Ramen Kagetsu Arashi has opened its 3rd branch on 21 November 2013 at The Cathay, B1-01!
From Kagetsu Ramen's Facebook:
To celebrate the opening of our NEW outlet at The Cathay, we are giving our fans an EXCLUSIVE FREE UPGRADE to our Arashi Genkotsu Char Siew Ramen when you order our Signature Arashi Genkotsu Ramen! Extra slices of Char Siew, extra taste of goooodness!
Simply flash the above image to the staff at Kagetsu Ramen (The Cathay) upon ordering to redeem this offer. Enjoy!
Available from 11.30am to 2.30pm.
Each set consists of 1 Main Dish + 1 Side Dish + 1 Hot/Iced Green Tea.
(*Remember to click on images to enlarge!)
Toppings are available at $1.50!
Add-Ons! These additions create a whole new flavor for your soup!
(They are all placed neatly on your table!)
1. Black Pepper
Add a dash of black pepper to enhance the flavors of the soup base!
2. Soy Sauce
A traditional recipe. Add a little soy sauce for a more richer, and distinctive taste.
3. Chives
This special, in-house seasoned chives are made daily - perfect for those who crave for spicy-ness!
4. Garlic
Add fresh garlic to complement the flavor of your soup! Fresh Garlic can be crushed using the unique garlic press tool!
(Images source: Ramen Kagetsu Arashi)
Before I comment on the ramen, I have to admit that I am an amateur gourmet when it comes to ramen. But fortunately, I was tasting Ramen Kagetsu Arashi with two food gourmets and one of them is a ramen fanatic.
Miss P ordered Arashi Genkotsu Ramen - Kagetsu's best-selling ramen. It features Kagetsu's house-made pork broth, simmered with pork marrow bones, fat and collagen. The natural sweetness stems from adding lots of garlic, onions, vegetables and various spices to the broth.
On the other hand, Miss H (ramen fanatic) ordered Arashi Genkotsu Miso Ramen which features Kagetsu's original miso soup. Kagetsu says that they use the finest miso paste from the prefectures across Japan. Each provincial flavor is infused to recreate an aromatic yet flavorful soup.
I ordered Arashi Genkotsu Shio Ramen. The soup was cooked with unrefined and natural sea salt which accentuates the flavors of the milky white broth.
It was said that natural sea salt has a richer, and more complex taste than processed salt. Kagetsu says that this gives their soup base "a distinctively refreshing taste".
(I didn't get to snap Miss P and Miss H's ramen because they were so famished that they were slurping away before I could take a shot!)
Both Miss P and Miss H felt that the broth was indeed very thick. Compared to many other ramen, Kagetsu's broth has a very distinctively strong garlic taste and smell. While it is very subjective to comment whether it is aromatic or not, I must say that Kagetsu's broth did made itself different from many chain ramen restaurants. Even though the strong garlic-ness did hit a punch on everyone's face, I could still taste the sweetness of the rich broth.
Noodles per se failed big time. Miss H, the ramen fanatic, only finished half of what was served. Not because she was full, but she just could not continue eating the soggy overcooked noodles. As for me, I thought the noodles was comparable to the instant noodles I cook. Hahaha.. I don't have high expectations lah. So I could say that Kagetsu does better than certain chain ramen restaurants like Ajis*n. But for the similar price, I would head for Keisuke's Ramen.
Miss P, the slender girl with a huge appetite, was the first to bottoms up! I thought she cleaned it up because it was so delicious but hell no! She shook her head and said that it was not nice; she was just hungry. -_-
It is an open secret that we can hardly find a good side dish at a ramen restaurant (besides Keisuke!). The pork cutlet (tonkatsu) was so floury and the batter coating was just too thick. Just imagine the ratio between the pork and batter is 1:1. The gyoza was much better, at least. The filling was pretty decent but the skin could be crispier. Also, either they should stuff it with more filling or they should use a smaller gyoza skin. The interior of the gyoza was so empty. Disappointing.
In conclusion, Kagetsu's ramen fared 5.5/10 and the sides were about 4/10. The serving is quite big so it does fill your stomach but it would not satisfy the you who is looking for a good ramen.
Ramen Kagetsu Arashi
The Cathay
Address: 2 Handy Rd, B1-01
Opening hours:
(Mon - Thu) 11:30 - 22:00
(Fri - Sat) 11:30 - 23:00
(Sun) 11:30 - 22:00
Website: https://www.facebook.com/KagetsuRamen
Other branches
The Star Vista
Address: 1 Vista Exchange Green, #01-41
Tel: 63390335
Tampines 1
Address: 10 Tampines Central 1, #02-09/10
Tel: 68540335