Had the opportunity to try the new duck ramen at @tsutasingapore before it launches this saturday. there are two renditions of this - a soup based shoyu ramen and a dry mazemen.
right off the bat let me just say that both dishes are RICH. artery-cloggingly rich. though the soup version has a shoyu base, the soup is made by boiling duck bones and meat over a high flame so it resembles a tonkotsu as well. creamy duck soup, anyone? toppings for both dishes include raw diced onion and chopped cashews for some crunch and to balance the rich broth, baby spinach leaves (to add crunch and provide some semblance of a healthy meal, perhaps) and black pepper. slices of slow-cooked duck replaced the pork belly seen in other ramen dishes. the soup version also had an ajitsuke tamago (always a prerequisite) and a pork wanton that felt slightly out of place competing with the duck.
the individual components of each dish were fantastic. tsuta’s noodles have always been cooked perfectly and offered a good chew. for such thin noodles, they also held the broth surprisingly well. the duck was juicy and tender. it came pink in the centre, quite unlike the braised/roasted duck that is usually served in hawker centres.
right before serving the ramen, the manager of the restaurant mentioned that one has to really like duck in order to enjoy the dishes. and he was right. the salty, savoury, oily hit from the noodles was a relentless assault on the tastebuds, undoubtedly delicious but a little too rich for my liking. toward the end of the dish, I found myself struggling to finish the broth, something that doesn’t usually happen.
nevertheless, I felt the dish stood out with its strong flavours and use of interesting toppings. perhaps a duck egg could be used instead of a chicken egg? and meh, no need for the wanton in the dish. .