With 10 restaurants under the Keisuke brand name, Keisuke-san is, in my books at least, the undisputed King of Ramen in Singapore based on reach alone. Ramen Keisuke Lobster King opens its doors to the public at Clarke Quay in late February, touting namesake head chef Keisuke Takeda’s introduction of lobster soup-based ramen to Singapore.
Crowned the 2011 Ramen King at the Tokyo Ramen Championships, a competition that fields 30,000 contestants, Keisuke Takeda steadily expanded his presence in Singapore and brought his unique blend of French and Japanese cooking disciplines into the limelight. Having been trained in French cooking for 13 years and in Japanese for six, Chef Keisuke has been known as a reformer and visionary in the realm of ramen making, with his artful fusion of the two cuisines.
Although it seems like he is on a winning streak now, only when speaking personally with the chef himself did I learn his story of assiduous learning, constant adaptation, re-learning and failures. He feels that the Singaporean tastebuds are more accustomed to deep and richer flavours, and he adjusts his cooking to cater to the crowds. A perfectionist, he strives to make every bowl of ramen the perfect one which, to him, requires keen attention to the broth and noodles.
Each batch of soup takes from six to 12 hours to boil and requires a large amount of ingredients to arrive at the final product. Any less and the customer will be able to notice the difference. Even the ramen itself can vary and factors such as length, straightness, quality of flour and water used cannot be left to chance.
At Ramen Keisuke Lobster King, Chef Keisuke channels his decades-long experience in French cooking to produce a thicker soup akin to lobster bisque and a clear consommé. For the stock, imported French rock lobsters are used. They are specially chosen for its abundant roe and rich flavour of its flesh. To this delectable concoction, special herbs and vegetables are added to bring out the taste that Ramen Keisuke Lobster King is famous for.
Always enthralled by the inventiveness of Japanese foodstuff, I picked the eclectic choice to wash down my ramen. The green tea cola (S$4.50), happens to be another in-house product. It was sweet and fizzy like a cola should be, and very refreshing too but, all hints of green tea were absent.
To whet my appetite, I wolfed down the Prawn Gyoza (S$8.80) and Chicken Nanban (S$9.80), two of the restaurant’s most popular choices. Firm, tasty and nicely seared at the bottom, the gyoza was a comforting staple. The chicken nanban was, however, something really special. Aside from being crisp-fried, not oily and using only juicy tender thigh meat, the sauce was one of a kind. Crafted to resemble a kind of mayonnaise infused with Japanese umami flavours, this is a dish I would go back to Keisuke Lobster Ramen for.
Regrettably, having only one stomach, I was only able to sample the Lobster Broth Ramen with Clear Soup (S$13.90) and the Spicy Miso Lobster Broth Ramen (S$15.90) as mains. Both come chock-full of toppings that include wontons, char siew, chicken meat, crunchy black fungus, a runny boiled egg, shredded leeks and leafy vegetables.
Spicy Miso Lobster Broth Ramen
The Spicy Miso Lobster Broth (S$15.90) is an evolution of the original dish, designed to appeal to the Singaporean palate and is packed with strong flavours and a spicy kick. Three varieties of miso are blended with chilli oil, Japanese Ichimi and Sichuan Sansho to produce a tastier, more aromatic broth. Curly noodles are pan-fried to order to add texture to this masterpiece. True to the chef’s intentions, this was my absolute favourite ramen dish.
Lobster Broth Ramen
The original Lobster Broth Ramen (S$13.90) comes in a clear soup that is no less a labour of love. Those who prefer a more subdued taste would prefer this. Admittedly, the true taste of lobster is more apparent here, not being overpowered by the piquant spices and miso of the other variety.
There is also one other variety of Lobster Broth Ramen that I had to pass up on, but will definitely return to savour. The rich creamy soup stock version sans chilli is said to be the middle ground and combines a soup base more similar to French lobster bisque with traditional Japanese ramen.
As with the other branches at Tanjong Pagar, you can have your fill of hard-boiled eggs and bean sprouts to keep the hunger at bay which you can have satiated here until 5 am. Great news for the clubbing and pubbing crowd just around the corner.
Ramen Keisuke Lobster King
3C River Valley Road #01-07 The Cannery
Singapore 179022
Tel: +65 6255 2928
Opening hours: 6pm – 5am (Last order 4:30am)
