Ramen Keisuke Tori King 鸡王@100AM

Amara Shopping Center is (almost) done with the renovations!!! Yeah! And it is no longer called Amara Shopping Center but 100AM. Tori King and Starbucks are opened for business since the beginning of November 2012 and this means there will be more lunch options soon!

We were lucky today as we headed out early for lunch and we got a seat at Tori King (no queue!!) just before the lunch crowd builts up! We had popped by previously(on its second day of opening) but it was too crowded then.

The advertisement on the ground floor pointing you to Tori King on Level 3

The long queues when we arrived on its second day of opening!

View of the kitchen and packed interior from the queue outside. Sorry Chef! Did not know you were smiling into my camera due to the reflection!

From the outside it feels empty but once you walk past the 鸡王 curtains, you will be transported into the atmosphere of 1960s to 1970s and a place that is bustling with activity! I was not surprise that it is 80% full given the experience I had at Tonkotsu King. Tori King can seat 32 people – this is about 60% more than Tonkotsu King but it is still insufficient given its popularity!

This is the 3rd ramen outlet opened by Chef Keisuke Takeda – Tokyo Ramen King of 2011 and I was thrilled to see him in person working in the kitchen! It was a pity that I only have an Iphone in hand and could not get a nicer picture of him in his white chef’s suit!  :'( Ramen Keisuke Tori King’s chief ingredient is chicken as Tori in Japanese means bird. This is the first of its kind as I have never eaten ramen served with chicken meat in chicken broth before! It has always been pork and this is really a good alternative for people who does not eat/like pork or who just wanted something different. Chicken is the main meat that a lot of folks in Singapore eat due to it being healthier and I think this brilliant move of Chef Keisuke Takeda and will definitely widen his customer base!

We were given a menu at Tori King with the lovely pictures showing how each ramen looks like and what is recommended.

The Black Spicy Tori King Ramen Special (all Topping) is recommended here.  One of the unique dishes on the menu is Green Spicy Tori King Ramen, made of wasabi, which none of us tried this  time round.

The order chit that those who have been to Tonkotsu King would be familiar with. That is my Tori King Ramen with Flavoured Egg order with normal taste of soup, less chicken oil and normal noodle texture. 🙂

Freebies on the table. Take your pick from normal or low cholesterol egg and help yourselves to the chilli powder, bonito flakes, mayonnaise,tissue, etc on the table.

Chilli Powder in a cute container 🙂

Sesame for you to grind and add to your ramen

More freebies were brought to the table by the service staff. Marinated bean sprouts that are crunchy and refreshing which I love! Something new is the spicy sauce which, the waitress explained, is for the chicken.

Close up of the tub of marinated bean sprouts

For hygiene reasons, take out the portion that you want onto a saucer and close the lid of the tub.

Close up of the spicy sauce. It was stated in the menu that it is very spicy.

My Col’s order of Black Spicy Tori King Ramen with Seaweed, $13.90

My order of Tori King Ramen with Flavoured Egg, $13.90.

Digging out the submerged chicken Drumstick!

We were given a plate to put the grilled chicken drumstick. I was thinking, perhaps, they could have served it on the plate instead of soaking the drum in the broth?

The drumstick was meaty but was not as smooth as we had imagine it to be. It was a tad flaky. Not too sure if it was meant to be or cos they are still refining the cooking style. Since the waitress said the spicy sauce was for the chicken, I tried some of it with the chicken.

My chicken meat coated with the spicy sauce. I quite like the taste of this spicy sauce which is actually spicy miso. It is not as spicy as was perceived and actually made the chicken taste better. Do give it a try!

Close up of the broth and ramen with the grinded sesame. The chicken broth has been stewed and reduced for so long that every drop is packed with flavour! Love it! Also, it is not oily at all unlike the pork broth where you still get bits of fats in the soup. This is definitely my preferred broth. The taste and texture of the noodles is just PERFECT with the broth and I can eat it just plain without any meat. Ramen, flavoured egg and chicken broth makes for a perfect simple meal!

You must be thinking why do I keep emphasising on the flavoured egg when there are free eggs available on the table? Just look at the pic above and you will know what I mean. The hard boiled eggs, are well, just too hard. hahahaha.. I prefer the soft and runny flavoured egg, anytime!

My Delicious Ramen Meal :).

The “island” where most solo customers are seated and most of them are Japanese working in SG!

Overall a very pleasant experience with very polite and attentive service staff. Other than 1 or 2 locals, the rest seems to be from Japan. Seats are pretty limited so ensure that your entire group is there if not you will have to wait outside till every one has arrived before being seated. Do expect to pay service charge and GST and fret not if you run out of cash as they accept NETS.  I will be back to try the Green Spicy Tori King Ramen!

Ramen Keisuke Tori King
100AM (beside Amara Hotel)
100 Tras Street,
#03-15,
Singapore 079027
Tel: +65 66046861
Opening hours: 11.30am to 10pm
*while stock last 🙂
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeisukeTokyoSG