Seizan Uni Ramen @ Picnic Food Park Wisma Atria - Uni Ramen by Two Michelin Starred Seizan In Tokyo

Seizan in Tokyo is a Two-Michelin starred kaiseki restaurant. Its proprietary dashi lays the foundation for most dishes served at the restaurant, and this highly prized ingredient is also the backbone of the latest modern ramen concept - Seizan Uni Ramen. Brought to you by Picnic Food Park and Seizan Tokyo, Seizan Uni Ramen marries Singaporeans' love for uni and ramen. And is it a perfect marriage?

Uni Ramen 4.8/5

I would say yes. Not because this Uni Ramen ($21) is extravagant with uni, but because Head Chef Uchida of Nabe Seizan Singapore managed to balance the flavours of the milky uni broth so well, it would leave you wanting for more. Mixing premium Japanese bafun uni with cream, milk and Seizan’s signature dashi, the bowl of ramen is stunning in a bright, pumpkin colour. The uni broth was light in my opinion, even towards the last sip, though some said it gets cloying if you have too much. The addition of Sake into the broth, I reckon, is what makes it so delicious. The sake not only sharpens the broth, but it also adds sweetness and depth to the buttery emulsion. The profound flavours of Uni are not lost but enhanced and neutralised into an emulsion that one can actually drink to his heart's content.

Imported from Tokyo, the ramen noodles are customised for Seizan Uni Ramen. Relatively curlier and hardier than regular ramen, they can hold more broth. Made with a specific egg-to-flour ratio, the creamy broth can permeate and flavour the noodles with ease.

Dashi Somen 4/5

If you like to have a taste of Seizan’s signature dashi, Dashi Somen ($18) shall guide your palate through by serving Japanese white somen in the dashi, with a touch of Japanese soy sauce, mirin and sake.

Kumamoto Wagyu Ramen 4/5

Kumamoto Wagyu Ramen ($20) combines Seizan’s signature dashi with a stock made with Kumamoto wagyu beef tendon and vegetables. Beef bones and tendon are boiled for over eight hours with vegetables such as leek and garlic, which add sweetness. The beef pulled apart with a slight tug, but it still had that gelatinous bite. The soup was almost like a consomme and had a clean, beefy flavour. I was told as with most Japanese dishes, it is not about the stronger the flavours, the better it is, but what's more important is attaining the balance. So don't expect it to be as strong and intense as your regular beef noodles.

Written By Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food.


Seizan Uni Ramen
Picnic Wisma Atria
435 Orchard Road
#03-15-49
Singapore 238877
Tel: +65 67348352
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Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am to 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit C or D. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

MAI by Dashi Master Marusaya @ Bukit Pasoh - Discover The Dashi Difference

MAI by Dashi Master Marusaya at Bukit Pasoh is a new dining concept by Marusaya, an established wholesaler of Japanese katsuobushi (dried bonito) since 1962. Here at MAI, you will have a taste of its Satsuma 2-year-old hongare-honbushi, made from skipjack tuna that is dried and fermented over 2 years instead of 1 year, a fermentation period which is more commonly practised in the market for commercial use. From a range of speciality dishes featuring all-natural dashi prepared from their signature aged katsuobushi, MAI wants you to enjoy the more sophisticated flavour of its katsuobushi.

Shabu Shabu 3.8/5

The set lunches are meant to be relatively more affordable. $29 can get you a Shabu-Shabu Set with US Black Angus Beef or Hokkaido Pork. Among all the set lunches I tried, the Shabu-Shabu not only brings out the most of the dashi stock, but it also allows you to appreciate the meats as well. For the same price, I recommend getting the beef, which pairs really well with its house dips - dashi ponzu and sesame.

Each set lunch includes a variety of sides and condiments - Chawanmushi and Miso soup with seasonal topping, bonito flakes and a bowl of claypot rice cooked with dashi. To flavour your rice, there are wasabi-flavoured konbu, ikura and Japanese pickles.

A4 Japanese Beef Toban Yaki 3/5

A4 Japanese Beef Toban Yaki Set ($49) may be luxurious, but it's rich and buttery miso sauce overpowered everything on the plate, including my dashi rice. Bonito flakes were added upon serving, but they seemed to just add on to the saltiness of the sauce.

Prawn, Scallop & Oyster Toban Yaki 3.5/5

A much lighter option would be the Prawn, Scallop & Oyster Toban Yaki ($32), in which the seafood is seasoned with shoyu, sake, mirin and yuzu juice. The sauce that had the seafood sizzling in was rich with yuzu flavour and definitely paired better with the rice compared to the buttery miso sauce.

Donabe 3.8/5

For sharing, one of the mains to try is Donabe - a traditional Japanese claypot cooked with Hokkaido Yumepirika rice, dashi, soy sauce, Japanese sake, and simmered with ingredients such as unagi or salmon. The rice itself was delicious, with herbal nuances of Sansho pepper. It takes about 40 minutes to prepare each donabe, so please do pre-order it.

Fish Jerky 4/5

The dinner menu features speciality sides such as this moreish Half Dried Bonito Fish Jerky. Other than the Shabu Shabu, none of the other lunch items really showcases the beauty of Marusaya's aged skipjack tuna as much as this humble fish jerky. Perhaps the omakase lunches and dinners may be a better option, with more courses featuring the dashi broth.

Words and photos by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


MAI by Dashi Master Marusaya
46 Bukit Pasoh Rd
Singapore 089858
Tel: +65 63278414
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Website
Nearest MRT: Outram Park (EW Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 11pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Outram Park MRT station. Take Exit H. Turn right onto Teo Hong Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]