Tampopo

C says:

Alas, A’s been hit by a particularly bad bout of gastric flu since Friday, probably from a dodgy fried bread curry puff thing. It’s kinda put a dampener on our New Year’s revelries, but we still managed to drag ourselves out to Tampopo at Liang Court for a quick New Year’s Eve dinner before heading over to the National Museum to catch our friend P’s performance at the Countdown.

Tampopo is a ramen joint tucked away in the basement of Liang Court, within Meidi-ya supermarket. It was the last ramen joint on our must-try list after hearing about their famous ‘Black Pig’ ramen. (Black pig is also known as Berkshire pork, or Kurobuta pork in Japan, and is prized for its fine marbling of fat and exceptional flavor. Berkshire pork is well known for its perfect combination of juiciness, flavor and tenderness.)

Tampopo certainly didn’t disappoint. I ordered the Black Pig Shabu Ramen, which was ramen in a spicy Kyushu (pork bone) soup with wafer-thin slices of pork. The ramen and soup were nothing spectacular; what shone through was the pork – each slice was lined with thin layers of fat, and each mouthful literally melted in the mouth. It was really some of the best pork I’ve ever had.

A had a simple miso ramen because he wanted something really basic that would wreak the least havoc on his tummy. It may have been simple but the soup was still very tasty.

Since we were in a restaurant specializing in Berkshire pork, I couldn’t resist ordering a black pig tonkatsu to share. Once again, one bite and it was clear that it was no ordinary katsu. The pork was meltingly tender and juicy, without any hint of dryness.

I’m definitely very impressed with the place; service was very polite and the food exceeded our expectations. We’re already making plans to come back because we saw quite a number of other dishes that we really want to try as well.

Happy New Year, everyone!

A says:

I quite like the place. Generally friendly staff and lots of stuff I won’t mind trying. Portions are enough for two people to each have a ramen and still share a large side. Besides the ramen, the other stuff looked pretty good too.

Tampopo
#B1-50 Liang Court Shopping Centre
Tel: 6338-3186
Opens: 11.30am to 10pm daily
(No reservations for weekend dinners – walk-in only)