Goku Raku Ramen Deliciously Japanese (Non-Halal) @ Mid Valley by FollowMeToEatLa

If you've come across the part where rice is too dull to be your everyday meal, surprise your taste senses at the Goku Raku Ramen instead. 

Located in Mid  Valley @ North Point, the bright orange signboard of Goku Raku lits up like a beacon that beckons taste buds to dine on its mouth watering ramen dishes. So if you are looking for quality premium Japanese cuisine in a great and cozy environment, this is the place to be.

Stylish Decor

Classic attention to detail shines through at this fabulous modern Japanese restaurant where ramen makes a number of appearances in the diverse and delectable menu. Armed with hardwood floors and textured wall papers, this eatery allows patrons to dine by white modern tables and chairs. 

Pleasant and calming ambiance, it offers a comfortable and contemporary dining space for family and friends to dine in. Goku Raku practises an open-window concept kitchen for full view of the preparation of the various ramen dishes.  

Looking through the open kitchen, I spotted a young cook looking very focus while preparing the ramen dishes ...

'5 Star Ramen' - Aburi Char Siew

 (L - RM26.90/ R -RM25.90/ S - RM 19.90)

Star of the night was none other than the '5 Star Ramen' - Aburi Char Siew. We were served the house special, which is a simple soup ramen topped with roasted char siew, chopped spring onions, bean sprout, bamboo shoot, lava egg and the very special black garlic oil.

This heavenly dish was truly outstanding, the sweetness of the authentic Tonkotsu soup was simply overwhelming. The first taste of the soup can be quite appalling for the strong and pungent smell of the black garlic oil. But the trick to savouring its exquisite taste was to stir and mix the soup with the rest of the toppings before eating.  Actually, I think it's the smoky aroma of roasted garlic oil that enriches the delicious soup.

The Smoky savoury Char Siew and spring onions gave up lovely flavours while the bamboo shoots and lava egg (nitamago) gave contrasting textures with every mouthful. The freshly made ramen was real good as it was firm, more elastic. springy and less sticky even after being soak for awhile. 

Needless to say, both soup and noodles were devoured within minutes of being served.  Thumbs up for this hearty ramen dish!

Ebi Gyoza 

(RM10.90 - 5 pcs /RM 15.90 - 8 pcs)  

Next on the list was Ebi Gyoza. Looking similar to the Shanghai Dumpling or Gaozi, this is the Japanese version of savoury pan-fried dumpling. Made from shrimp, pork lard and minced chives, tasty little dumplings are prefect starter or side dish to many meals. The skin was light and chewy and goes well with the dipping sauce made from rice vinegar and shoyu ( Japanese soya sauce).  

Shanghai Fried Ramen

 (RM13.90)

We were also served with a dry version of ramen that evening. Shanghai Fried Ramen consists of stir fired noodles with chives, carrots, cabbage and bean sprout served with generous toppings of red pickled ginger. Aromatic with strong wok hei smell when served, this dish was quite palatable, although a bit oily due as it a fried version served on a hot plate. 

Some may not like the saltish sour pickled ginger with it, so it really depends on individual preferences. But somehow for me, the whole combination was tasty and agreed with my taste buds. I liked it a lot as it came loaded with lot of vegetables!

GRR Meatballs

 (RM5  - 5 pcs /RM9 - 10 pcs /RM17 - 20 pcs) 

GRR Meatballs came looking extremely delicious with size of a ping pong ball and drenched with light brown sauce. Fried till perfection to give crispy crust, it was quite tasty on first bite. But sad to say, I didn't enjoy eating it after biting into the meatball filling as it was too soft and doesn't have the firm or solid, meaty texture. On the contrary, I believe this should goes well with the kids as they will love meatballs in any form.

Chef Victor later explained that Japanese meatballs are cooked in this way; hard on the outside but soft and mushy on the inside. I was told that the minced pork are mixed with onions which explained the condition it has became. Anyway, I like the sauce that came with it; sour, savoury with a hint of sweetness to it. 

