November 2024 Wrap-Up: Remixing Amaze-ing Ramen With Mazesoba

I gave my honest, glowing reviews of mazesoba I’ve tried back in September on my IG Stories, and I thought “Why not give it its own column today?”. While this isn’t my first foray into mazesoba (IIKO Mazesoba says hi), it has been on my radar for a while, deserving the spotlight for this month’s wrap-up.

One variation or ‘cousin’ of ramen, mazesoba has its roots found in 1950s’ Nagoya, where the owner of a ramen store was inspired by a Taiwanese dish, hence the huge presence of Taiwanese mazesoba sold in stores. Like tsukemen, mazesoba serve thicker and chewier noodles with similar justifications where they are more effective in soaking the broth or tare.

That said, it has a somewhat familiar resemblance to dry bak chor mee (but not quite), where the noodles and ingredients are served brothless with a bowl of soup served separately, which played second fiddle compared to ramen and tsukemen. But as you’ll see in the review below, it’s not always the case.

I had the privilege to try three mazesoba stores across Singapore recently, so let’s dive right into them, starting with Kajiken.

Note: Prices included in the three items reviewed are figures before the inclusion of 9% GST.

#1: Kajiken (Original Mazesoba With Karaage, Free Noodle Upsize, $16.80)

Visiting Kajiken’s outlet at Paya Lebar Square led me to a small and narrow store with small tables and stools. There was plenty to choose from with their Taiwan Mazesoba variants and another mazesoba served with grilled cheese (!!). Because of the broad range of options, it took me a while to find something I like, and ultimately I decided to go for the original mazesoba with karaage. Since noodle upsize is free, I decided to take it. Can’t say no to free noodles when it’s warranted.

For those who desire a more zesty and spicy bowl of mazesoba, each table provides a free flow of vinegar and spicy oil for you to pour to your heart’s content.

Like bak chor mee, the first thing you do upon finding your bowl of mazesoba on your table is to start mixing everything together until the condiments are everywhere. The half-boiled egg made the existing sauce even thicker and creamier as you mix everything together like rojak. The sauce was able to cling onto the thick, yellow noodles, with the mixture of egg white, egg yolk and tare making each bite a filling and delightful one.

The chicken karaage was seemingly chunky and juicy, and together with the torch-burned chashu, it was very meaty that fills up my belly very quickly than my usual ramen outing. Coated with the same mixture of sauce and gooey half-boiled egg as the noodles, it helps bring out the flavours and made them more pronounced, while also balancing out their heaviness and oiliness.

There was a strong ginger scent as I was prepared to take a sip off the soup. It became even more pronounced on my first sip of the chicken soup served in this narrow cup (I wouldn’t call it a bowl from the shape of it). Maybe it’s to balance out the texture-heavy mazesoba with lightness from the chicken/ginger soup, but I don’t hate it. With that said, the ginger flavour grew more intense profile as I reached closer towards the bottom of the cup.

Overall, I was stuffed by the end of the meal. It’s best complimented with a cup of hot or cold green tea to help balance the denseness of the main course. If I have to nitpick, it would be the items can be on the pricier side compared to most ramen in Singapore, especially after considering GST into account. But no complaints here as long as the food’s good.

Address & Opening Hours

Address

Paya Lebar Square
60 Paya Lebar Road, #01-86, Singapore 409051

Opening Hours

Mon to Sun, 11am to 10pm
Nearest MRT Station: Paya Lebar (EW8|CC9)

#2: Sanpoutei (Mazesoba Aburi Chashu “Dried sardine oil x Shoyu, $14.00)

Truth be told, I didn’t have high expectations with Sanpoutei’s mazesoba during my visit to their Shaw House outlet at Orchard Road. While I do love their signature Niigata Shoyu Ramen, Kotteri Se Abura Ramen and Tsukemen for being one of the few places in Singapore to serve ramen with fish-based broth, I can’t really say the same for their tonkotsu and miso variants. Simply put, it didn’t taste right to me, and I never went back to those options since. After trying them all, this leaves me with the final men standing: mazesoba.

It never hurts taking a leap of faith, hoping to find something noteworthy. But first, the first hurdle to overcome. Unlike their other items, their mazesoba took much longer than expected to be served. Not sure if it’s because not many people ordered it.

The waiting game prevailed, with my order only arriving after 15 minutes, quite a long wait during a visit without many customers. My initial disappoint was swiftly blew away by the sheer richness of the noodles and sauce that slings so well with the wavy, medium-thick noodles.

