Nantsuttei Singapore (Parco Marina Bay)

For the complete review with uploaded pictures and quoted prices, please view:

http://www.thefoodnomads.com/2012/02/21/nantsuttei-parco-marina-bay/

Yet another Ramen eatery in the mini Japanese gourmet town at Parco Marina Bay (the other being Keisuke Tokyo), Nantsuttei has been drawing a growing fan-base since her opening two years ago. Specializing in the use of Kuro Mayu (garlic oil) in their creations, much hype has been generated about the popular outlet- especially with their salty and spicy Ramen offerings. Upon our visit, there was a long queue lined up outside the considerably small dining venue. The interior setting appeared to be rather cramped with their seats situated rather closely to one another; hinting of the fact that it is a place whereby one simply ‘eats and goes’.

Han Buta- manma; simply put together yet so wonderfully comforting, the Buta- manma was reminiscent of a dish prepared and cooked at home. Matched with clean- tasting rice, the finely chopped Chashu stewed in a slightly sweet dashi soup before served- was deeply savoury and gratifyingly chewy at the same time. The creation went one up with the garnishing of bannou negi and white sesame seeds. For the really hungry diners, a larger bowl is available at a cost of $6.00.

Fuufu Enman Gyoza; introduced as Nantsuttei’s original Gyoza recipe, each bite off these delectable treats was met with a burst of flavour. Although they might have been a little too greasy, it was pretty delightful to experience the infused juices of the pork meat and garlic squirt out of the pan-fried dumplings in the mouth. I must say that they were enjoyable enough without having to dip them in the accompanying sauces.

Maru- toku Negi Chashu-men; noticeably one of the crowd’s preferred choices and hence my order, the most significant highlight of the dish must definitely be how the strong, grassy flavours of the mountain of shiraga negi (white part of spring onions) and bannou negi (green spring onions) unravel ever-boldly when paired with the thick noodles (thicker than usual) and broth. Each strand of the noodles was well- infused with the essence of the typically cloudy broth from the use of collagen- rich bones. However, we agreed that the soup might have been too salty for our liking and I would have certainly preferred the sweet flavours to be apparent. Then again, our preference might have differed from others since it was clearly the favourite (distinguishable by the mountain of spring onions) amongst the diners then. The generous hunks of Chashu were cooked to the right doneness and each had a nice bite to it.

An intriguingly salty- sweet- spicy combination made from their special miso blend, together with mild pork sauce, fried ground pork, hot spicy Japanese peppers and finally with secret garlic oil, the full-bodied broth of the Kara – Miso Ramen Mouretsu Tanmen Hana-ji Boo was robust with hotness and miso flavour. With differing levels of spiciness for one to try out, Nantsuttei’s power-packed concoction is definitely a must-try for adventurous eaters. I found the Ramen creation to be somewhat heavy on the palate though in my opinion, it did fare better than the Maru- toku Negi Chashu-men.

My favourite of the three that we had, the Dragon Ramen hit the right notes with just enough heat and sweet- peppery sapidity. The addition of red peppers lent the tasty pork-bone infused soup a deep savouriness, that went remarkably well with the straight noodles that were steeped in flavour. As true as to what was recommended, the spiciness did complement with the basic broth perfectly and I was reaching for third spoonfuls of the addictive soup.

I would not conclude that I do not understand the hype about Nantsuttei since we should all know that preferences do differ among all of us. I did enjoy their Dragon Ramen and Buta Manma though and I would certainly order these two items during my next visit (I have been dropping by Millenia Walk rather regularly of recent). Anyway, I was told that one should drop by at the outlet before 12 noon or before 7 odd in the evening so as to avoid queuing for a long time.

I had their normal ramen. The food is quite good, comparing to some Japanese Restaurants. I like the flavored eggs the best.

In decorations of the restaurants is quite good. Almost like what I have seen in Japan. The area is a bit small, so it might not be that cosy. More suitable for people having quick meals and in smaller groups.

The food is quite good. The soup is a bit thick and salty but I guess most of Japanese Ramen's soups are salty. The Menu is short of variety, so there isn't any much to choose from.

Price for the food seems slightly on the higher side. But converting to Japanese Yen, it is roughly the price you pay having ramen at Tokyo. So it is still reasonable.

