One of the earliest stalls to open at Wisma Atria’s Japan Food Town is Machida Shoten. Hailing from Tokyo, they serve Yokohama 家系ラーメン （house-type ramen), which tends to have a rather creamy and rich pork flavoured broth served with thick yellow noodles. The atmosphere in Machida Shoten, even when I visited at 8.30pm, was still really lively and it felt like I was transported to one of the ramen-ya in Japan.
Machida Shoten offers diners 3 different types of Tonkotsu ramen: Shoyu, Shio and Spicy Miso. The Shoyu version came highly recommended by the staff and that was what I ordered.
Diners have the option to choose their desired noodle texture, intensity of flavour in soup and the amount of oil. I chose Firm, Regular and Regular respectively.
When the bowl arrived in front of me, the noodles immediately reminded me of hokkien noodles/ sek mee. But as expected from a ramen-ya, the noodles were definitely firmer and more springy in texture, tasting nothing like sek mee.
True to 家系ラーメン, the broth was one of the more heavily flavoured ones that I've had in Singapore. I have this feeling that if I had gotten "Strong" for flavour of the soup, I might have ended up with a dipping sauce for tsukemen. I would probably opt for a light version the next time round so that I can finish the soup with less guilt.
The chashu that was given with the noodles was extremely tender, flavourful and makes for easy consumption. A little on the saltier side but that's what one should expect from a ramen-ya. The ajitsuke tamago was cooked to perfection, with a gel like yolk in the middle 😌
While consuming the noodles, do not forget about the condiments at the side. The chilli paste when added into the soup, makes the soup even more addictive for spice lovers. Something really special that Machida Shoten provides is a container with a really special paste. I'm not sure what exctly goes into the paste but it's white in colour (hard to miss), with hints of garlic and lemon juice.
At the end of the meal, I received a very warm また来てください from a Japanese speaking staff member. Given the quality of ramen at Machida Shoten, a return visit is for certain.
#burpple
