Menya Musashi Kodou @ Ion Orchard
Judging by the number of joints that has popped up in the recent years, it seems Ramen has seem to found a sweet spot in Singapore. As much as most people might say that it is essentially Japanese instant noodles, the essence is actually in the tender cha shu and the tasteful broth. I was out with a friend around Ion Orchard, and having seen and heard about the insane queues at the Menya Musashi Raffles City branch, and the apparent lack of queue at the Ion Orchard branch at 7pm on a weekday evening, there’s very little consideration before we found ourselves in the Tiger’s cave. The Menya Musashi branch at Ion Orchard is called the Kodou, or also known as the Tiger’s Cave(Den). I guess Singaporeans typically dig atmosphere and will pay good money for nice theming. In a way, it’s actually a good thing, as it does create the effect of a different restaurant, as compared to say Ajisen, which has the same concept and theming across all their outlets. On a side note, Ion is actually a very nice mall to go to on weekdays. Per entry car park, quite a number of food choices, and very little crowds in my opinion. Menya Musashi basically features a creamier broth than most other ramen joints that I have tried. Almost gravy like I would say, yet not over the top. Essentially the menu is what you see in a lot of ramen joints. You have a the typical white base, which is just the pork bone broth, the black base, where they would add soy sauce, and red which is the spicy version. Usually there’s also the miso base, which would be your more seafood/seaweed type. Interestingly, there was also a tomato and curry base. Since it’s the first visit, it only makes sense to try the standard stuff first. The tomato and curry base would have to wait. I had the Miso Cha Shu Ramen 4pcs($17.90) which came with 4 pcs...
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