Tonkotsu Kazan — shoyu ramen lunch set ($13.80++)!
Tonkotsu Kazan Yishun shoyu ramen lunch set: a clear soy-based broth with chashu, ajitama, bean sprouts, scallion and nori, plus a side of gyoza. $13.80++.
Lunch at Tonkotsu Kazan, Yishun: shoyu ramen set, $13.80++. 😋
What was on the table:
- Shoyu ramen: a clearer soy-based broth with chashu, half an ajitama (the jammy-yolk egg), bean sprouts, scallion, nori and yellow noodles, in the branded red bowl (豚骨火山)
- Side gyoza: a plate of pan-fried dumplings with golden crisp bottoms
Shoyu (醤油) ramen is the soy-based branch of the ramen family, and it is the lighter, cleaner counterpoint to the cloudy tonkotsu the shop is named for. The broth is built on a chicken-and-dashi stock seasoned with a soy tare, giving it a clear brown colour and a savoury, more delicate flavour, less of the heavy pork-fat richness, more of the clean umami. It is the bowl to order when you want ramen without the weight.
The components follow ramen convention: chashu (the rolled pork belly, soft from braising), the ajitama with its soy-marinated white and jammy yolk, bean sprouts and scallion for freshness, and nori for the sea note. The yellow noodles suit the lighter broth.
The gyoza side is the standard ramen-set companion: pan-fried pork dumplings with the crisp-bottomed, steamed-top texture (the yaki-gyoza method), dipped in vinegar-soy-chilli. They turn the bowl into a proper set lunch.
The honest framing: a chain ramen rather than a destination shop, the shoyu broth clean and competent if not extraordinary. For a Yishun neighbourhood ramen set, it does the job.
At $13.80++ for a shoyu ramen with gyoza, this is standard chain-ramen set pricing.
Overall: 4.1 / 5. 😋👍🏼 The clean savoury shoyu broth with the jammy ajitama was the standout. Solid Japanese set, would re-order.
