Ramen Outside Japan

Ramen has become popular in China in recent years where it is known as rìshì lāmiàn (日式拉面, "Japanese Style lamian"). Popular Japanese ramen chains serve ramen alongside distinctly Japanese dishes such as tempura and yakitori, something which would be seen as odd in Japan.

Wagamama, a successful pan-Asian chain with establishments mainly in European cities, is known for its noodle soups marketed as ramen (but which are quite different from ramen in Japan).

Ramyeon (라면) is the Korean version of ramen. Ramyeon in Korea is a popular instant meal. Korean ramyeon is known to be hot and spicy, as its soup is usually flavored with chili peppers. There are many varieties of Korean ramyeon, such as kimchi-flavored, seafood-flavored and beef-flavored. Some restaurants serve variations of ramyon with different flavors.It is usually served with vegetables, such as carrots and green onions, and eggs on top.

In Central Asia the dish has thicker noodles, is significantly spicier, and is known as laghman.

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: sushi, sushi tei

Coffee Club

Bila anda pencinta kopi dan ingin meminum berbagai jenis kopi dari Indonesia dan International, singgahlah di Coffee Club Pacific Place.

Letak dari cafe ini agak terpencil memang, karena berada di sudut lantai satu Pacific Place. HANYA SAJA, bagi anda yang alergi dengan asap rokok.. sebaiknya jangan ke sini. Memang, mereka menyediakan ruangan bagi perokok, dan non perokok. Tetapi begitu kita masuk ke dalam cafe ini, asap rokok sangatlah terasa.

Karena sudah agak lama "mampir" ke Coffee Club, jadi saya lupa nama minuman yang kita pesan. Setahu aku, aku memesan "aged Sunmatera Mandheling" dan temanku memesan minuman yang ada "pisang"nya dan lemon tea... Jadinya aku akan mereview kopi dan ruangan di Coffee Club ini saja.

Untuk Kopi, di sini menyediakan berbagai macam kopi dari dalam dan luar negeri. ada dari Jawa, Sumatera, Kenya, dan lain-lain. Pada menu-nya, mereka melampirkan ukuran2 dari BODY, ACIDITY dan AROMA-nya daskala satu sampai enam bintang. Mereka menggunakan biji kopi ARABIKA, jadinya bisa dibilang "kualitas" kopi yang tinggi.

Karena menjelaskan kopi Arabika, tidak ada salahnya saya menjelaskan lawan dari Arabika, yakni ROBUSTA. Sebenarnya perbedaan jelas dari robusta dan arabika adalah dari 'harga"nya. Robusta memiliki harga yang lebih rendah (murah). keunggulan Robusta adalah mereka dapat tumbuh di berbagai kondisi lingkungan dibandingkan dengan Arabika. Kemudian waktu yang lebih singkat untuk menghasilkan biji kopi (sekitar 2-3 tahun) dibandingkan dengan tumbuhan kopi Arabika (3-4 tahun). Hanya saja, kadar kafein di Robusta lebih tinggi dari Arabika. Tetapi tidak jarang campuran kopi Arabika dan Robusta itu menghasilkan kopi yang wangi dan lezat.

OH iya, Karena wangi dan rasa kopi tergantung dengan lingkungan dan cuaca, maka kita bisa menebak "pohon" apa yang tumbuh di sekitarnya. ada yang kebuah-buahan, kekayu-kayuan dan sebagainya.

Coffee Club, menyediakan berbagai macam kopi Arabika dari dalam dan luar negeri. Ada yang harganya "WOW" dan ada juga yang standart. Tapi karena mereka menggunakan arabika, jadinya tidak salah jika kopi hitam yang di jual berada di atas 20.000 IDR.

Seingatku yang menarik perhatianku adalah adanya Aged Sumatera Mandheling. Karena ini adalah cafe ke dua aku menemukan kopi "lama" atau kuno. (pertama di Malang dengan nama cafe "JAVA DANCE COFFEE") Jadinya, aku segera memesan itu. Sayangnya, mereka juga menggunakan expresso machine untuk mengolah kopi-nya. jadi wangi dan kekentalannya menurun. Tetapi uniknya mereka memberikan kue kering di samping cangkirnya menemani kopi pahitnya.

