We headed down to Ramen Champion at Bugis+ to demolish a MASSIVE 12LB bowl of Tsukemen. Tsukemen, or Japanese Dipping Ramen, is a variation of Japanese Ramen where the noodles and soup are served separately. You dip the noodles in the separated broth, which is much stronger tasting and concentrated than your usual ramen. It is usually accompanied by standard ramen sides like chashu and ajitsuke tamago (marinated soft-boiled eggs).Ramen Champion specialises in ramen, hosting a number of different ramen booths at their outlet. They are known to host annual ramen tasting competitions among their different booths. They recently started offering Tsukemen, so we decided to check it out. When we arrived at Ramen Champion, we were met by a Japanese chef, Horikawa, who heads the outlet, giving us faith in the authenticity of the Tsukemen.My 12LB challenge was loaded with ramen noodles, ajistsuke tamago, chashu, bean sprouts, shredded cabbage and nori seaweed. On the side was the broth itself, lightly garnished with spring onions. The broth was a deep orange-brown colour and thicker than your usual ramen broth. The flavour was complex and intense, heavy on umami and salty notes. I noticed numerous ingredients being added to form the base before being blended but the staff were reluctant to reveal anything specific other than the broth being based off chicken and pork bones. Only a light dipping is required to capture the right intensity for your noodles and it could easily overwhelm an unwary eater. For the sides, the chashu were blowtorched and cooked well. The tamago were perfectly soft-boiled, disintegrating easily at the slightest pressure and slightly salty from the soy bath used. The ramen itself was the most unique part, thicker and a lot chewier than your usual ramen or even your run-of-the-mill Chinese-style noodles. The Chef who invented this knew exactly what he was doing, with the thick noodles being an exceptional pairing with the heavy broth. Noticeably, almost half the bowl was actually made up of the vegetables.This was a straightforward challenge for me even with the strong flavour of the broth, as I tend to love my ramen. It would be very worthwhile to try this interesting spin on ramen regardless of your view on ramen, but be sure to dip sparingly!Visit Ramen Champion at:Bugis+ #04-10201 Victoria StSingapore 188067Connect with me! Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/zermattneofls Instagram - http://instagram.com/zermattneoUse code ZERMATT for 58% off ALL Myprotein products.For those that are interested in doing Invisible Braces:https://bit.ly/zermattneo-yt Use code ZERMATT100 for special discount!
