Monday, August 1, 2016

Bankara Revisit

It has been almost one year since we last ate at Ramen Bankara so when the birthday boy wanted to eat there we agree to it. There are a few types of broth to choose from, namely the bankara original which is shoyu based (soy sauce), tonkotsu - milky pork bone soup, miso, shio (salt) or you can even have it dry - tsukemen. Previously we tried the Tonkotsu Kakuni Ramen so this time we decided to go for the Bankara Original (Shoyu based) with Kakuni (braised pork belly). The price stated in the menu is inclusive of the 6% GST but there is another 10% service charge imposed on the final bill.

Kakuni Bankara - Bankara Original Ramen which includes 1 piece of Chashu, 3 bamboo shoots, dried seaweeds, Japanese onions, with the addition of Kakuni (2 pieces of braised pork belly) - MYR33.50+ and we added one egg at MYR2.80+ so the total price for this bowl of noodle is MYR36.30+ (MYR39.90 nett). A cup of refillable hot green tea costs MYR3.50+ (MYR3.85 nett).

The ramen noodle here is medium sized noodle as mentioned in the menu.

We also ordered a bowl of basic Tonkotsu Ramen at MYR23.80+ (MYR26.20 nett) to compare the broth of Tonkotsu and Original (Shoyu). This noodle dish includes a piece of Chashu, a piece of seaweed, spring onions and jelly ear fungus (Auricularia auricula-judae).

The description in the menu says thin noodle.

Medium size noodle vs thin noodle.

As can be seen from the photo, the milky pork bone (tonkotsu) soup is white in colour and the original broth (shoyu/soy sauce based) is darker and is more salty.

I mentioned in Ippudo Ramen there are lard pieces floating around in the broth. In Bankara, for the original broth, there are also tiny pieces of lard floating around as can be seen in the above photo.

As before we are free to consume as much sesame, raw garlic and pickled ginger as we like. This is a specialty ramen eatery so the magic lies in the broth and texture of the noodle so the price is expensive. Only eat here if you are a fan of its superb broth. While we were eating here, we saw 3 different groups of Japanese working people coming in here for their lunch. This shows that they like the taste of ramen and its broth here.

20 comments:

  1. Happy birthday to birthday boy! Oodles of noodles = longevity!

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  2. That tonkotsu broth looks absolutely spot on! I can imagine how delicious it is just by seeing it!

    But ar, apparently, the Japanese themselves don't really idolize tonkotsu ramen, some say it is too rich and only tourists like it. They usually have the lighter miso ramen or shio ramen.

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    1. Maybe they themselves have that as a treat once in a while.

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  3. I missed ramen. Been a while I tasted one.

    In ramen, the most important is the broth. Must be good.

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    1. From specialty ramen eateries, yes the broth is good but not those from conveyor belt sushi eateries.

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  4. I must go and try proper ramen soon. I meant to go to the one at Eat Paradise Isetan.

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    1. There are two at Eat Paradise but one is closed for renovation the last time I went there.

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  5. The only ramen I have tried is from a food court stall. These looks delicious.

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    1. Both bowls of broth are very rich, not suitable if you are on diet.

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  6. Omg, just look at those lava eggs! Have a happy week, my dear! xoxo

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    1. So you like lava eggs. You have a good week too!

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  7. I found the soup a bit too thick for my liking, I have been there only once, the K-Avenue? I think it was around March when I went.. maybe I still have not get used to eating Japanese food as yet.. :)

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    1. Please don't generalize Japanese food. You just don't like rich pork broth so go for the lighter chicken broth next time. Don't say you are not used to eating Japanese food when there are so many other typed of Japanese food that you may like.

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  8. The tonkotsu broth price is not cheap but it has so much ingredients, so worthwhile. I have yet to visit this place. The bowls looked so delicious and the photography was so sharp! Makes me drool and wanna book ticket to Japan again.

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    1. Soon you will be staying in Japan for a while, right?

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  9. Must.drink.ALL.the.soup!

    Your photos looks superb. Reminds me that I haven't had good ramen for a while now.

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    1. I think I would faint if I was made to drink all the soup, hahaha...

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    2. Hahaha. Err *I* did the last time, with expensive ramen.

      They said 1 chicken only makes stock enough for 2 bowls. Must drink all la.

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    3. Wow! Must be really nutritious!

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