Black garlic tonkotsu ramen ($11.80) & Tonjiru onsen udon ($10.20)!
A Japanese noodle dinner: a black garlic tonkotsu ramen with chashu and a jammy egg, and a tonjiru onsen udon in miso pork broth. $22.
A comforting Japanese noodle dinner with BB, ordering one ramen and one udon to share: black garlic tonkotsu ramen ($11.80) and tonjiru onsen udon ($10.20). ππ
What we had ($22 total):
- Black garlic tonkotsu ramen: noodles in a creamy pork-bone broth with chashu, an ajitama egg, wakame, spring onion and a drizzle of black garlic oil
- Tonjiru onsen udon: thick udon in a miso-pork broth with pork, daikon, carrot, shiitake, an onsen egg and tenkasu
Getting one of each meant two very different bowls, which is the fun of it. The black garlic tonkotsu was the rich, indulgent one. The milky pork-bone broth is deep and savoury on its own, and the black garlic oil (mayu) drizzled on top adds a smoky, almost bittersweet depth that takes it up a level. The tender chashu and the jammy-yolked ajitama egg made it a proper, satisfying bowl.
The tonjiru onsen udon was the homely, comforting counterpart. Tonjiru is a miso-based pork-and-vegetable soup, so this came hearty and warming, fat udon noodles in a savoury miso broth with soft daikon, carrot, mushroom and pork, plus a silky onsen egg you break and stir through, and crunchy tenkasu for texture.
One rich and bold, one cosy and wholesome, they balanced each other perfectly. Both lovely bowls.
Overall: 4.6 / 5. πππΌ A rich black-garlic tonkotsu and a homely miso-pork udon, two comforting bowls. Would re-visit.
