Review: May Promo - Double Gyoza Set!

I find the Japanese culture rather unique & fascinating. One of the favorite dishes of the Japanese is the gyoza & I just found out this evening that having gyoza as a main dish with rice is a rather popular culture in Japan! How different it is in Malaysia, where we see the gyoza as a snack more than a main dish to go with our rice :P

In this month of May, if you're a gyoza fan, you certainly have to experience this part of Japan here at Ramen Kanbe, Empire Damansara. For RM20.00, you'll get a plate of 10 pieces of gyoza, a bowl of white short-grain/Japanese rice & a bowl of soup (spicy/non-spicy). On a normal day, a plate of 5 pieces of gyoza costs RM10.00 already, so having 10 pieces of gyoza with a bowl of rice & soup is a quite meal to enjoy, eh? :)

You can opt for non-spicy soup although the brochure stated spicy soup 

Since 7 of us were there to review the May promo item, we took the opportunity to review the rest of their items in the menu as well :) Enjoy this gastronomical journey as you read through each item I'm reviewing...oh ya, I've done a review previously on this restaurant, so you can find my review on their other dishes here.

Cold Lemon Tea (RM5.00/glass)

I've had this the last time & I still liked it. Really "kao" & I love the intense punch of lemon infused into the tea. Could have few glasses at 1 lunch/dinner serving!

Reimen/ Cold Ramen (RM21.00/serving)

Ramen noodles with light & cold sauce

I've never had cold ramen. More often than not, I've only seen cold soba served at Japanese restaurants. Call me 'ulu', but I actually liked this. It's a light, fun, & satisfying dish that is far from boring. In fact, this was one of our most satisfying dishes this evening! It has a 'tang' from the vinegar, is fragrantly savory from the light soy sauce & has an added 'zing' from the karashi paste, something that tastes like a cross-breed of mustard & wasabi. Fuh! "Ada kick!"

Spicy Ramen (RM21.00/bowl)

This springy ramen in spicy soup with minced chicken & pork + garlic & chives is indeed delicious. YH's first thought was rather funny as she went "oooh... this tastes like a mix of prawn mee & curry mee!" Hmm...not the most accurate of descriptions, but hey, it does remind me of prawn mee as the soup isn't the milky+spicy soup that you usually get at other Japanese restaurants. The spiciness level is generally acceptable & for those who love spicy food, this may be rather mild for you, but it's still more flavor-packed compared to the clear soup ramen :) 

Fried Rice (RM12.00/serving)

Portion isn't huge for the price you're paying, but there was a unanimous agreement that this fried rice was indeed ichiban! VERY flavorful, has sufficient 'wok hei' (wok flame) & has a good variety of textures in each spoonful of rice! Fried short grain rice with eggs, char siew chunks, garlic & spring onions - to my dear colleague, Rigo, THIS to me is SO GOOD! Hahaha... (he claims that I never really say any dish is orgasmic/SO GOOD...most dishes that he thinks is orgasmic is just "okay" to me...teehee) I'm not sure if I was really hungry or have not eaten anything better, but for a Japanese restaurant's fried rice, I would say it's YUMMEH! Even YH said "This is probably one of the best fried rice I've eaten my whole life" *seriously??!*

Tenshin-Han Rice (RM15.00/serving)

This is their signature item (this Jap restaurant is really pleased with its VERY simple dishes, I must say). It's steamed rice covered with juicy fried egg...yeah, JUICY fried egg, mind you, & topped with their special home made soy taste sauce. 

I found this REALLY simple, but delicious nonetheless...fried egg, aromatic gravy & pearly steamed rice...mmm...simple pleasures of life!

We also ordered some side dishes for munchies:

Otsumami Charsiu (RM10.00/serving)

Pieces of shoulderloin of pork served with boiled bean sprouts (beneath the pork slices) & spring onions. It's not those fatty charsiu nor anything like our glazed barbecue Chinese-style charsiu. Very simple & nothing to complain. Best part, it's not dry although it doesn't appear to have 'sufficient' fats on each slice.

Wantan Soup (RM15.00/serving)

Frankly speaking, this is also my 1st time having a bowl of wantan soup at a Japanese restaurant. Heehee. It's a simple fuss-free meat dumpling, similar to the Chinese style, but the soup base is their signature soup base, used in all their ramen dishes. Nothing very unique to shout about, but nothing to complain as well.

Boiled eggs (RM3.00/egg)

I think it's slightly over-cooked compared to the many that I've had at other Japanese restaurants. I felt that they could have used the 'omega eggs' for a nicer, richer orange color instead of the usual yellow yolk color. Texture-wise, it's alright, although presentation does play quite a role to make this simple pleasure look more appealing ;) 

There you go...pretty much the main items & variety that they offer here at Ramen Kanbe. Simple, comforting, fuss-free & I must say that their manager, Mr Nagasawa is very humble & open to feedbacks, new ideas, & suggestions for improvement.

Give it a try & let me know what you think? It may not be the BEST in town for you, but they certainly have some unique flavors for their ramen, rice & gyoza.

Ramen Kanbe Restaurant
G28, Block Empire Retail, Empire Damansara
No.2, Jalan PJU 8
47820, Petaling Jaya
Selangor.
Tel: (+6016) 202-5812
Business hours: Daily 11:30a.m. - 10:00p.m.
URL: http://ramenkanbe.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rk.empire.damansara


I'll dream of their double gyoza & fried rice tonight,