Bankara Ramen @ Avenue K

We needed to get something from KLCC but the F&B scene there can be pretty boring with the same old, same old dining establishments that have been around for ages.  There's hardly any new restaurant openings, the most recent one being a halal version of Din Tai Fung called Din by Din Tai Fung.

So, we decided to venture into another shopping mall nearby for a quick dinner at Bankara Ramen @ Avenue K since I've heard good things about the ramen here and was recently reminded of it by the latest review on GoodyFoodies.

I chose their promotional offer (for a limited time only), the Aburi Chashu Bankara Ramen @ RM38, their signature ramen that's cooked in a special pork bone broth with specially refined shoyu, but it was the word 'aburi' that attracted me, of course...anything flamed, I'm in! ;)

The ramen was served with five chasu slices, bamboo shoots, dried seaweed and Japanese green onions with medium textured Tokyo-style noodles.  I liked the texture of the slightly salty noodles (think yee mee!) :P

And yes....if you saw something peeking from behind the earlier photo, I added Ni-Tamago @ RM2.70, the special soy marinated omega eggs.  Of course I had to.

The flamed chasu slices were delicious, of course...tender, not too fatty with a hint of smokiness.  Look at the beautifully charred slices! ^o^

At the table, you'll find all the condiments you'll ever need for your ramen like shoyu, vinegar, chilli oil, chilli powder, sesame seeds, garlic (with garlic press available) and the bright red pickled ginger.  How does one even begin to eat ramen with fresh garlic and pickled ginger.  One is pungent and the other is sharp in taste! >.<  I've never tried.  Do they make the ramen taste better?  Some even add butter?...Nooooooo, I will faint from the richness! O_o

I usually just add sesame seeds and a light drizzle of chilli oil.

As for the ramen broth, it was very robustly-flavoured and more oily than I would have liked.  Although the broth was thick and had depth of flavour, it was too heavy and salty for my taste buds.  It was alright if I just lifted the noodles and ate it like that but, in the end, I could only muster up a few spoonfuls of the broth.  I guess, by leaving a lot of unfinished soup in the bowl, I wasn't paying much compliments to the chef...kekeke! ;D

As for the other ramen option, we chose the Kakuni Tonkotsu @ RM35, a slow-boil milky pork bone broth served with braised pork belly, one slice of chasu, jew's ear mushroom, seaweed, spring onions and thin Hakata-style noodles (think thin pan mee!) ;P

The chasu was nice and tender.  I found the rich, creamy tonkotsu broth had too strong a porky taste for my taste buds.

The braised pork belly was superbly fall-off-your-chopsticks tender and very flavourful but a bit too fatty for me (think Narcissus stewed pork chops!).  You must think my head got whacked for comparing their braised pork belly to canned pork chops, Hakata-style noodles with pan mee and Tokyo-style noodles with yee mee....it's just for a bit of fun (perhaps some might even 'see' the 'resemblance')....wakakakaka! :D

Between the two, I preferred the pork-based broth with shoyu a wee bit more though it was a tad too salty for me to slurp up.

My Personal Opinion

I'm not a big fan of ramen and don't have it often enough for the very reasons why people find ramen appealing....for the intensely rich-flavoured pork bone broth and fatty meat.  Maybe I should try a lighter soup base...or chicken ramen next time since I prefer clear, milder flavours.

Still a worthy ramen option to those who adore big, bold flavours! ;)

Bankara Ramen
Lot 2-7 Level 2 Avenue K
156 Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2181 8618

Ramen Bari-Uma @ Pavilion Elite

We ended up in Pavilion as a result of a detour.  That's because we got to our intended dinner place around 7pm only to be told that the kitchen has decided to close early because of the impending Hari Raya the next day...what a bummer! :'(

We didn't have a place in mind to eat until we stumbled upon Ramen Bari-Uma @ Pavilion Elite.  Well, why not...it's been a while since I've last had ramen.

Opened just a little over two months (in May 2017), this latest addition joins their other outlets in Jaya Shopping Centre, Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA and MyTown Shopping Centre.

