Last update: 1 Feb 2022
Not an expert by any means, just a simp of the ingenuity that goes into these bowls. The possibilities in Klang Valley may not quite match its brethren in Japan yet, but each new menya broadens the palate and, well, Malaysian-horizons of what ramen can be. And boy, there sure are some good ones sprouting up recently. Gone are the days when Ippudo, Bankara and co dominated the scene.
Might eventually do a separate post for Tokyo, but some of my favourites there are: Kagari, Tomita, Afuri, Konjiki Hototogisu. Other Tokyo spots in this Tokyo list.
Bowls ranked in order of what I would prefer to eat right now. Very scientific!
- Kanbe – sakura tsukemen: ebi and pork bone broth. New kid in town. Heckin impressive, review here.
- Ken-Shin Ryu – shoyu tonkotsu: taking the lot where Setagaya used to be, we hope Ken-Shin Ryu stays for a much longer tenure. The shoyu tonkotsu has a killer broth, bite-y noods, and delicious wantan to boot. Still only tried it once but boy was it good.
- The Tokyo Ramen – shoyu: still very recent, so likely biased. Very impressed during the first try though, read about it here.
- Menya Hanabi – negishio mazesoba: does mazesoba count? Sure it does. Maze chuka soba would be more accurate, though? Interestingly, their rice bowls are great too. As are their gyoza. As is most of the menu, to be honest. Consistent as hell!
- Ramen Dining Tabushi – katsuo tsukemen: review here. It’s very good. Pair it with the half-and-half beer from the stall behind. Go and get some matcha from Matcha Hero Kyoto nearby afterwards. Satisfying meal sorted. Though after trying it about a half dozen times (if not more), the latest visit circa Feb 2022 wasn’t as good as before. Need to head back to quality check.
- Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – tokusen toroniku shio: hidden gem of a place tbh. Can’t go wrong with most of the options but this stood out the most. They’ve been very consistent across the years too. That has to count for something. None of their stuff is mindblowing, but it’s been good and, frankly, underrated enough to consistently rank in the top 10 surely.
- Kanbe – yuzu tsukemen: not as impressive as the sakura, but still very solid.
- Kagura – premium rich tori paitan: not sure how the quality is now they’ve moved out of Lot 10. Need to revisit and assess.
- Mitsuyado Seimen – yuzu tsukemen. Top tier noods. Dense and chewier than anywhere else in Malaysia so far. Broth could be better and portions are miniscule (especially for the price) but those are the only real knocks against it.
- Menya Hanabi – kimista. Another great bowl from MH. To be honest, it’s a bit hard to pick since they’re all bangers.
- Mitsuyado Seimen – tan tan tsukemen. I’m not sure if I like this better or the yuzu. Preferences tend to fluctuate on this one.
- Ken Shin-Ryu – shio: Just about edges out Hokkaido Ramen Santouka for the shio.
- Menya Shi Shi Do – yaki buta kuro aka tsukemen: hunka hunka chunks of meat. Review here. [Dec 21 update: kuro aka broth has certainly changed in recent times. This used to be a top 10 bowl, but it’s lost a lot of the depth now. Also it’s a toss up between this or the usual tsukemen with the pork shoulder that they’ve pretty much perfected. Seriously, that pork shoulder at Menya Shi Shi Do is our favourite pork slice at any ramen stall in Malaysia. Killer.]
- Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – shio ramen. Shoutout to a good shio. Hope we see more of them around town. Tonkotsu supremacy is boring.
- Menya Hanabi – tan tan ramen / tan tan mazesoba. Both good, although broth is a bit light for the ramen.
- Toriden – RIP but the ramen lives on at Tokyo Restaurant, it seems. Not sure if it still tastes the same. Review of the Toriden bowl here.
- Ramen Dining Tabushi – shoyu ramen: shoyu is another rare breed around these parts.
- Ken-Shin Ryu – shoyu tsukemen: one of the rare few times where I would get the broth over the tsukemen. It’s nice, but I was left wishing there was a tonkotsu tsukemen version of this. Will try shio next, since that sounds great. Noodles very nice, marginally preferable to Kanbe (or rather, close enough to be pretty much a toss-up unless I’m having them side by side). Pork great – better than all but Shishido. Chicken delicious. Expect clean, bright flavours.
- Menya Hanabi – shio: Pretty good. Should not be your first pick at MH, but a decent intro to shio. This seats a bit lower down the ranking because there are other better places for this nowadays.
- Menya Hanabi – tsukemen / Mitsuyado Seimen – tonkotsu ramen: joint ranking if only because they’re kind of the same thing – Menya Hanabi is best at mazesoba but their tsukemen is decent. Mitsuyado Seimen is best at tsukemen but their standard tonkotsu isn’t too bad either. Oh, I only had the tonkotsu ramen at the lot 10 branch btw
- Menya Shi Shi Do – shi shi ramen (kuro aka broth): used to be better but the broth has since changed
- Daruma Syokudo – tsukemen: huge portion for the price. Pork is not too bad. Good amount of it. Broth is way too mild for tsukemen though, can almost drink it directly. Needs a lot more work on the broth.
- Bari Uma – ajitama uma: Probably the best option for a chain at a mall. Decent enough tonkotsu that gets a bit one-dimensional and overly-fatty towards the end. Tend to long for a palate cleanser.
- Aori ramen – review here
RIP:
- Menya Shi Shi Do – lemon tonkotsu (kuro aka broth) tsukemen: Prior to Kanbe’s arrival, this used to be number 1. As of Dec 21, looks like this is no longer on the menu after the pibot to Ramen Bar Shi Shi Do (despite a million and one other things being added to the menu). Also, the broth has changed for the usual kuro aka tsukemen too. What we said initially: the ajitama may be consistently inconsistent but they’ve perfected the pork shoulder slice IMO after many years of it being underwhelming. The noods are second best to Mitsuyado Seimen’s thicc noods. Kuro aka is black garlic plus a mildly spicy broth, and the lemon lifts it up with a refreshing zing. I almost always go for tsukemen over light brothy bois. Review here.
- Menya Hanabi – tori paitan: This used to be number 2. A special that’s been discontinued, but it surely deserves a special mention. The tori paitan was top tier, great broth and one of the best chimken accompaniments. I do miss it.
- Setagaya – smoked char siew dry noodles: This used to be number 7. Very good, very promising from Setagaya. Terrible news that they closed down.
- Setagaya – original: fish + pork broth. This used to be number 15. Not a standard boring tonkotsu. Subtle but good.
- Setagaya – seabura niboshi ramen: This used to be number 19. Initial review: niboshi shoyu + pork back fat. Actually keen to try the niboshi shoyu by itself next time, not sure if that’s on the menu. Liked the flavors, the fat muddied it a bit.
For what it’s worth:
Old Ippudo (when it initially opened at Gardens) would probably be in the top 10 or 15, old Bankara in the top 15 as well at its peak. Wouldn’t include them in the list at all for now.