallop meat added into the pork overshadowed the original sweetness. Therefore, if you ask me, the original was definitely the one you should order.
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Location
930, Yishun Avenue 2,
#B1-51, Northpoint Shopping Mall,
Singapore 769098
Website
Pricing
Signature Pickled Vegetables - S$3.80
Fragrant Crispy Fried Beancurd - S$4.80
Lala Soup - S$6.80
Spicy Braised Pork Ramen - S$8.80
Golden Egg Fried Rice with Prawns - S$10.80
Legendary Rainbow Ramen - S$13.80
Steamed Dumplings (Original) - S$8.80
Steamed Scallop Dumplings - S$9.80
(Subject to GST and Service Charge)
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