KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 — Ramen Takahashi, a new ramen spot that opened in Sunway Velocity two weeks ago, is the latest arrival in this year’s steady wave of smaller Japanese restaurant brands landing in Malaysia.
The brand’s speciality is yakiago ramen, built on a distinctive broth made with grilled flying fish (yakiago), pork bone and chicken stock.
Fish-based ramen broths are more typically made with niboshi, dried anchovies or sardines, but flying fish are a speciality of Sado Island in Niigata, where there is a long tradition of making dashi from yakiago.
In the spirit of this tradition, Niigata native Yuka Takahashi, founder of Ramen Takahashi, chose to build the broth around yakiago.
The group has nine locations in Tokyo, but the Malaysian outlet was brought in by The Clearwater Group.
The same company also brought Tonkatsu by Ma Maison to Malaysia, a tonkatsu chain from Nagoya that was established in 1976 and has enjoyed sustained popularity since it arrived in 2013.
It’s no surprise, then, that at its basement location in Sunway Velocity Mall, Ramen Takahashi sits across from a brand-new Tonkatsu by Ma Maison in the mall’s “Market Place.”
The easiest way to find Ramen Takahashi is via the “Nanjing Street” entrance.
Head down to Basement 1, take the first right turn after the entrance and continue to the end.
The go-to order is the special signature Yakiago Ramen (RM33.90), which comes with thick, curly noodles, an ajitama egg, Takahashi’s signature chashu, sliced sous vide pork loin, bamboo shoots, leek and seaweed.
Before the bowl arrives, a small cup of light, almost transparent liquid is served first.
This is the titular yakiago dashi, offering a preview of the clean, smoky base that underpins the broth.
The broth itself is noticeably smoky, and once you have tasted the dashi, its presence is unmistakable, with a clean, savoury profile and plenty of fishy depth.
It is restrained, though, avoiding the intensely oily, overwhelming fishiness of sardines and anchovies typical of niboshi ramen.
Pork bone and chicken stock round out the mouthfeel with a welcome softness.
Also soft and slightly fatty, the chashu is fall-apart tender, though not especially flavourful.
The sous vide pork loin is more compelling, sliced thin like cured meat, with the texture of deli-cut ham but without the artificial rubberiness one might expect.
The real textural triumph in this bowl is achieved by the noodles, which, in their curly state, offer a springy experience not unlike thick Hakka noodles.
For RM4 less, the bowl comes without the egg and seaweed.
Unlike a rich, cloying tonkotsu, this is a bowl that leaves room for more.
For an additional RM2, a bowl of rice can be added to finish the remaining broth, ochazuke-style.
Wasabi and arare, tiny rice crackers, are available tableside to complete the dish.
As with most ramen joints, the base broth is offered with a choice of tare.
The default for the signature bowl is shio, but shoyu and miso are also available.
The Yakiago Miso Ramen (RM30.90) comes with cabbage slices and a generous mound of bean sprouts.
The broth is markedly saltier, thanks to the copious amount of fermented soybean paste, which also gives it a richer, heavier texture.
The trade-off is that the miso largely masks the broth’s smoky character, though its fuller body complements the thick noodles well.
This pairing makes sense, given that Sapporo-style miso ramen is typically served with thick, chewy noodles.
It is not the ideal way to experience the unique qualities of Ramen Takahashi’s yakiago broth, so the signature remains the better choice for a first visit.
And unique is the right word here: Ramen Takahashi is far from the first, and certainly will not be the last ramen brand to arrive on Malaysian shores, but for now, at least, it offers something genuinely different from much of the field.
Ramen Takahashi
B-62, Basement 1,
Market Place, Sunway Velocity Mall,
Lingkaran SV, Sunway Velocity,
Kuala Lumpur.
Open daily, 10am-10pm
Tel: 014-398 7572
Facebook: Ramen Takahashi Malaysia
Instagram: @ramentakahashi.my
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and occasionally self-deprecating humour.
