Hanamaruken Ramen 花丸軒

I know that going to a ramen place to order a rice bowl is absolutely counterintuitive, but contrary to popular belief, men don’t always want noods. Sometimes we’re looking for some fun, sometimes we’re looking for some love, and sometimes we’re looking for some happiness. And here at @hanamaruken_sg, I found Happiness Don ($13.80++).⠀
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The Happiness Don really does spark joy with three sizeable slabs of soft bone pork ribs, which have been slowly stewed for about a day. The result is a stunningly sapid piece of pork that falls apart at the slightest provocation, and every breathtaking bite of pork is packed to the brim with unbelievable umami. The pork ribs have been stewed for so long that cartilage within the ribs have been stewed into a jelly, and these bouncy collagen rich tubes are such a delight to bite into. ⠀
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The steamed Japanese rice in the bowl is sufficiently sauced with the same stellar stock that the ribs are stewed in, while the edamame & onsen egg turn this Don into a fully fleshed out & satisfying meal. The pickled ginger was a thoughtful touch, as the sharp sourness was adept and cutting through the fatty richness of the pork & the creamy, sticky runny egg yolk. With just how sublime the Happiness Don is, I don feel so bad about skipping the ramen.⠀
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As for the six piece Gyoza, they were crisp, delicious and fantastically fried, but $8.80++ a plate is a bit of a tall ask as these gyozas are notably diminutive. They are unquestionably unctuous though, with remarkably thin skin swaddling a tasty amalgamation of minced meat (pork? Chicken? Both? We will never know) and chives. Your mileage will vary, but at the end of the day I regret nothing.⠀

It seems that Lazada One had been a spot that is rather popular with F&B establishments — while the building had seen the opening of multiple F&B establishments such as the likes of Huggs Coffee, XiabuXiabu, Ameising La Volta, Kazo and Jyu Gae Bistro 聚閣 in the earlier parts of the year, much of the action had taken a pause until the recent opening of Hanamaruken Ramen, which takes up the space beside XiabuXiabu in the building. Much like most of the aforementioned establishments, the shop unit that Hanamaruken Ramen occupies is only accessible from outside the building, and faces the main road of Bras Basah Road. For those whom are unfamiliar of Hanamaruken Ramen, Hanamaruken Ramen is an establishment that originated from Osaka, Japan — the establishment does have an international presence with known outlets in the Philippines as well. Hanamaruken Ramen interior decor features an extensive use to wooden furnishings and fittings; comes with a mix of both dining tables and counter seating, as well as indoor and outdoor seating to cater to the preferences of different patrons. One thing that Hanamaruken Ramen seems to be pretty known for would be its pork soft bone that accompanies its signature offerings — the series of Happiness Ramen that it carries. Apart from the Happiness Ramen series, Hanamaruken Ramen also offers other more conventional ramen types such as a Chasyu Ramen, Tan Tan Ramen, Miso Ramen, Seafood Ramen, Tonkotsu Ramen and Shio Ramen. For those who are not so into ramen, Hanamaruken Ramen also serves up a variety of Rice Bowls that one can also considering having. Patrons can also opt for the various small plates in the menu to share across the table, while beverages available at Hanamaruken Ramen includes Artisanal Sparkling Tea, beer, soft drinks, green tea and HighBall.

Since it is already pretty much known to us that the signature offerings of Hanamaruken Ramen would be their Happiness Ramen line-up that comes with the pork soft bone, it is needless to say that we could not see ourselves leaving Hanamaruken Ramen without giving at least their Signature Happiness Ramen a try. The Signature Happiness Ramen is served in two different sizes which the patron can opt between — a “Regular” portion or a “Junior” portion size; our order was made for the “Regular”. The menu does provide for a descriptive narration of what the Signature Happiness Ramen is — the elements that were being mentioned to be included in the Signature Happiness Ramen in the menu are pork soft bones, a Tonkotsu broth, Shoyu-flavoured Tamago and “fresh garnishing”. Going for the very first sip of the Tonkotsu broth, the flavours of the Tonkatsu broth itself was already something which set the expectation of the meal right — the broth was immensely rich and creamy on its own; carried an umami-ness with a slight nuttiness which we found to be rather different from the other ramen which we had from other establishments before. It was also difficult to ignore the pork soft bone as well; this came in the form of a rather large chunk of meat that one could notice on first sight — a rather distinctive feature of the Happiness Ramen from Hanamaruken Ramen. The pork soft bone came with a mix of lean and fatty parts — the fatty parts seemingly pretty much being melt-in-the-mouth tender; so savoury without being jelat or gamey, and absolutely a delight to have. The noodles provided a good bite, being of the thinner sort, while the Shoyu-flavoured Tamago comes with a savoury, molten and creamy egg yolk. Overall, quite a memorable bowl of ramen considering how different the Signature Happiness Ramen is from other bowls of ramen that we have had thus far.

Apart from the Signature Happiness Ramen (Regular), we had also given some other items at Hanamaruken Ramen a go; the other ramen dish that we have had during our visit made to Hanamaruken Ramen was the Tan Tan Ramen. When compared to the Signature Happiness Ramen (Regular), the Tan Tan Ramen is a simpler offering that sees the same thinner sort of noodles coming with minced pork, bamboo shoots, Naruto Maki (i.e. Japanese Fish Cake) — all in a slightly spicy broth. The Tan Tan Ramen itself would suit those whom feel that Tonkotsu-based ramen isn’t quite their thing — the broth here comes slightly lighter though comes with a brighter note, considering how it comes lightly spicy that tingles the tastebuds, though would still be suitable even for those whom are not so tolerable to spiciness in general. We also gave the Chasyu Bun a go during our visit to Hanamaruken Ramen, considering how the ramen dishes that we had opted for does not come with their Chasyu — these can be said as their version of braised pork bun, coming with lettuce and their Chasyu which is smothered in some sort of a rich and thick, savoury sauce that provided much of the flavour of the dish; all that being sandwiched in between plain Chinese Lotus Leaf Buns. While the Chasyu here definitely comes thinner than the pork soft bones that accompanied their ramen dishes, we still found the Chasyu to be a good mix of fatty and lean parts that provided a good balance of textures — some parts requiring a bit of chew, while some parts are pretty much more gelatinous and melt-in-the-mouth. Prices of the ramen at Hanamaruken Ramen starts from $12.80 for the Shio / Seafood Ramen to $22.80 for the Signature Happiness Ramen (Regular) — there is an ongoing promotion for SMU staff and students during the time of writing as well considering the proximity between the school and Lazada One itself. A destination that ramen junkies should add to the list of places to visit!