If anything, it seems that the Bukit Timah neighbourhood has been seeing quite a bit of action within the F&B scene of the late — we have written about quite a number of newly-opened establishments that had sprouted up in the neighbourhood in recent times, and there are still more to be discovered while we are at it. Yet another recent addition to the neighbourhood that we had only discovered not too long ago is Hokkaido Ramen; an establishment which seems to have quite a generic name which had just moved into a shop unit at basement two at Bukit Timah Plaza. Hokkaido Ramen takes over the former premises of a butchery named Kiru Kiru, which is located just beside the entrance to FairPrice Finest at basement two of the mall. One can describe Hokkaido Ramen to be simply-decked; the use of cloth banners which Kanji characters and the large use of wooden furnishings and fittings does evoke a modern Japanese vibe for the establishment, though one can still argue that the overall interior decor is tuned more towards functionality than form. An interesting thing that we have observed though did not ask the folks at the shop about was how they are seemingly affiliated with Cut Butchery — a butchery that also runs dining concepts like GRILL by CUT; both also being situated at Bukit Timah Plaza, as well as Karubi within Huggs Collective at Clarke Quay Central and Gyushi at OUE Downtown, considering how the staff at Hokkaido Ramen were wearing shirts with the GRILL by CUT branding. Whether this remains true or not, one thing about Hokkaido Ramen is certain; the establishment is pretty much focused on their ramen offerings — one can look forward to a menu that consists of Japanese ramen featuring various types of broths such as that of Miso Ramen, Shoyu Ramen and Tonkotsu Ramen to go for. For those who prefer dry ramen, there is also a Hokkaido Miso Gindara Dry Ramen to opt for as well. There are also a number of sides to share around the table, as well as a Kinoko Cold Tofu being the only dessert item being listed here.

The process for placing an order at Hokkaido Ramen has been kept rather fuss-free for diners who are a well-versed with technology — there is a hard copy of the menu that is being stuck on the wall for the east reference for patrons, though orders would be taken via the scanning of the QR code on the table. Once the order has been confirmed and that payment has been made online, the receipt with a queue number would be sent to the mobile phone where patrons will collect their order once the queue number has been called out on the display that is placed above the counter. We usually find ourselves gravitating towards ramen dishes that are either served dry or features a spicy element — this eventually made us go for the Hokkaido Kara Miso Ramen; a ramen dish which the menu describes to come with elements such as White Miso, Red Miso, Yellow Miso, Chilli Oil, Chilli Paste, Garlic Paste, Hokkaido Noodles, Pork Belly Chasy, Black Fungus, Bamboo Shoots, 1/2 Ajitama Egg and Spring Onions. It is interesting to note that while all their Japanese Ramen dishes features “all toppings” by default, Hokkaido Ramen does allow one to opt for Regular Broth or Heavy Broth for most of their ramen dishes — the latter being charged at a dollar extra. Going straight for the spicy miso broth, we felt that the Heavy Broth option went well with the Hokkaido Kara Miso Ramen; while we would reckon that the heavy broth might be a little bit on the saltier side for their other offerings, the heavy broth here seemed to have provided a depth of flavours amidst the moderate level of spiciness that is contributed by the chilli oil and chilli paste added to the broth. The Hokkaido Noodles were done in a way that carried a bit of bite, while the Pork Belly Chashu was meaty and did not carry any undesirable porky stench — we were actually pretty impressed with how it came with a bit of smokiness as well. Overall, a bowl of ramen which seemed to have exceeded our initial expectations.

Apart from the Hokkaido Kara Miso Ramen (Heavy Broth), we had also given the Hokkaido A5 Satsumagyu Miso Ramen a try. For the Hokkaido A5 Satsumagyu Miso Ramen which we had ordered, we went for the Regular Broth rendition instead; the menu also describes the Hokkaido A5 Satsumagyu Miso Ramen to come with elements such as White Miso, Red Miso, Yelow Miso, Hokkaido Noodes, 30g A5 Satsumagyu Ribeye, Black
Fungus, Bamboo Shocks, 1/2 Ajtama Egg and Spring Onions. We found the flavours of the Regular Broth to be already rather flavoursome on its own; it does come savoury at just the right touch — going for the heavy broth for this item would have potentially made it a little jelak. The highlight of the Hokkaido A5 Satsumagyu Miso Ramen was undoubtedly the 30g A5 Satsumagyu Ribeye — best to be had without having left in the broth for too long, there wasn’t any hint of gaminess coming out of the A5 Satsumagyu Ribeye; itself also being easy to chew through and provides for a bit of a twist compared to that of the usual bowl of ramen. Meanwhile, the Kinako Cold Tofu did sound like an interesting item on paper — it turned out to be a Lao Ban-esque beancurd that is topped off with Warabi Mochi featuring a drizzle of Kuromitsu and dusting of Kinako powder (i.e. soybean powder); nothing too out of the ordinary, though a combination that worked well. Prices of the ramen at Hokkaido Ramen can be said to be competitively priced against other Japanese ramen specialty shops that are located all across the island — the lowest priced Japanese ramen item being charged at $9.90 (being the Classic Tonkotsu Ramen), while the Hokkaido Miso Gindara Ramen is the priciest item on the menu at $29.90. Considering the quality of the ramen here, we would say that the consistency of the ramen here fits well with the price point; certainly an option which would not mind having again — definitely an establishment that is worth checking out especially if one is to be within the area.