Hailing from Tokyo's Sugamo, Tsuta 蔦 was recently awarded the prestigious Michelin star, earning it the title of the world's first and only Michelin-starred ramen joint.
Located at Pacific Plaza in the Orchard Road area, now houses the Singapore Tsuta second branch which came to be through a partnership between Hersing Corporation and Chef Yuki Onishi, the founder and chef of Tsuta.
Unlike most ramen shops, Tsuta is unique for Western experimenting with flavors, adding an interesting twist to their menu with condiments like truffle puree and olive oil. September against a solid dashi stock, Tsuta lets the flavors of these natural ingredients speak for themselves instead of relying on sauces that usually make up the bulk of a ramen bowl.
With two types of soy sauces blended in with the dashi stock concocted from chicken, vegetables, clam and other seafood, and the soup is cooked Tsuta just below boiling point to ensure that the umami flavors do not get lost in the process. In addition, their ramen bowls are pre-heated to help retain the heat from the broth.
Tender and seasoned to perfection, their pork slices are not overly marinated but just enough to bring out a well-balanced flavor.
Air-flown weekly from Canada, Chef Onishi prefers to utilize the pork collar instead of the typical pork belly as he finds that the meat is more tender, has great texture and most importantly yields a lower fat content. Bear in mind also that their meat is not frozen and chilled so it is of great quality.
Topped with a truffle purée, other ingredients present in the ramen bowl are bamboo shoots and ajitama , which is a flavored egg. All of which are executed rather well, if I do say so myself.
With two options available at the moment, diners can opt for either Tsuta's signature Shoyu ramen or Shio ramen and $ 15 each. Should you want additional ingredients such as meat or eggs, prices can go up to $ 22.80.
Unlike the usual tonkotsu soup base that most stalls serve ramen, Tsuta takes on a different approach with a seemingly lighter and less spicy broth.
Shoyu Soba ($ 15)
Custom brewed from soy beans in the Wakayama prefecture, its shoyu sauce is tailor-made to Chef Onishi's specifications before being mixed in with another sauce that he formulated himself. This mixture is then blended with their broth which consists of dashi stock with vegetables, clam and other seafood, giving it a flavourful complexity.
All this is enhanced by a dollop of black truffle purée on top that perfumes the Ramen nicely without taking away the tastes of other ingredients.
While most locals might not be able to appreciate the light broth, I was pleasantly surprised by how flavourful it was. Their earthy base Shoyu soup topped with the distinctive taste of truffles was really what won me over.
Shio Soba ($ 15)
Formulated with a proportionate balance of Okinawa sea salt and Mongolian rock salt, the Shio ramen is served in a rich chicken and seafood stock. The ingredients in this ramen bowl are almost identical to the Shoyu Soba except that it comes with green olives in puréed truffle oil.
Although it was a tad bit too salty for my liking, particularly the broth was light and savory on the palate. I would attribute this to the infusion of red wine and rosemary.
To complement his ramen, Chef Onishi has hand-picked wheat tea that diners can have either hot or cold to cleanse their palates.
While there are only two choices to choose from on the menu currently, there might be even more ramen bowls added in the near future. I am hoping that they will incorporate more of Tsuta Japan's menu items such as the miso ramen and Tsukemen, which is ramen served with a dipping sauce.
For now, my verdict would be to go for their signature Shoyu ramen as it is definitely worth queuing up for, although the saltiness might need a bit of tweaking to Singaporeans' taste. Unless of course, you can not part with the heavier soup bases tonkatsu broth that like most locals are so used to having with their ramen.
Expected Damage: $ 15 - $ 22 per pax