Noodle Lover’s Awesome Sydney Ramen Adventure – IIKO Mazesoba (3/7)

Seems like third time’s the charm, as I’m visiting yet another ramen store recommended by the same friend who introduced me to Ramen Zundo and Yasaka Ramen.

Compared to the ramen I’ve tried in this series, IKKO Mazesoba is the notable outlier of the ramen stores in Sydney as unlike ramen and tsukemen, the soup don’t play much of an importance. Sure, some stores do provide a separate bowl of soup alongside mazesoba, but it’s presented merely as a side dish rather than playing a major role within the main dish. Taking in consideration of its origins, technically I, alongside many, will still considered mazesoba a subset of ramen just like what was done with tsukemen.

Mazesoba – A brief explanation

Unlike ramen or tsukemen, mazesoba (or mazemen) is a dry noodle dish that sometimes comes with a separate bowl of soup at the side, which may remind some of you of similar dishes such as dry versions of bak chor mee. The maze in mazesoba literally means ‘to mix’ in Japanese, and soba refers to ramen noodles, with the same term used in certain regions in Japan (e.g. chuka soba). Unlike bak chor mee, mazesoba usually comes with an onsen egg (or egg yolk in some mazesoba establishments) and seasoning that results in a thick sauce that coats the noodles well after mixing.

Into IIKO Mazesoba

On a cold Tuesday noon in July after window shopping around the city, I was already starving for something warm and filling around Darling Square. It was already lunch time, so into my second visit to IKKO Mazesoba. There wasn’t much of a line during the early lunch hours, so I was led to a counter seat straight away and eventually made my order from the server after browsing the menu.

I rarely had ramune because they’re not commonly offered in Singapore ramen stores, so on this rare occasion I decided to get one while waiting for my order. Took me a while to figure out where to push the marble into the narrow passageway at the barrel and I eventually did it. Look at the fizzle around the marble.

I took my first sip of my bottle of ramune and it’s super refreshing. I’ll probably get some more in Singapore for the novelty and taste.

In a matter of minutes, my bowl of mazesoba finally arrived and gosh, A+ for presentation. After marveling at the toppings, it’s time for me to dig in. Sadly, having to poke a hole on the perfectly poached egg before mixing the noodles and the toppings was upsetting, but necessary to put everything into motion.

The taste test

Time for my first slurp after taking a minute or two mixing everything together.

The sauce was super creamy thanks to the mixture of egg white, egg yolk, Japanese mayonnaise, and special sauce coagulating into a smooth dressing. The thick sauce was able to coat the noodles very well, enhancing the taste of the noodles by the time I was done with the first strand. The chicken karaage chucks, while enormous, were easy to take apart using chopsticks.

Despite not provided any broth, it took me a while to get to the bottom of the bowl as mazesoba tends to be on the heavier end. Then I recall that I ordered a kaedama, which is an extra portion of noodles, and poured the fresh batch into my current bowl with quite a good portion of toppings, sauce and seasoning remaining. Once again, I mixed everything and began round two.

With the need to add more kick into the already filling bowl of dry noodles, I added kombu vinegar and chili oil, tossing and mixing the remaining ingredients once more to further spice up the bowl as instructed. Have to say, I regretted not adding enough chili oil, but I don’t think I like having to take frequent trips to the restroom at foreign lands so I’ll have to make do for now. I’ll pour more chili sauce the next time I visit Kajiken or Menya Kokoro to satisfy my mazesoba cravings.

Mazesoba has proved to me that ramen can be as versatile as rice; a dish with plenty of variety when it comes to preparation you can have with a simple bowl of noodles. Noodle soup, deconstructed ramen, and dry noodles…the possibilities are endless. Ramen burgers, anyone?

Personal insights

Truth be told, I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to ramen, so I prefer ramen and tsukemen over mazesoba. No disrespect to mazesoba; it’s still part of the ramen family and it tastes just as good as their mainstream counterparts, but the eating experience without any broth involved happens to remind me of eating a typical bowl of bak chor mee, if you know what I mean.

That said, I would highly recommend mazesoba to people who prefer dry noodles, or prefer taking their time eating noodles rather than to rush through the process. Unlike ramen, the noodles in mazesoba doesn’t get soggy since there’s no soup or broth involved, so no worries to finish the noodles as quickly as possible. Slower eaters can also take their time to savour as much of the original texture of the noodles as much as possible without feeling the pressure to beat the clock.

What’s next?

Now that I’m done with trying ramen according to friends’ recommendations, the remaining parts of the series from here on will be uncharted territory. Taking some risks, I’ll be on my own finding more bowls of ramen at the mercy of recommendations and reviews from Google Maps. Will they be a hit or a miss? Stay tuned!

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Location of IIKO Mazesoba