Entree Kibbles: Uma Uma Ramen (100% MSG-Free) + Bar @ Millenia Walk [Singapore]

The plan was to have beef bowl at The Butcher's Kitchen but the super long queue was an instant turn-off as it reminded us of the two-hour hungry wait we endured back at Man Man Japanese Unagi restaurant!

Our group of three persons wandered all over Suntec City Mall and the surrounding shopping centres before we stopped in front of this restaurant bar decorated with hanging Japanese lanterns; Uma Uma.

Luck was on our side as a table was released minutes after we stepped in! There's an option for outdoor seating although out of the three persons, two can't stand dining in non-air-conditioned premises; i am one of them.

Uma Uma has its origins in Fukuoka (Japan) with more than "60 years of ramen-making experience"; established in 1953 under the name "Wu Maru", it was renamed to Uma Uma in in 1994.

One-Bite Gyoza - the name would have turned many people off, especially big eaters!

Compare the ten-piece serving with my iPhone 7 Plus and you would know it's hardly bite sized for big-mouth individuals like i! To put it bluntly, i could likely squeeze all ten of them into my mouth, in one go!

Taste wise, it was nice although i would be better satisfied if the size could be increased significantly. However, its current price of S$9 is already pretty steep for the portion and anything more than S$10 is, honestly, financially unpalatable for many.

Yakitori - there were about 11 types listed in the menu with a minimum order of two sticks; we opted for beef and chicken skin. The former was seasoned with salt and while it had a tender texture; it didn't impress.

Chicken skin was rolled up; resulting in a thicker chunk that's grilled until it's crisp with a delicious, smoky flavour! If not for the fear of a spiked cholesterol, i would gladly indulge in a few more skewers!

Uma Uma Ramen - there's gyu don on the menu but i chose the ramen simply because of the reason why we entered Uma Uma. Reason - the poster outside that claimed a 100% MSG-free ramen (possible as "the pork bones were cooked over high heat for between 10 and 12 hours")!

Being a boring person who always plays safe; i went straight for the crowd-favourite Uma Uma hakata style ramen that has ingredients like "chasiu, spring onions, black fungus, spicy miso and egg".

I took a sip and it was rich of flavour, oily but the taste was surprisingly bland; likely the lack of MSG which is a good thing in my opinion. To enhance its palatability, stir in the spicy miso!

Noodles were the thin kind i enjoy and the charsiu didn't disappoint with its tender softness! Towards the end, the broth actually tasted much better and no, i didn't feel thirsty; one of the telltale signs of monosodium glutamate.

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