Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons Opens 10 May

Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons opens 11.30am today at Bugis Village (facing Rochor Road). This fourth venture in Singapore by Keisuke Takeda seeks to celebrate the beauty of the seasons that dress Japan in absolute splendour. See how festive the shop is?

You may have known that his third ramen shop Tori King focused on chicken broth. In fact, every branch he owns features something unique. Keisuke-san's back to using pork bone broth here, because his Tonkotsu King at Orchid Hotel is such a runaway success (hey folks, we gotta do something to ease the queues there). But take note that the tonkotsu at this new outlet is 1.5 times thicker (the pork bone stock gets boiled 11 hours compared to the normal eight), and comes with creative flavours to reflect the characteristics of the four seasons.



It is a gorgeous spread. All five offerings on the menu taste very distinct from one another. Keisuke-san personally devised all the flavours to best represent the season it's named after.

Spring: basil and parmesan cheese (S$11.90)
Meant to evoke the colours of spring (green and pink). Originally, they wanted to use green shiso (a common Japanese leafy herb), but it is hard to find good quality shiso all year round in Singapore, so they used basil instead.

Summer (S$13.90): spicy minced pork
Summer is hot in Japan, so three different kinds of spice mixes are used here - the Japanese shichimi, Szechuan pepper and Cayenne pepper.

Autumn (S$12.90) Pork mince with bonito flavour and fried mixed mushrooms
Three different kinds of mushrooms are used, to reflect the abundance of mushrooms in the fall.

Winter (S$10.90): pork broth ramen
A simple broth is most comforting during the cold season.

King (S$13.90): stir-fried pork with ginger on top
Not tied to any season, but looks like this is the one to rule them all.



My favourite is the Ramen King. It features beautiful ribbons of buta shogayaki (ginger stir-fried pork), fried mushrooms and shallots. Makes the broth really addictive.




Spring (bottom right) - tastes a little Italian, almost like pasta in cream of tonkotsu!
Summer (top right) - the spicy mince is utterly delicious, I like this one too.
Autumn (top left) - with seasoned pork mince, bonito and fried mushrooms, this is probably the most umami of the lot! The bonito is so strong that the broth is almost sweet.
Winter (bottom left) - This is the closest to the Orchid Hotel Tonkotsu King formula, but is much thicker.

Add S$1 for Japanese seaweed and S$2 for the runny tamago (eggs). As usual, you can choose the level of thickness, amount of oil and noodle doneness. Help yourself to free marinated bean sprouts and boiled eggs while you wait for your order.



You'll see a progression of seasons as you walk through the eatery. First is spring (see first photo), then summer, and autumn (above) with all the momiji foliage, and lastly winter at the back.



Snow monkeys in an onsen. What else could you ask for?



Keisuke also bottles his own Green Tea Cola (S$3.80) which helps cut through the grease. It's produced in Shikoku. Tastes like Sprite spiked with green tea.

Oh they just posted a promo:"When you order Ramen bowl at Keisuke Four Seasons, please tell us that you have seen our Facebook page. You will be given “a bottle of Green Tea cola” per one bowl of noodle. (Promotion period 5/10-5/31.)"



Also you could win a ticket to Tokyo, one of these gorgeous Arita porcelain bowls (Arita is a famous pottery town in Saga prefecture, Kyushu. This stuff dates back to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's time!), and S$50 dining vouchers. Just post a creative photo when you visit the ramen shop! You have til 10 June.
Details on their Facebook page.



Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons - sounds like a mouthful, but what a tasty mouthful it is. I reckon there are going to be queues here just like at Orchid Hotel. But I'll be back for sure.


RAMEN KEISUKE TONKOTSU KING FOUR SEASONS

158 Rochor Road
Bugis Village
Singapore 188433

Tel: +65 6333-5740

Opening hours:
Weekdays  11:30am to 2:30pm   and　5pm to 10:30pm

Sat / Sun / PH  11:30am to 10:30pm