Once upon TV Land time, ramen competitions were the rage on TV. Champion ramen competition in Japan drew crowds to their tiny stores way before Michelin guides did. And Nantsuttei was a 5-times champion.
Founded by Ichiro Furuya 古谷一郎 in Hadano, he created a pork bone broth that was rich and creamy without an unpleasant odor, noodles that fit the broth perfectly, and topped it with “Ma-yu,” black roasted garlic oil made with a secret recipe.
In 2005, Nantsuttei ramen was chosen as Ramen of the Year by Tokyo Isshukan magazine published by Kodansha. By the time the Singapore branch opened in 2010, they won it 5 times in a row.
The basic flavour comes from a soup base that is a rich, creamy tonkotsu (pork bone) soup. Floating on the surface of the soup is the fragrant black ma-yu (roast garlic oil). The soup, noodles, toppings and the black ma-yu come together in the bowl to create a perfectly balanced signature Nantsuttei ramen.
Nantsuttei’s basic ramen with a generous topping of fresh white shredded negi (leeks) and chopped bannou negi (chopped spring onions). The fresh tanginess of the negi goes well with the tonkotsu soup.
And for me, the negi ramen was not enough, I had to order an extra serving of negi as I love how the spiciness of fresh leek balance out the greasiness of the tonkotsu soup.
You should start by tasting the noodles. Coat the noodles with the ma-yu floating on the surface of the soup and slurp it up. The fragrant delight of the garlic ma-yu is sure to make you crave for more.
Sink the chashu into the soup and leave it to enjoy later. Remember, the more soup it absorbs the softer the chashu gets. The ma-yu should have started to blend with the soup. This is when you first start drinking the soup.
The quintessential accompaniment to the ramen based on Nantsuttei’s original recipe, these gyozas come in the healthy steamed version with their special shoyu sauce and the hot pan-fried version with juices of the meat and garlic flowing out with each bite.
Not getting in the crowd these days, so the craze about Ramen champions is dying off, especially the younger generation are more into Sichuan mala. Go while it is still there.
Nantsuttei なんつッ亭
181 Orchard Rd, Orchard Central #07-12/13, Singapore 238896
Tel : +65 6337 7166
Visited Jan 2024
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