Goku Raku Ramen @ Mid Valley Megamall

By now, most would have noticed that there has been massive influxes of ramen outlets, each serving its own specialties and uniqueness with Tokyo Street at Pavillion KL, being the most prominent one-stop centre showcasing all sorts of Japanese products, including varieties of Ramen restaurants too. If you are seriously looking for a good bowl of authentic ramen in wholesome tonkotsu broth with an ace in their char siew carte, Goku  Raku Ramen is bound to live up to your expectation. 

This ramen oasis is easily spotted by its modest circular bold sign. The restaurant comes with the concept of chic and casual vibes that mostly revolving around vivid orangey tone. It raises the bar when comes to ramen-dining experience as the eminent ramen connoisseur, Mr. Teruhisa Shimizu, firstly introduces his unique "Horikiri Style" ramen with broth that boats a very exquisite taste over a long simmering hours. 

And now this mouthwatering Japanese essential diet is easily available at your nearby mall, conveniently located at Level 2, Mid Valley Megamall, with its first local establishment is being overseen by Chef Tetsuya Fukino himself.

A master of Japanese-Chinese crossover, he is proud to bring about many tantalizing ala carte fusion dishes. Originating from Utsonomiya, Chef Tetsuya is also a virtuoso at dishing out tantalizing gyoza, accompanied by specially created sauces to complement the gyoza enjoyment. This explains why there are some familiar Oriental dishes included in this session later part of the review.

Although the chef might not appear to be of loquacious persona, that doesn’t deter him from exchanging some culinary insights with the rest of the inquisitive epicureans. We find him very hospitable and enjoy his unassumingness. Through this wonderful quick interlude, I have finally identified what are those microscopic-thin sliced red strings! Thanks to Chef Tetsuya for killing the quite-some-time curiosity in me. Wonder what do I mean? Just stay tune till the end, and thou shall phantom :)

As Goku Raku Ramen seeks to embed its diners with ultimate ramen relish, we are first becharmed by the 5 Star Kakuni. This specialty ramen is created with ingredients hand-picked by its chefs, which includes menma (bamboo shoots), Nitamago (Japanese molten egg), chilli threads, dashes of aonegi (scallions), moyashi (bean sprouts), tender pork meat, combined with the rich and aromatic tonkotsu broth. 

5 Star Kakuni (R) (MYR 26.90) 

I personally find the brownish broth is exceptionally sapid, slightly teetering near saltiness to some perhaps, but best complements the springy ramen that is made fresh daily. The egg yolk itself is enjoyably squishy, with the chewy menma which is rather savory. All together make the ideal fixingses for this authentic Tonkatsu soup that is simmered for long hours to bring up the sweet aroma of pork essence, with a soothing creaminess to add some sensuous delights.

The meat cutlet has also able to tempt a usually not-so-meaty gourmand like me, to eventually give in to savor a bite :) According to Wikipedia, Kakuni actually resembles the Chinese famous dish, Dongpo Pork (no wonder it’s so familiar). The square-simmered cubes of pork belly is slowly braised over low temperature so that the collagen breaks down into gelatin, keeping the meat moist while becoming more tender.

Needless to say, the meat is heavenly done as you could literally feel the fats melting in your mouth voluptuously the moment you pop it in. Gratifyingly indeed! 

Another version of ramen injected with some Chinese culture, Tan Tan Ramen. 

Tan Tan Ramen (MYR 13.90) 

Slick ramen is taste bud friendly as they are easily slurped in satisfactorily. These premium homemade-style noodles surely fulfill the criteria of supreme ramen that is great to go with any dash audaciously, which in this case is toppingly mixed with spicy sauce and savory minced meat to give some kick to it. Noodles are wonderfully blended in with scallions too. Not forgetting the generous helping of crisp cucumber slices to zest it up further. Quite a good attempt actually.

Pair with a soft-boiled egg (MYR 2.50) for a silky texture.

Ah, now the riddle of the chilli threads that I mentioned earlier is divulged :) These visually stunning yet delicate strands are commonly used as saffron substitute for it makes a more economical alternative. Basically, it spruces up any dish by lending some earthy and smokey aroma to it, with some mild heat but not too spicy taste. 

As for the side orders, we have the mouth-bite nosh, Utsunomiya Yaki Gyoza and GRR Meatballs . 

Utsunomiya Yaki Gyoza (MYR 9.90) 

GRR Meatballs (MYR 5 - 5pcs, MYR 9 -10 pcs , MYR 17 - 20pcs) 

This gyoza is uniquely dish out with a thin crispy flake on the top that arouses some curiosity indeed, albeit tad oily. The layer is made of flour that seemingly waiting to be unveiled so to reveal the treasure within. Underneath it is the classic pan-fried minced pork dumpling served with special sauce; miso tare and shoyu tare. Simple and makes a decent snack as the recipe has been slenderly modified to suit the local taste here, where the chopped greens proportion used in the dumpling is higher than the meat filling. Great, for this would have tremendously reduced any provoking guilt for a glutton :) 

As for the meatballs, they are pleasantly springy, though I would expect it to be bouncier. These inhouse meatballs are decently paired with sweet and sour sauce, that lends some richness to it. Another good alternative when am yearning for some IPC’s meatballs :)

En route soon is the majestic feast of Course Meal Set C, only at Goku Raku Ramen. 

Course meal set C (MYR 119.90) 

Although this package is recommended for 4 pax, I think it could comfortably feed up to 5 people, looking at the myriad choices that come with it. The toothsome dishes comprise of Edamame, Aburi Char Siew, Chef Recommended Salad, Pork Loin Rei Shabu, Tori Momo Karage, Crispy Shrimp Mayo, Siew Mai, Ebi Chilli, Sweet and Sour Pork, Utsunomiya Sui Gyoza, Mini Ramen, Sesame Ball and Dessert of The Day. 

My personal top-pick would be the Aburi Char Siew, where the slices of meat are astoundingly very tender and juicy, after just a quick spry of flambeau session. Loving it to the last bite!

Favourite pick seconds by the Tokyo Ramen that comes with a clearer soup of chicken-bone base. It is equally very flavoursome, accompanied by menma, pork slice, aonegi and my favourite kelps! Fantastic!

I guess the adage still applies here, "Picture speaks louder than words".  So, i better not take too much of your time, before it triggers any salivation :P

As always, hot ocha, serves as the best pick-me-up beverage (not a booze, so do not be tricked by the huge beer-like ceramic, hehe) to clear the throat, besides rejuvenating the gourmands after the heapy and satisfying Japanese feast! An ideal refreshing finish for a muggy evening i suppose. What a resplendent night it has been........ Arigato gozaimasta!!

Wanting some more chewy bites of GRR meatballs that won't cause a dent to your wallet ?
Now you could relish it at 50% off!

All you need to do is to just print out the leaflet and redeem it at 2 outlets now onwards till 31 May 2014! 

For more information of of the menu varieties offered by Goku Raku Ramen, feel free to browse through their UI-friendly page here.

Till then, have another fabulous week ahead folks!

Cheers!

Location:

Lot S25 & S26, North Court, Level 2 Mid Valley Megamall, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur.

Contact: +60 3-2282 3924