So, our first order of the day was their signature ramen of Chasu-Uma @ RM34.90, a rich pork flavoured shoyu soup with thick-cut flamed chashu, obviously.  There were also some bamboo shoots for added crunch.  The tonkotsu broth that's super thick and intensely flavoured is supposed to be the hallmark of the Hiroshima style of ramen.  This was the first time I encountered a darker looking (more brownish) broth compared to other tonkotsu broth I've had before....and liked it immensely...this was a dang good bowl of ramen! ^o^

Besides the deliciously fresh thin house-made noodles, together with a kick-ass savoury shoyu-flavoured tonkotsu broth (that has been boiled for hours on end), what was even better was Bari-Uma's thick-cut flamed chashu.  The caramelised outer layer gave it that lovely smoky flavour and the meat was meltingly tender.  I've only had braised chashu with ramen before this (like the one from Ippudo)...but this grilled chashu was even better.  

Your other ramen choices with tonkotsu broth would be whether you want to have it with a soy marinated soft-boiled egg (Ajitama-Uma), seaweed (Nori-Uma), or both egg and seaweed (Noritama-Uma) or just one thick piece of chashu (Bari-Uma).  One look at the four thick slices of chashu on the menu and we became greedy already...more chashu, please...hehe, we did get an extra piece of chasu! ^.^

Besides a pork-based broth, Bari-Uma also offers a chicken-based stock for those who prefer it.  For me, the bowl with the most soul is a tonkotsu ramen, so much so that I've never considered a chicken broth.

In case there are non-ramen fans, they've included rice in their menu in the form of a hot stone rice bowl which you can have with chashu or salmon.  This was our Ishiyaki-Chaofan Salmon @ RM17.90 which is actually some kind of fried rice with finely chopped carrots, spring onions and egg.

Break up the salmon and stir it into the rice together with the dollop of (I believe is) Japanese mayo and it's good to go.  There are condiments of chilli pepper, black pepper and garlic powder on the table if you wish to shore up the flavours of your bowl even more.  I liked that the rice stayed hot throughout because of the hot stone bowl which created a bit of a crust at the bottom.

You can opt for the yakitori combo of assorted grilled meat (pork and chicken) or the yakitori-tori-combo (of just skewered chicken) to accompany your meal of ramen or rice.

We went for the Yakitori Combo @ RM15.90 offering 5 sticks of chicken and pork with one stick eat of chicken breast, chicken thigh, chicken with leek, pork belly and pork belly with leek.  These can also be ordered a la carte at RM6.90 (for 2 pcs each).  Although yakitori isn't their speciality, they were still pleasant enough as a side snack to your main ramen meal.

We added on the Pan-Fried Gyoza @ RM11.90 (for 5 pcs).  It came looking a bit different from what I'm used to.  It was presented with a very thin layer of batter at the top (or should I say at the bottom) which was crispy to the bite.

You have to flip it over to reveal the gyoza underneath.  This way of cooking and presentation puts the charring more on the thin batter than the bottom of the dumpling.  It was served with a soy and vinegar dipping (much like the dipping for Chinese fried dumplings or "wor tip").  They also have a spicy, teriyaki and mayo gyoza for more variety.

Green Tea (Hot or Cold) @ RM3 (refillable)

My Personal Opinion

If you're looking for a broth that's intense, rich, thick and creamy with a deep flavour, you might just find it in this Hiroshima style ramen by Bari-Uma.  This may be my latest favourite ramen yet.

A fatty, salty, umami tasting ramen broth with all its complexities, this one has it all.....and that's what makes it a great bowl of ramen.

Bari uma (it seems) means super tasty...and the ramen certainly delivered in that respect.  It's the ultimate hot meal-in-a-bowl....go on, slurp all you want! ^_^

Ramen Bari-Uma
Lot 7.101.01 Level 7
Pavilion Elite Kuala Lumpur
166 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2110 0801

Hakata Ippudo @ Pavilion

This famous Japanese ramen restaurant chain was founded in 1985 in Japan's ramen capital of Hakata (where the first Ippudo store was opened) and became one of the most popular ramen restaurant over the years.

