Aoba Hokkaido Ramen (VivoCity)

Better than Ajisen~

Finally dropped by this place as have seen many a times the long queues outside this new outlet. It was an early dinner about 5:30pm and about just in time as a queue formed soon after that.

Shio Ramen Gyoza Set ($12.80) - I think they must have tamed down the amount of salt after feedback from the Ion outlet as I actually found the soup base quite nice. The soup is apparently cooked for 7 hours before it reaches your table, and an extra puny portion of it will set you back another $2. I have no idea what is 'shio' but it was a refreshing change from Ajisen, which to me tasted like it came with a good handful of MSG. I think it was pork bones stock amongst other stuff, not your cloudy typical and light enough for me to want to drink it without panting for water. It was to me value worth too as the ramen, althought with an egg and only 1 piece of cha shu, came with 3 pieces of gyoza. Decent portion for a normal dinner. Gyozas were nicely pan-fried too.

Agedashi Tofu ($4.80) - Normal fried tofu, although I liked the fact that it didnt come drowned in the sauce which usually ends up making you eat really soggy tofu.

Tako Tempura ($6.80) - Batter was abit too thick for me, and the squid could have been in smaller pieces. Really chewy as well. But the accompanying sauce helped cut the richness of the batter.

Hokkaido Salad ($6.80) - this was a very nice surprise because of the portion and ingredients in the salad. Fresh lettuce, strips of carrot, corn, potato cubes, tomato, baby asparagus, and even scallops. All nice and fresh with a japanese vinegrette sauce. Good!

Service was typical, although there was an irritating fly that keeps wanting to land on our food. Food didnt take too long to arrive too, which was a plus point too.