Truffle Paitan Got to learn about the existence of Raakki whilst scrolling through social media — these folks had recently opened their doors at 31 Hongkong Street. For those whom aren’t too familiar with the address, this is also the very street where establishments such as Fangko + Coffee And Beer can also be found — the street is just walking distance away from Clarke Quay MRT Station as well. Raakki isn’t too difficult to spot although one might still find themselves missing the establishment if not paying too much attention around the surroundings — the facade of the store doesn’t really carry many obvious signs of the establishment save the signage hanging by outside, as well as the namesake of the stall that can be found painted on the pillar of the shophouse unit on the outside. The establishment does seem to adopt a somewhat industrial yet ultra-modern design theme with the use of mostly metallic elements mixed with some concrete-esque elements in its design — the interior of store featuring wooden furniture and fittings with the use of black walls that exudes a consistent theme to how it looks on the outside. The dining area of Raakki mostly comprises of counter seats surrounding the food preparation area, as well as a couple of proper dining tables and chairs that are located along the walls — that are also high chairs facing out the foldable windows beside the entrance, while there is also al-fresco seating outside of the shop which also comprises of proper dining tables and chairs as well. Raakki is an establishment that is focused around their ramen offerings — in specific, their Chikin Ramen offerings featuring white broth made by slow-boiled chicken. Apart from the various Chikin Ramen offerings listed, Raakki also serves up a small variety of Side Dishes as well.
Skimming through the menu, the Truffle Paitan was one of the items that caught our eye from the Chikin Ramen section of the menu — Raakki describes their Truffle Paitan to come with elements such as Truffle Tori Paitan Broth, Spring Onion Oil, Truffle Mushroom, Chicken, Tsukune, Menma , Soy Egg and Parsley. Whilst the folks at Chikin Ramen had described their Tori Paitan Broth as a white broth, the Truffle Tori Paitan Broth does come a little more beige than actually white with a slightly yellowish hue likely from the inclusion of the spring onion oil. Mixing the truffle mushroom into the entire bowl of noodles, the Truffle Tori Paitan Broth really shines with how rich the Tori Paitan Broth is on its own — the broth does come with quite a bit of depth in a way that gave it some sort of milkiness; all that whilst coming sufficiently savoury but not overly salty as one would typically expect for chicken noodle soup. Despite the addition of truffle that gives it a really evident hint of the truffle aroma, this does not have any impact on the level of savouriness of the broth — the truffle mushroom helping to add a dimension of earthiness with a slight bouncy texture whilst at it. Elements like the slices of chicken were tender and juicy; does feel like they have been prepared using the sous-vide technique, while the Tsukune as mentioned in the description of the dish on the menu would be the chicken balls that do carried a dot and tender bite. The Soy Egg does come with the runny egg yolks that one would expect for a ramen dish with the yolks carrying a slightly savoury note from its marination in soy sauce. The noodles used for all ramen dishes at Raakk are of the slightly yellower and curlier sort that are pretty thin — Raaki serves them at a decent texture that isn’t too soft whilst retaining its springiness at the same time. Whilst we aren’t typically fans of Japanese Ramen, the Truffle Paitan was one where we found ourselves happily sipping on the Tori Paitan Broth until there was almost none left.
During the same visit, we had also decided to give the Tan-Tan a go; this version of the Chikin Ramen would feature elements such as Tan-Tan Tori Paitan Broth, Minced Chicken, Tsukune, Menma, Soy Egg, Spring Onion. We did find the use of Tan-Tan Tori Paitan Broth to be rather interesting — this especially so considering how the Tan-Tan-style Japanese ramen that is usually served at other locations tend to be dry ramen dishes. With that being said, the Tan-Tan Tori Paitan Broth does seem to include the use of Japanese chili paste and perhaps sesame seeds to give it a nutty and roasty note with a spicy kick to elevate the flavours even further — the level of spiciness of the Tan-Tan being pretty manageable for those whom can tolerate moderate levels of spiciness. The minced chicken also comes with the similar flavour profiles as the flavours coming from the broth itself, while the other elements such as the Tsukune and the Soy Egg remains the same as what was being served in the Truffle Paitan. We also went found ourselves opting for a dish on the Side Items category of the menu to share across the table — this would be the Sea Bream Sashimi, Jasmine Soy, Spring Onion Oil which is especially delightful to have. Sea Bream Sashimi is a rare find, with the fish carrying a firmer texture than most other types of raw fish to chew through, what really elevated the experience for us was the use of the Jasmine Soy which not only carried the savouriness that one would expect of Japanese-style soy sauce, but also the evident aroma of Jasmine that really provided an uplifting floral scent to the soy sauce that we hadn’t had before — definitely worth the try.
Having been to several newly-opened and commercially-run Japanese ramen establishments in recent times, we hadn’t been too satisfied with what we have had. Raaki might be more of a indie establishment in this regard, but we must say that we were absolutely impressed by their Chikin Ramen line-up especially considering how their Tori Paitan Broth is being served — their version of the Tori Paitan Broth is one of the more richer and flavourful ones that we had come across, yet versatile enough to be served with enhancements especially in the case of the Truffle Paitan that sees additional components go on top of their standard Tori Paitan Broth that would most certainly appeal to truffle lovers. Whilst being more of the “trendier” and “hipster” Japanese ramen shop where some might point out as not a particularly traditional establishment with more fusion elements that doesn’t come across as very Japanese when compared against the brands brought over to Singapore from Japan, Raaki still pretty much deserves a visit for ramen lovers — and even more so whom love Japanese ramen coming with Tori Paitan Broth for its stellar execution. The prices of the Chikin Ramen offerings start from $14.90 for the Shio / Shoyu Paitan; the priciest Chikin Ramen dish being the Truffle Paitan being listed at $17.90. Definitely intrigued to give their seasonal ramen a go considering how good their other items were for us during this visit; the Tomato Paitan definitely being something which we have not heard before that would be interesting to see how it works here!
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