The service is quite good although there wasn't a lot of staffs on the floor.

Overall, this place is great for getting some Japanese Ramen, for a quick and enjoyable meal. Thumbs up!

Full Review Here.

Nantsuttei is in the 3rd floor of Parco in Millenia Walk (not listed on the main mall directory). Its' unique selling point is GARLIC i.e. all their ramen come with Ma-Yu which, according to them, is garlic oil made by frying garlic 7 times.

If that's not enough garlic for you, you can ask for as many cloves of fresh garlic as you wish, they'll provide you a garlic press to crush all the garlic into your bowl. So you can have your own Garlic Ramen creation.

We were a bit miffed that the quality of the chopsticks used super lousy, but otherwise it is overall an "above average" ramen place. 15-20minute lunch wait on weekend.

Had dinner there with my wife couple of days ago.. Heard pretty good reviews about this place so we decided to pop by and give it a try.

We ordered 1 Chashu-men & 1 golden curry ramen. We thought that the ramen was not too bad, although we would have prefer the ramen to be more cook (somewhat like al-dente style?) IMHO, i thought that the gravy was a tad too salty as well, but maybe thats how they do it in Japan.

Overall the experience was ok but not sure if we be back anytime soon as we thought the prices was a little on the steep side.

Full review and photos: http://foodiefc.blogspot.com/2011/10/nantsuttei-parco-marina-bay.html

Nantsuttei is located in Parco Marina Bay, just next to Millenia walk. It sepcialises in dishing out Japanese ramen.

We saw this pasted at the entrance. Well, during meal time, there is always a long queue at this place. Hence to show their gratitude, they are giving a complimentary side dish for those who queue more than 15 minutes. Quite nice of them to offer this and show their appreciation.

From this picture, you would have gathered that we did not queue at all. Reason: we went there during a Saturday at 345pm. Could not resist the temptation to try, although we have taken our lunch, we decided to share a bowl of ramen.

We ordered the Chashu-men and added a Ajitsuke Tamago (flavoured boiled egg). As you noticed, the broth was brownish (tonkotsu-pork bone soup) and on top there is a layer of roasted sesame garlic oil. The noodles are springy and slightly thick, but not as thick as Bario's. It is accompanied by beansprouts, seaweed, chashu and spring onion. A generous amount of chashu was given and they were thickly sliced. The chashu was surprisingly soft, tender and flavourful. Moreover, it was not fatty which is a big plus. The broth was flavourful and fragrant but on the salty end. It was quick a unique and potent broth.

The Ajitsuke Tamago was overcooked.

If you finish the whole bowl of noodles including the broth, this is what you get. We did not finish the broth. we transferred it to another smaller bowl which we requested for as we were sharing this.

They are planning to open a second outlet in Singapore. Hence the ramen tasting event. Go register at their facebook. (web address at the end of this post)

Overall, I quite like this bowl of ramen. Everything was good, if only the broth was slightly less salty this would have been perfect. Oishii!!

Ps: The nearest MRT station is Promenade MRT Station.

Full review and photos: http://foodiefc.blogspot.com/2011/10/nantsuttei-parco-marina-bay.html

If you stick to their mains, ie the ramen selections, you can't go too wrong. We dropped by on a Friday evening to catch a quick meal before heading to Beer Fest. This is not a place to linger and chat, which is fine with us since we are eager to drink our fill after dinner. At about 7pm, I managed to get a table without queuing. If you come any later, be prepared to wait at least 15 - 20 minutes. 

We ordered the new item on the menu hot miso ramen extra hot tanmen (yes the name is a mouthful). There are 5 grades of spiciness available. While we were deliberating on the grade to get, the waiter divulged that it isn't all that spicy. Thus, I bravely took grade 4 while J took a 3. My plan was that if it was too much I will swap with him and take the 3 instead. Heh. We also got an egg each, plus a side order of gyoza and yude won-ton. The ramen was delicious, and grade 4 spiciness is certainly acceptable for the average Singaporean. However, I would prefer grade 3 because the fragrance of the soup shines through better, without being shadowed by the spices. Gyozas are good too, but not outstanding. The waiter forgot our won-tons and I wished I didn't remind them because they were really quite bad. The fillings were mushy. I bit one open only to discover that it was only half cooked! I reckon they did it in a hurry since this was a forgotten order. We didn't bother to bring it up to them as we were in a hurry. 