The interior of Hakata Ippudo @ Pavilion is unlike other ordinary Japanese ramen shop as it has a rather modern, stylish décor with an interesting 'display of spoons' and a 'wall of bowls' in red and white.  After hearing so much about their ramen, I had the opportunity to try it last Saturday.  I ordered a couple of appetisers to start off our meal.

First up was the ever popular Ippudo Pan-Fried Gyoza @ RM12 (for 5 pcs).  The gyoza (like a pot sticker) is very similar to the Chinese "wor tip" (meat dumpling) in taste except that the Japanese gyoza wrappers are much thinner and usually served with a soy-based sauce (seasoned with rice vinegar) and a chilli oil dip.  At about RM2.50 a pc, Ippudo's original pan-fried gyoza dumpling was kinda small and pricey but more than made up for it in terms of flavour.  When you bite into the super thin skin, there's a burst of juice and flavour coming from the gyoza...well worth the price!

Another side dish I ordered was the Crispy Corn @ RM8 which was lightly battered and deep fried and topped with seaweed flakes and paprika seasoning.  The deep frying created a slight crunchy coating on the young corn, probably due to the buttery breadcrumbs or (maybe) cheese coating, which made it flavourful while the corn remained juicy.

The final appetiser we ordered was the Spicy Shrimp Mayo @ RM15 which came beautifully plated.  The prawns, lightly battered and deep fried, were succulent though the batter was not as crispy as I would have liked it.  As the prawns were fresh and succulent, I am willing to 'excuse' the not-so-crunchy batter.  What made the prawns taste good was their outstanding homemade spicy mayonnaise dip.  As for the heads of the prawns, you can still 'suck' the hell out of it but it's not crunchy enough to be eaten totally though...which was a shame (as the Chinese just love to eat prawn heads)!

My son ordered the Unagi Rice with Wasabi @ RM17 as his main meal.  The fresh grilled eel came with some shredded egg omelette on a bed of Japanese rice and their homemade sauce.

You can't come to a ramen house and not order ramen, so I ordered the Shiromaru Motoaji Special @ RM34 which was Ippudo's original tonkotsu broth served with ultra-thin noodles, salted soft-boiled egg, pork loin, seaweed, bean sprouts, kikurage (black fungus) and chopped scallions...a classic Hakata-style ramen.  The wait staff will ask you if you'd like your ramen soft, normal or hard.  I chose normal as it's the obvious choice if you don't want your ramen too soft or too hard.

I have never been a big fan of ramen.....until I ate this bowl of ramen!  The "tonkotsu" (pork bone) stock had a robust porky flavour which was the result of hours and hours of boiling/simmering.  I loved the lean, tender and flavoursome pork loin while the soft-boiled egg was slightly salty and runny in the middle which made it so much better.  Add a sprinkle of sesame seeds and paprika and you're good to go....slurrppp!

 

Our drinks were Kiwi Juice @ RM7.90

and Orange Juice also @ RM7.90

My Personal Opinion

I've been converted....I am now a fan of ramen!  Now I know why people love ramen so much because if it's made well, it's really good (not like the mediocre ones I've been having).  Who wouldn't like a big hot bowl of ramen on a cold, rainy day....right?

At RM34 a bowl, you might think that it's pricey but the quality of the broth makes it all worth it.  Can't wait to return to have another bowl of ramen and also to try the other items on their menu.

It's the ultimate meal-in-a-bowl....and (yes) you can slurp (all you want)!

What I really liked:  It's a no brainer...the ramen, of course!  The service is good and attentive and the food arrives piping hot.   

 

Dislikes:  On the food.....nothing really but the tables/seats were a little cramped and close to one another...but you can understand why as they're one of the busiest restaurant on that level.

Restoran Hakata Ippudo
Lot C4.07.00 Connection Level 4
Pavilion KL
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2110 6233