Tonkotsu Kazan at Liang Court – We Had Fun Eating Volcano Ramen (PLUS GIVEAWAY)

Maureen
Maureen
November 28, 2013

Tonkotsu Kazan
Tonkotsu Kazan
Tonkotsu Kazan

Tucked away in a corner of Liang Court is this bright red ramen shop – Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen. I was very attracted by its decor when I walked in. The ceiling resembles those patterns in a kaleidoscope and it feels like I have walked into one of the shops in Tokyo Ramen Street.

Tonkotsu Kazan originates from Osaka, Japan. They do not have a physical shop in Japan though. They started their flagship in Singapore. Its first branch locally is at Novena Square 2. So what is their unique selling point? It is non other than the Ishiyaki Ramen (hot stone roast ramen) that looks like kazan (volcano)!

Tonkotsu Kazan
Tonkotsu Kazan
Tonkotsu Kazan

Our Kazan Kaisen-Shio ($18, $15 small) arrived in a preheated 300 degree celsius stone bowl, served without soup. At the table, the waiter will pour in half the soup, covered it with an inverted fennel looking lid. When there is steam coming out from the lid (they call it FUNKA, which means volcano eruption), let it cook for a minute and it is ready!

Their tonkotsu or pork bone broth is simmered using the finest pork bones for 10 hours daily. Unneccessary oil and resiue is skimmed off. The result? A wonderfully consistent and flavourful thick broth that is rich in collagen and protein. It is very rich, but without the floating pieces of solid fat chunks. With the tonkotsu broth as the soup base, you can then pick from different flavours: shio, shoyu, miso or curry.

Kazan Kaisen-Shio is served with tonkotsu broth enhanced with special blended salt paste and seafood. It is lighter on the palate as compared to our second kazen ramen – Kazan Karamiso. You can also enjoy the Kazen Ramen twice by adding rice into the left over soup mixture to make delicious Zousui (soupy rice).

Tonkotsu Kazan
Tonkotsu Kazan
Tonkotsu Kazan

I prefer the Kazan Karamiso ($18, $15 small) much better which comes with tonkotsu broth enhanced with special blended spicy miso paste.

Their chashu (roast pork) is flavourful. Well marinated pork belly is first boiled in hot water to remove the odour. To lock the flavour and juice, it is simmered overnight in their special sauce, then hand trimmed daily. It doesn’t melt in you mouth as you can see from the texture, but it is flavourful and makes me yearn for more.

The ramen used here is flat and fat like the mee pok in our Chinese meals. If you are a fan of Ramen Champion, I am sure this entire bowl of ramen will remind you of Bario Ramen, which is also heartily thick and curly. I think for a thick and flavourful soup like Kazan Karamiso, the thick ramen provides a chewy texture that blends well into the soup and is particularly good at absorbing the flavours from the soup.

However, I feel that these mee pok style ramen may not be suitable for a lighter soup, such as Kazan Kaisen-Shio, the ramen we had earlier. If you prefer a thin noodle too, order the usual ramen that comes in a bowl.

Tonkotsu Kazan

Since this place is know for their hot stone bowl, they have also cleverly included rice items such as Hot Stone Rice with Pork and Kimchi ($10). The hot stone is not only visually appetizing, it also retains the heat throughout the meal.

Tonkotsu Kazan

A highlight beyond the volcano ramen is the Yaki Gyoza ($5/6pcs). The meat dumplings are delightfully pan-fried – loving its thinly crisp outer layer with skin freshly made daily. The inner filling with pork and some cabbage and garlic. It is moist and juicy.

Tonkotsu Kazan

I am already very full by now. But as the saying goes, ladies always have another tummy for desserts. Most of the time, it is not true for me. But this time, it is soooo right. When Strawberry Shiratama with ice cream ($8) arrived, I was WOOOOOOW-ing with excitement. I have never seen such a huge dessert! With so many pieces of icy strawberries and ice cream, I can’t help but to keep digging for more.

I enjoyed my dinner at Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen because it was fun and prices here were affordable! Taking its massive proportions into account, it’s a dish that can probably fill two ladies’ stomach or very filling meal for a guy.

Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen

Address: Liang Court, #01-09/10
Tel: +65 6397 6636
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm Daily

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Blend1
4599788784

IT’S TIME FOR GIVEAWAY AGAIN! Christmas is coming and it is about sharing the joy with others. Big thank you to Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen, FIVE lucky readers will each walk away with $50 dining voucher (no minimum spending)!!!

HOW TO WIN?
Tell us why you should win the $50 vouchers and best five answers win!

Very simple, isn’t it? Come up with the most creative answers you can ever think of! Closing date: 5 December (Thursday), 23:59. Good luck!