Service was a little spotty, the waiter forgot our egg as well. Other than that, they were pleasant. I will definitely be back the next time I am in the area, but probably only for the ramen. 

One look at the broth

served up in the bowls and I noted, toxic soup, check! Coagulated brown clots

of residue floating on the brims of the bowl, the sign of pork bones thrown

into a rolling boil for days on ends. A good thing or not, I couldn’t judge by

its looks.

Perhaps I was just

being prissy that day, but I was turned off easily by the usage of wooden

disposable chopsticks in the restaurant. To make matters worse, these snapped

at all the wrong places when pulled apart. *shakes head*

So I digress, the

ramen in all its rich glory was actually rather disappointing. Run-off-the-mill

noodles with a broth that made my eye-lid twitch overtime from its overdose of

salt, perhaps it was the black garlic oil. I wished there were bamboo shoots,

but then again, bean sprouts appeared as the cheap replacements. The usual egg

was dropped into the soup, renderings it’s flavor to be similar to that of the

soup base, it’s shoyu intentions uncovered. Yet despite its many flaws, I found

comfort its chashu. Smoked roasted, the slices of pork were incredibly aromatic

and tender at the same time. Redemption chashu.

Service was rather

commendable as well, with waiters regularly filling our cups. Fearful that we

might die from a thirst derived from the msg laddened soup.

This is one dish

definitely not for the faint hearted… its richness rendering a general

overheating in my system throughout the rest of the night. If you would like a

go though, do make a trip down on weekdays as weekends would definitely see you

queuing a long time for a taste.

Ordered two standard bowls ($12 each) of ramen for my kids, a special ramen ($17) for myself, with a plate of gyozas as side dish.They were all served with a lot of bean sprouts, spring onions and black garlic oil.If you don't like any of these, better advise the waiter/waitress to remove them when you order. Tomago (egg) is additional item at $1 each.The soup base is thick which is typical of any authentic Japanese ramen but it's overly salty for my taste and certainly not suitable for my kids.The gyoza was overly pan-fried in my opinion so the skin was a bit harder than expected.Though it's not to my liking but overall is not too bad so I guess it's a matter of taste for others.

I tried this once a few months ago. One gets to tuck in with Japanese pop songs blasting in the background. The noodles is thicker than I like. The taste didn't impress me much, so I will be sticking to Daikokuya and Santouka!

Our destination was really Keisuke ramen next door, but it was closed when we arrived, so we had to settle for this joint.  Honestly, I don't expect ramen in Singapore to be anything near the standard in Japan, but at least, it should be edible like the local hawker fare right?

Needless to say, Nantsuttei has failed miserably in creating a decent bowl of noodles, leaving our party craving instead for some instant Ramen brought back from a recent trip to Tokyo.

That disgusting coating of MSG that plagued my mouth took a few hours to wear out.  This is not an umami laden ramen broth obtained from careful simmering of ingredients for their synergistic qualities from 3 umami sources.

Instead, it seems that Ajinomoto was the favoured source of flavour here, disguised under a thin broth with garlic oil on it.  One of our party had the 'spiciest' broth, but what we had, instead, would only rival a peppery bak kut teh in sweat inducement.  To further compile our dining misery, the negi ramen was tasteless and the char siew was dry and insipid.  They would have done better ramen by buying the char siew from Sheng Shiong.

The only positive here was the service, with the Japanese guy at the counter showing us to our seats to fool us into a false sense of authenticity.  Unfortunately, I don't really care so much about service or ambience, as long as the food is good.  Abuse me all you want if you make good grub.

Alas, is it really that hard to make an edible bowl of ramen?  Last time I checked, pork and chicken bones could be had for cheap here, cheaper than I used to pay for in Tokyo.  

It befuddles the mind that in Japan, where rent, labour and ingredients are so expensive, edible ramen exists around every corner at a cheaper price than their Singaporean counterparts.  What a sham and a waste of time.