The chicken soup was unapologetically chicken-y from start to finish, tasting refreshing and probably tempted to dip some of it into the mazesoba to savour its flavours even more.

The diced chashu has enough fat and meat that complements wonderfully with the noodles. Its straight, thinly sliced scallions felt slightly left out during the mixing process, with most strands clumped together but it also contributed in a subtler/gentler way, in the sense that it wasn’t too overpowering. While I wasn’t very excited for the egg, at least the egg whites coated with the sauce tasted palatable.

Despite looking spicy based on the red flakes on the sauce, there is little to be afraid of for the spice-intolerant. Overall, Sanpoutei’s mazesoba was truly a marvel to taste from state to finish. The chicken soup helped with cleansing my palate slightly when the meal was starting to feel heavy.

Anything I wasn’t too happy with? The mazesoba would be even more amazing if the egg yolks were runnier rather than solid. That could have elevated the meal much more, but here’s hoping they have them ready if I order mazesoba again.

At $14 (before GST), I’d consider Sanpoutei’s mazesoba to be one of the more affordable options out there, and it’s worth your buck considering that their noodle portions are 1.5 times more than their standard ramen.

Address & Opening Hours

Address

Shaw House
350 Orchard Road, #B1-04/05, Singapore 238868

Opening Hours

Sun to Thu, 11.30am to 9.30pm
Fri and Sat, 11.30am to 10pm
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS22|TE14)

#3: Menya Kokoro (Extra Garlic Mazesoba, $19.38)

I was craving for garlic by the time dinner time rolled, and at Plaza Singapura’s Basement 2 lies Menya Kokoro and their main specialty – mazesoba. Curious to see how it fares compared to Kajiken’s and Sanpoutei’s mazesoba, I took another leap of faith and out of the options provided, the extra garlic mazesoba intrigued me. A lot. All hail the Garlic Lord.

Is it an overkill? Maybe, for the average customer. But Menya Kokoro knows what they’re doing adding garlic paste, raw minced garlic, and fried garlic flakes in one bowl.

I say, bring it on.

For a store priding their reputation as having chains of mazesoba stores across the world, Menya Kokoro took a while for me to adjust to its sheer boldness, perhaps even more so with me ordering the extra garlic variant. Side note: It’s also my first bowl of mazesoba with beansprouts included, so I’ll be lying if I say I wasn’t take aback with its presence throughout my meal.

Something about the noodles made me felt like it was not as chewy compared to Kajiken’s and Sanpoutei’s. The minced meat and chashu tasted well and the garlic profile of my mazesoba were strongly felt throughout the dish that made me go ‘oh yes’. As I looked back at the photos I’ve took of the three mazesobas, I realized that the nori (sheets of seaweed) were all presented differently in each store. Between them, Menya Kokoro’s seaweed were the most awkward (for a lack of a better word) where the distribution were somewhat uneven in comparison.

Out of the three, Menya Kokoro’s soup was the weakest for simply being too plain for my liking. Unlike the previous two, it didn’t create a strong impression from the get-go. While the color of the soup was a stark contrast from Kajiken’s and Sanpoutei’s, it didn’t land at the right spot in terms of taste. I only noticed its presence around three quarters into my meal, its mere presence a blip and kept thinking that it was tea with its similar coloring to the latter.

Address & Opening Hours

Address

68 Orchard Road, #B2-53, Singapore 238839

Opening Hours

Sun to Thu, 11am to 9pm
Fri and Sat, 11am to 9.30pm
Nearest MRT Station: Dhoby Ghaut (NS24|CC1|NE6)

Verdict

If I were in a game show, put in a tight spot, and spared with only 5 seconds to choose my favourite mazesoba out of the three featured above, hands down I’ll pick Sanpoutei.

Sanpoutei’s mazesoba would be my favourite with its daring use of sardine oil, with their signature wavy noodles complementing the sauce so perfectly, like a match made in heaven. Initially, I fear that the red oil would compound my fears of the dish being too spicy for my liking, but seems like my fears were totally unfounded. Being the most cost-efficient mazesoba out of the three earned Sanpoutei bonus points.

Don’t get me wrong; the other two also did well with their mazesoba being front and centre, but it lacked a certain ‘oomphf’ factor that Sanpoutei have. Three mazesoba down, and plenty more to go as I search for the best mazesoba in Singapore, but these three I’ve reviewed here are already doing pretty great with their presentations in both aesthetics and taste.