Review: Goku Raku Ramen at Mid Valley

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you my eat of the day, a Japanese Chinese fusion that we all love, Ramen :D In 1872, noodles were introduced to Japan from mainland China. Since then, ramen has become a prominent dish in Japan. It is known to be as one of Japan’s staple foods and favoured meal among the locals.

Over the years, ramen has developed into various styles as different regions in Japan created their own special type of ramen, based on distinct soup types. In northern areas such as Sapporo, the Miso soup is a popular choice for ramen, whereas in southern districts like Hakata and Tokyo, the Tonkotsu (pork-based) broth and soy-flavoured ramen dishes are preferred by the locals.

At Goku Raku Ramen, we were introduced to the "Horikiri Style" ramen, discovered by noted ramen connoisseur, Mr. Teruhisa Shimizu. The unique style meshes well with the palatable pork, chicken and fish mixed broth, as well as the Shio (salt) and Shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) soup base specially made by the chef. The broth is simmered for long hours to bring out its exquisite taste and the ramen they serve is made fresh daily with their ramen-making machine.

 

Our special chef for that day was chef Tetsuya Fukino. He is a master of Japanese-Chinese cuisines, and originates from Utsonomiya. He dishes out delicious Gyoza, and trust me when I say they're really delicious :D

5-Star Aburi Char Siew (R) RM 25.90

So we had a few dishes that night, and our first dish was the 5-Star Aburi Char Siew Ramen. It is topped with roasted char shiew, spring onion, bean sprout, bamboo shoot, lava egg, and black garlic oil.

Now, as you know, I love anything garlic, and the moment this dish came out, I was attracted to its fragrance. The soup wasn't too salty as most ramen broths are like. For me, it was mild yet fragrant enough, and the char siew was very smooth, not like other ramen shops out there that have overcooked char siew until it was hard and dry. The bamboo shoots are also soft and flavourful :D

Shanghai Fried Ramen RM 13.90

GRR's Shanghai Fried Ramen is stir fried with chives, carrot, cabbage, and bean sprout served with red pickled ginger. This is my favourite dish of all. I love that they have so much cabbage, and the ramen was not over- or undercooked, and it was very fragrant when it was served. Because it was served on a hot plate, the ramen remained hot for a little while longer :)

Ebi Gyoza RM 10.90

Next up is my favourite dish back home, Ebi Gyoza. It's actually pan-fried shrimp, pork lard, and chives dumpling. The dumplings are just as I remember from back home, soft to the bite, with just a hint of vinegar :D

GRR Meatballs RM 5 (5pcs) RM 9 (10 pcs) RM 17 (20pcs)

I think this is perhaps the best dish of the night, for me, at least la. These are pork meatballs, cooked in Japanese miso paste. Some of the other patrons commented it was a little spicy, but for me I didn't feel it. The meatballs itself are quite juicy and soft, unlike normal pork meatballs that are tough and hard. The Japanese miso paste is a type of sweet sauce and after cooking it together, it made for a slightly caramelised shell, and I liked it because I need to get past the shell to the soft centre of the meatballs.

 Course meal set C RM 119.90 (3-4pax)

 The last dishes we were served was the course meal set which includes:

Edamame
Aburi Char Siew
Chef Recommended Salad
Pork Loin Rei Shabu
Tori Momo Karaage
Crispy Shrimp Mayo
Ebi Chili
Siew Mai
Sweet & Sour Pork
Utsunomiya Sui Gyoza
Garlic Fried Rice/ Mini Ramen
Today's Dessert
Sesame Ball

I would say that this is a pretty worth it set as the servings are quite big, and you get to try a lot of different types of dishes as opposed to ordering them ala carte. Personally for me I feel that this set is good enough for 4 people, and it has a very big variety of dishes. You get to have the typical chinese dishes like Crispy Shrimp Mayo, and choose between either Garlic Fried Rice or Mini Ramen, both of which are Japanese staples in their own right.

So if you went shopping at Mid Valley in a group of four and are wondering where to fill your tummys, head over to Goku Raku Ramen to order this set. Believe me, you won't regret it.

50% discount for my special readers!

And just because you are my very loyal and awesome readers, I have something special for you! Just print out the voucher below, and you can get 50% of the discounted price for their very special GRR meatballs!

Goku Raku Ramen

Mid Valley – Business hours 10.00 am– 10.00 pm, Tel : 03 – 2201 8779

Paradigm Mall – Business hours 10.00 am – 10 pm. Tel: 03-78865774

Gurney Paragon (Tokyo Ramen) – Business hours 11.00 am – 10.00 pm (Sunday to Thursday); 11.00 am – 11.00 pm (Friday, Saturday Public Holiday Eve), Tel: 604-226 0961

Goku Raku Ramen website: http://www.gokuraku-ramen.com

Goku Raku Ramen facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GokurakuRamen

Til the next time stay beautiful!

xoxo,

yin