Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Happenings in November - ITO EN Oi Ocha Green Tea + Ramen Champion at Great World City‏

Saturday 16/11/13
 
Drinking green tea actually aids in weight loss, it burns away the calories and achieve fat oxidation. Other than that, regular consumption of green tea reduce the risk of getting heart diseases and high blood pressure. To drink to better health, Japan’s No 1 Green Tea has hit Singapore’s shores.

Japan’s leading multi-beverage company and largest tea company, ITO EN, has launched its top-selling Oi Ocha brand of unsweetened green tea in Singapore. To cater to health-savvy consumers, two variations of the unsweetened green tea will be available, namely Oi Ocha GREEN TEA, Oi Ocha HOJICHA , for a natural and refreshing beverage. 

‘Oi ocha!’ is derived from the Japanese phrase which translates to “It’s tea time!’ or “Tea, please”. 

Oi Ocha is ITO EN’s flagship brand for green tea beverage and tea leaf products. Using proprietary methods to process the green tea, Oi Ocha products are able to achieve a delicious, natural taste without additives. As ITO EN handles over 20 % of all green tea produced in Japan, high quality green tea is supplied on a consistent and constant basis.

Oi Ocha GREEN TEA.

ITO EN’s classic green tea product is also the best-seller in Japan with an authentic Japanese green tea taste.

Oi Ocha HOJICHA.

Made from roasted green tea, this has a rich aroma and clear light taste.
Looking at the nutrition information, it does not contain any fat and carbohydrate. It only contain sodium which is needed in our body for balancing pH and hydration.

What makes the flavour sweet is the sugar added. Hence with no sugar added, the tea does not taste sweet and the bitterness is present. Thankfully, the bitterness is not too overwhelming. It resembles the taste of Chinese tea that we brew from tea pot.

ITO EN Oi Ocha Green Tea will be available at major convenience stores including 7-Eleven and Cheers, and in Fairprice supermarkets retailing between S$1.20 – S$2.00 this November.

For more information on ITO EN, check out www.itoen.com.sg.

Tuesday 19/11/13

Thanks Ramen Champion for the invitation to their new outlet at Great World City, this was my first time trying out at Ramen Champion. I'm already looking forward to the dinner spread.

Since it started in 2011, the ULTIMATE RAMEN CHAMPION competition has established itself to be a favourite amongst lovers of Japanese cuisine. Four brands are represented at Ramen Champions' new outlet at Great World City. New brands from Japan: Butaou and Miyamoto, with existing ramen brands Tonkotso Itto and Bishamon Zero. We would be trying out the ramen from each stall later on.

Visiting our first stop, Bishamon Zero.

Bishamon Zero maintains the original flavors from Sapporo, Hokkaido – the capital of ramen in Japan. A brand that is represented in Ramen Champion outlets in Singapore and Hong Kong, Bishamon Zero serves up three varieties of “must-try” ramen cooked to perfection with a minimum of 7 hours spent daily on making the broth.

Okonomiyaki Gyoza with bonito flakes - $5.80.

I love the gyoza so much. 
The thickness of the skin was just right. It was crispy on the outer and tender on the inner. The meat was juicy good. Eat it while it is hot.

Mentaiko Gyoza - $5.80.

Gyoza with spicy mentaiko sauce. Compared to Okonomiyaki Gyoza, Mentaiko Gyoza tasted more flavourful as it spiced up my appetite. I'm craving for more now.

Tori Karaage - $4.80.

Fried chicken is my all time favourite. It was piping hot when arrived, I dipped it with mayonnaise and it tasted marvelous. I tried it without the sauce and it tasted a little salty. Dip it with mayonnaise for the perfect balance.

Sapporo Miso Special Ramen - $14.80.

Being cooked for 7 hours, the broth was indeed flavourful. It has the best soup base that I ever had. I helped myself with a spoonful of the tasty soup, it was really addictive. The portion for char siew was generous, there were 3 big char siew in it. I had tried before many ramen at other place with only one pathetic char siew and I paid almost the same price.

Second stop: Tonkotsu Itto.

Ranked as the no. 1 ramen shop in Tokyo and featured on Asia Best-Ever Dining Awards, Tonkotsu Itto’s Hakata style ramen is a popular choice among Japanese and ramen lovers.

Special Tonkotsu Ramen - $16.50.

Yet another delicious ramen with the broth is milky white and thick to my liking. The char siew slices were tender and the egg was boiled to perfection. See the nice orange slightly running egg yolk, it is super delicious.

Third stop: Miyamoto.

Miyamoto won the award of 2012 Narita City Most Popular Ramen, was named the first runner up in the awards of–2013 Narita City Most Popular Ramen, and 2012 Gurutto Chiba Most Impressive Ramen.

Pork and Vegetable Ramen - $16.

Highly recommended for vegetable lovers. The portion for bean sprouts and cabbage was really generous. It was served with thick and curly noodles (mee pok).

Last stop: Butaou.

Butaou was awarded Outstanding Ramen Rookie Award at Hong Kong’s The Ultimate Ramen Champion competition, its ramen distinguishes itself by the sweetness in their Sukiyaki Ramen. It has a sweet taste profile, which differs from other ramen, which have salty taste profiles.

Spicy Chicken (3 pcs) - $5.

Zest the lemon to add flavouring to the spicy chicken wings. I love the combination of the savoury and spicy taste that linger on my tongue. The skin was super crispy and the meat was juicy. Having just one chicken wing per person was definitely not enough for us, we ordered another plate of 6 for sharing.

Special Sukiyaki Ramen - $16.

The soy based soup enhanced the flavour of the pork slices as well as the noodles, making it taste succulent. The pork slices were really soft and chewy. The egg was rather special, it was semi-cooked. We decided to burst the egg yolk, creating an emulsion and mix it with the ramen. The taste of the soup become better and flavoursome.

For more information, please visit http://ramenchampion.com.sg/


Ramen Champion
1 Kim Seng Promenade, Great World City 
#01-22, Singapore 237994
Opening hours: 11.30am to 10.30pm

No comments:

Post a Comment