One thing that I like about Ajisen Gourmet Town @ NEX is that it houses two of its restaurant brands Ajisen Ramen from Kyushu, Botejyu from Osaka as well as one of its own self-developed brands, Aji-Tei (means ‘a restaurant of tastes’) under one roof so customers can get to savour different types of Japanese cuisine. This food hall runs on a similar concept as the Japanese Gourmet Town at Vivocity.
Botejyu’s Pork Okos
Okos just means ‘okonomiyaki’ in short which is a Japanese savoury pancake with various ingredients. I had previously tried Botejyu’s seafood okos with squids, prawns and scallops at its Liang Court outlet (now closed) some years back and I thought it wasn’t too bad so the husband and I decided to order the pork one to share this time.
If the oko sauce and mayo were perfectly piped on the top of the okos, this would have been a piece of art. While the pancake was just average, it was the sauce mix that really gave it that salty, sweet and savoury flavour. The shredded cabbage inside were crunchy and the portion of thinly sliced tender pork in it was just sufficient.
Ajisen’s Cha Shu Ramen
While the noodles were nicely blanched and were firm and chewy to the bite, the broth was quite weak and simply lacked that rich and intense flavour that most good broths would have. I liked the cha shu that was lean but very tender. Sadly, the half egg was hard-boiled rather than soft-boiled.
Ajisen’s Pork Curry Ramen
The husband ordered the pork curry ramen as he wanted something spicier but this really wasn’t spicy at all. The broth had a very slight tinge of curry flavour that resembled curry flavoured instant noodles so I thought it was quite artificial. Also, there was a lot of oil floating on the surface that made this quite greasy.
We spent just under $40 inclusive of tea which I didn’t think was worth it as the meal wasn’t satisfying. While I might return for the okos, the ramens are a big no-no for me. Give me my favourite RamenPlay instead.
Ajisen Gourmet Town
#03-06/07. NEX
23 Serangoon Central
Tel: 6634 7628
Website
Opening hours: 11.30am to 10.00pm daily