of mojitos and other madness: this is where the ramen movement began!

marutama ramen – circa 2007, singapore. i know it’s been three years since this established saitama and tokyo-based ramen shop set up its first south east asian joint here in singapore. to be honest, i’ve been to marutama before and way back then, i guess i wasn’t too impressed by the only four types of ramen on the menu and the tremendous queue just to get in! three years on and a return visit has me rooting for marutama and giving it its true credit for being the pioneer of the ramen movement here in singapore!

with the still four ramen choices on marutama's menu, deciding was really quite easy. one just needed to figure out if you were more in the pork or chicken mood, and if you were inclined to have a spicy or non spicy dish. i typically have the char siu ramen whenever i'm in mood for ramen....but i figured that since marutama's signature is in its chicken stock (unlike all the rest who normally do a rich pork bone stock), i'd go with its chicken meatball ramen, infused with seven different types of nuts. i really wasn't quite sure what to expect given my previously slightly more forgettable experience, so my first spoonful of the rich broth really was quite a surprise. the rich nutty flavor combined with the all-familiar chicken stock base turned out exceptionally appetizing and tummy warming. together with very al-dente (and home made) ramen noodles, i was quite blown away!

g opted for the spicy version of the char siu ramen classic. the broth was pretty good but i think i'm more of a pork bone base stock to go with the pork in the dish. the wow in this dish was in the slices of pork. very very well marbled and braised perfectly, the meat was extremely tender and definitely melted in the mouth...making marutama one of the very few places that serves up some really to die for slices of pork.

there is of course the option to add additional toppings to the ramen (the boiled egg is touted to be fantastic!), but g and i decided to keep it simple and indulge in a serving of gyoza instead. i had the mental picture of you know, the usual pan fried, slightly greasy pot stickers so i was again, pleasantly surprised when six freshly steamed dumplings were served up, floating on a part soy sauce, part vinegar, part chilli oil sauce. these were extremely delicious. filled generously with minced pork mashed with spring onions and prawn bits, and enveloped in a silky smooth wan ton skin, these little morsels complemented the earthy bowl of ramen to a t.

it took me a while but i guess its still not to late to give marutama the much deserved shout out and prize for being one of the first few places to introduce singapore to what good japanese ramen is!