Konjiki Hototogisu (CHIJMES)

The soft shell crab also got me hankering for a nice drink, and Konjiki Hotogisu just happens to have a very fetching Gekkeikan Nigori Cloudy Sake on standby. It’s sweet, rich and thick for a sake, and it’s definitely a capable partner to the light clam broth. More interestingly was the little sampler of special clam rice that isn’t even on the menu that they served with our sake. Honestly, if they served full portions of that stellar special clam rice, I’d gladly pay top dollar for it, and I’d be absolutely addicted to it. It’s subtly but undeniably umami, it’s unctuous, it’s fresh and it’s tremendously tasty.

I don’t remember what broth @konjikihototogisu used for the Chili Crab Ramen ($19.90++ a bowl, but I do remember it being different to the clam broth. It might’ve been a standard pork bone broth considering its richness, and it’s still a robust broth despite not being as unique as the clam broth.⠀
⠀
The same springy thin ramen is topped with a slice of servicable chashu, and a whole soft shell crab that’s jazzed up with copious dollops of chili crab sauce. Ideally you’d wanna fish the soft shell crab out of the ramen the minute it’s served to preserve the crunch of the soft shell crab, but you do wanna mix some of that charming chili crab sauce into the ramen for a spicy & sour kick. The chili crab sauce is egg-cellently eggy, tangy and sufficiently sweet, making it a perfect pair with the crunchy soft shell crab. Konjiku Hotogisu’s Chili Crab Ramen hits every major flavour & texture, and I’m getting hit with cravings for seconds of this.

We’ve had pork broth, chicken broth, seafood broth and even the occasional fish broth ramen in Singapore, but how about clam broth? @konjikihototogisu is a Michelin Starred ramen restaurant that has its Singapore outpost run by the same company that runs Ajisen, and the clam broth is its unique selling point.⠀
⠀
There are two choices for the clam broth, shoyu (soy sauce) and shio (salt). I chose the Shio Hamaguri Soup Ramen ($15.90++), which has chashu & ramen immersed into the clam & pork bone broth, and garnished with porcini duxelle and white truffle oil. The clam broth is notably lighter than a standard all pork bone broth, but there is still some weight & richness to it due to the inclusion of some pork bones. It’s subtly sweet & briny from the hamaguri clams (Asian hard clam), and it’s a light but still tasty broth. The porcini duxelle adds earthiness & umami to the ramen, while the heady perfume of white truffle oil will intoxicate your sense of smell.⠀
⠀
The thin noodles are cooked perfectly with a delightful bite to them, but the chashu was completely unremarkable. Still, at well under twenty bucks, this light bowl of ramen would do solid work as a hangover remedy.

Had the spicy ebi wanton ramen ($13.90) and it is delicious. Pork is tender and the prawn wanton is delicious

Shio Hamaguri Soup Ramen ($17.50 inclusive of GST and service charge)
Surprised to find out that they have a michelin star because it tasted pretty normal to me. Portion was not enough as well. Though at this price point, it’s one of the more affordable places to eat in CHIJMES so I can’t complain much!
Highlight was actually the mini clam rice which was served as a complimentary appetiser with every bowl of ramen - clams were really sweet and juicy!

Priced at $14.90++, this ramen is served with a unique broth made with hamaguri clams, tonkatsu, and truffle oil. Do take a whiff of the broth before drinking, and you would be sure to recognise the aroma of the truffle oil. The broth has a pretty distinct seafood flavour, presumably from the clams, and without relying on heavily on tonkatsu, this made the broth pretty light. However, I think the restaurant could do with making it slightly less salty. The char siew was a little tough, and the serving was a little small, but would be happy to come back again to drink more of the broth! 😋