 

Aburi Char Siew

 (RM12.90)

Sure winner for pork lovers, Aburi Char Siew is bound to leave you wanting for more. It's Japanese roasted Char Siew served on a bed of marinated onion.

Thinly sliced premium meat was fresh, succulent and juicy with a good ratio of fat and lean meat. The fat layer was smooth and melt-in-your-mouth soft. This dish was certainly goes well with soup ramen or rice. Good too to go with some sake or cool beer.  Highly recommended for the pork lovers!

Chef's Specialty Course Meal 

(RM119.90) 

Last but not least, we were served a the Chef's Specialty Course Meal. These are special selection of the appetizer, salad, dessert and some ala carte pork, shrimp including chicken dishes too. The set comes with choice of either garlic fried rice or mini ramen to choose from. I would suggest that ramen would be a better choice as it's Goku Raku specialty. Great to eat together with group of family or friends as you get to savour a little bit of everything from their menu.

Here is the complete list of the dishes served in Set C. Serving was generous, so it was good enough to be shared with 3 to 4 persons, if you are not a big eater.  

        

1.   Edamame

2.   Aburi Char Siew

3.   Chef Recommended Salad

4.   Pork Loin Rei Shabu

5.   Tori Momo Karaage

6.   Crispy Shrimp Mayo

7.   Siew Mai

8.   Ebi Chili

9.   Sweet & Sour Pork

10. Utsonomiya Sui Gyoza

11. Garlic Fried Rice/Mini Ramen

12. Annin Tofu Dessert

13. Sesame Balls

These are my favourite two of the whole set. Simply love the porkalicious Pork Loin Rei Shabu. Thinly sliced tender and juicy strip loin served with sesame Japanese salad sauce (Goma dare) on a bed of cold cucumber slices. Wished there were a little bit more sauce to go with the pork too!

Besides that, my 2nd favourite pick was the Crispy Shrimp Mayo. Crunchy fresh shrimp deep fried to perfection and drenched in the Japanese special spicy mayo sauce. The batter covering the shrimp was not overly thick and doughy, which was good. It was bursting with delicious savoury and creaminess flavours.

Both were delightful treat to the taste buds which left me feeling full and utterly satisfied that evening.

Worth mentioning was these two others dishes; the one on the top - Tori Momo Karaage and Sweet & Sour Pork. Karaage is the deep fried boneless chicken served with special sauce while the pork dish is very similar to our chinese version of the sweet & sour pork usually served @tai chow stall. Hot favourites among with young picky kids but go slow on the sauce as it was a little over salt for me too.

Goku Raku Ramen will be unforgettable if you pick the right dishes on the menu to suit your palate. You must try the '5 Star Ramen'; be it the '5 Star Kakuni' or the '5 Star Aburi Char Siew'. They are the premium choices with its exquisite taste from the flavourful broth and the freshly daily made ramen that is simply delicious to bite.

Chef Victor shared with us cooking process of the 'Tonkotsu' broth. This cuisine is tediously cooked for long hours over high heat, carefully stirred to enrich the blend of both aroma and pork flavour. Simmered to bring out its exquisite taste so patrons of Goku Raku can savour the marvelous creamy soup which is rich in collagen and highly nutritious too.   

  

So there you go, just head on over to Goku Raku and slurp your way into these delicious ramen! Be it Tokyo Soup or Tonkotsu Soup, it would surely give your taste buds a delicious tingle! Pick up those chopsticks and slurp your way into delicious goodness ....   

Oh yes before I sign off, here is a Goku Raku Voucher with 50% off the price for the GRR Meatballs. Remember to print out the voucher to redeem at 2 of their outlets in Mid Valley & Paradigm Mall. Hurry as this promo runs from now till 30th June 2014.  

Goku Raku Ramen - Mid Valley

Lot S-025 & S-026 Level 2

Mid Valley Megamall

Lingkaran Syed Putra

59200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel : 03-2201 8779 / Mobile : 016- 776 1029

Website:   gokuraku-ramen

Facebook:gokuraku.ramen