Ruangan di Coffee Club sangatlah romantis. Aku katakan romantis karena pencahayaannya yang remang-remang, dan dekorasinya yang cantik membuat suasana "cafe" ini menjadi indah. Mereka memasang lagu-lagu yang easy listening juga dengan volume yang cukup. Tidak terlalu besar yang bisa mengganggu nikmatnya bercanda gurau dengan teman-teman.

OH...Coffee Club juga menyediakan berbagai macam makanan baik ringan sampai berat. Yang sempat terlihat dan tergoda adalah ketika melihat pancake-nya. Sayangnya kami sudah keburu kenyang karena sebelumnya makan di RAMEN 38. jadi kami hanya nongkrong di sana untuk menunggu macet dan mengobrol.

Overall, bagi anda pecinta koppi, tidak ada salahnya mencoba Coffee Club. Karena cukup romantis dan tenang, baik untuk berdua dengan kekasih, beramai-ramai dengan teman, maupun sendirian sambil menikmati buku kesukaan.

Salam

(Foto kali ini aku gabung, dikarenakan resolusi yang rendah... maklum menggunakan kamera dari handphone... )

Source: www.id.openrice.com

See also: sushi, sushi tei

Kinds of Ramen Soup

Ramen soup is generally made from stock based on chicken or pork, combined with a variety of ingredients such as kombu (kelp), katsuobushi (skipjack tuna flakes), niboshi (dried baby sardines), beef bones, shiitake, and onions, and then flavored with salt, miso, or soy sauce. Other styles that have emerged later on include curry ramen and other flavors.

The resulting combination is generally divided into four categories (although new and original variations often make this categorisation less clear-cut):

• Shio ("salt") ramen is probably the oldest of the four and, like the Chinese maotang (毛湯). It is the lightest ramen, a pale, clear, yellowish broth made with plenty of salt and any combination of chicken, vegetables, fish, and seaweed. Occasionally pork bones are also used, but they are not boiled as long as they are for tonkotsu ramen, so the soup remains light and clear. Shio is generally the healthiest kind of ramen; fat content tends to be low, and fresh vegetables like cabbage, leeks, onions, and bamboo shoots typically adorn the simple soup and curly noodles. Chāshū is sometimes swapped out for lean chicken meatballs, and pickled plums and kamaboko are popular toppings as well. Noodle texture and thickness varies among shio ramen, but they are usually straight rather than curly.

• Tonkotsu ("pork bone") ramen usually has a cloudy white colored broth. It is similar to the Chinese baitang (白 湯) and has a thick broth made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen over high heat for many hours, which suffuses the broth with a hearty pork flavor and a creamy consistency that rivals milk or melted butter or gravy (depending on the shop). Most shops, but not all, blend this pork broth with a small amount of chicken and vegetable stock and/or soy sauce. Currently the latest trend in tonkotsu toppings is māyu (マー油/麻油), a blackish, aromatic oil made from either charred crushed garlic or Sesame seeds. The noodles are thin and straight. It is a specialty of Kyūshū and is often served with beni shoga (pickled ginger).

• Shōyu ramen typically has a brown and clear color broth, based on a chicken and vegetable (or sometimes fish or beef) stock with plenty of soy sauce added resulting in a soup that’s tangy, salty, and savory yet still fairly light on the palate. Shōyu ramen usually has curly noodles rather than straight ones, but this is not always the case. It is often adorned with marinated bamboo shoots or menma (麺媽), green onions, kamaboko (fish cakes), nori (seaweed), boiled eggs, bean sprouts and/or black pepper; occasionally the soup will also contain chili oil or Chinese spices, and some shops serve sliced beef instead of the usual chāshū.

• Miso ramen is a relative newcomer, having reached national prominence around 1965. This uniquely Japanese ramen, which was developed in Hokkaidō, features a broth that combines copious amounts of miso and is blended with oily chicken or fish broth – and sometimes with tonkotsu or lard – to create a thick, nutty, slightly sweet and very hearty soup. Miso ramen broth tends to have a robust, tangy flavor, so it stands up to a variety flavorful toppings: spicy bean paste or tōbanjan (豆瓣醤), butter and corn, leeks, onions, bean sprouts, ground pork, cabbage, sesame seeds, white pepper, and chopped garlic are common. The noodles are typically thick, curly, and slightly chewy.

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: wine