Yet another Ramen eatery in the mini Japanese gourmet town at Parco Marina Bay (the other being Keisuke Tokyo), Nantsuttei has been drawing a growing fan-base since her opening two years ago. Specializing in the use of Kuro Mayu (garlic oil) in their creations, much hype has been generated about the popular outlet- especially with their salty and spicy Ramen offerings. Upon our visit, there was a long queue lined up outside the considerably small dining venue. The interior setting appeared to be rather cramped with their seats situated rather closely to one another; hinting of the fact that it is a place whereby one simply ‘eats and goes’.
Han Buta- manma ($4.00)
Simply put together yet so wonderfully comforting, the Buta- manma was reminiscent of a dish prepared and cooked at home. Matched with clean- tasting rice, the finely chopped Chashu stewed in a slightly sweet dashi soup before served- was deeply savoury and gratifyingly chewy at the same time. The creation went one up with the garnishing of bannou negi and white sesame seeds. For the really hungry diners, a larger bowl is available at a cost of $6.00.
Fuufu Enman Gyoza ($6.00)
Introduced as Nantsuttei’s original Gyoza recipe, each bite off these delectable treats was met with a burst of flavour. Although they might have been a little too greasy, it was pretty delightful to experience the infused juices of the pork meat and garlic squirt out of the pan-fried dumplings in the mouth. I must say that they were enjoyable enough without having to dip them in the accompanying sauces.
Maru- toku Negi Chashu-men ($17.00)
Noticeably one of the crowd’s preferred choices and hence my order, the most significant highlight of the dish must definitely be how the strong, grassy flavours of the mountain of shiraga negi (white part of spring onions) and bannou negi (green spring onions) unravel ever-boldly when paired with the thick noodles (thicker than usual) and broth. Each strand of the noodles was well- infused with the essence of the typically cloudy broth from the use of collagen- rich bones. However, we agreed that the soup might have been too salty for our liking and I would have certainly preferred the sweet flavours to be apparent. Then again, our preference might have differed from others since it was clearly the favourite (distinguishable by the mountain of spring onions) amongst the diners then. The generous hunks of Chashu were cooked to the right doneness and each had a nice bite to it.
Kara – Miso Ramen Mouretsu Tanmen Hana-ji Boo ($16.00)
An intriguingly salty- sweet- spicy combination made from their special miso blend, together with mild pork sauce, fried ground pork, hot spicy Japanese peppers and finally with secret garlic oil, the full-bodied broth of the Kara – Miso Ramen Mouretsu Tanmen Hana-ji Boo was robust with hotness and miso flavour. With differing levels of spiciness for one to try out, Nantsuttei’s power-packed concoction is definitely a must-try for adventurous eaters. I found the Ramen creation to be somewhat heavy on the palate though in my opinion, it did fare better than the Maru- toku Negi Chashu-men.
Dragon Ramen ($15.00)
My favourite of the three that we had, the Dragon Ramen hit the right notes with just enough heat and sweet- peppery sapidity. The addition of red peppers lent the tasty pork-bone infused soup a deep savouriness, that went remarkably well with the straight noodles that were steeped in flavour. As true as to what was recommended, the spiciness did complement with the basic broth perfectly and I was reaching for third spoonfuls of the addictive soup.
I would not conclude that I do not understand the hype about Nantsuttei since we should all know that preferences do differ among all of us. I did enjoy their Dragon Ramen and Buta Manma though and I would certainly order these two items during my next visit (I have been dropping by Millenia Walk rather regularly of recent). Anyway, I was told that one should drop by at the outlet before 12 noon or before 7 odd in the evening so as to avoid queuing for a long time.
Nantsuttei
9 Raffles Boulevard
#P3-06, Parco Marina Bay
Millenia Walk
Singapore 039596
Contact Number: 6337 7166
Operating Hours:
Mondays to Sundays, 11.30am till 10.30pm
Jasper N.
