Ramen with Lots of Garlic
Tuesday, 12 August 2008 by Dr Maytel
How appropriate. Over the weekend, Hock and I went to Bankara Ramen on Sukhumvit Soi 39, on a tip from Austin. And had their ramen with lots and lots of raw garlic.
It was tastey but a little pricey for a bowl of noodles by Bangkok standards. There was a queue of Japanese people obviously waiting for their fix of ramen, with lots and lots of garlic and scallions too.
I had read about Bankara in the Guru magazine, it is said to be the first ramen outlet of this particular chain outside of Japan....is Thailand being food colonised by Japan? With Thai-style sushi now turning up at night markets in outer lying provinces, is this the death of Thai food as we know it? Or the beginning of yet another era of bastardisation?
Haven't seen any Thai-style ramen turning up at street vendors, but its early days yet
Anyway, I still recommend Bankara and would go again. Don't do what I did and put five cloves on garlic in your soup and spend the rest of the day breathing death. Hock also warns against getting funky and ordering the ramen with creamy soup. Just keep it real and go with the original soup or miso. The "sauce applying" looked good, the menu is vaguely amusing on a japanglish tip.
Ra Men Bankara, Sukhumvit 39 (Inside the small arcade called ‘The Manor’ which is on the right hand side about 300 metre from the Sukhumvit entrance. Parking available in the premises. Daily 11am-11pm. T: 02-662-5162-3.
It was tastey but a little pricey for a bowl of noodles by Bangkok standards. There was a queue of Japanese people obviously waiting for their fix of ramen, with lots and lots of garlic and scallions too.
I had read about Bankara in the Guru magazine, it is said to be the first ramen outlet of this particular chain outside of Japan....is Thailand being food colonised by Japan? With Thai-style sushi now turning up at night markets in outer lying provinces, is this the death of Thai food as we know it? Or the beginning of yet another era of bastardisation?
Haven't seen any Thai-style ramen turning up at street vendors, but its early days yet
Anyway, I still recommend Bankara and would go again. Don't do what I did and put five cloves on garlic in your soup and spend the rest of the day breathing death. Hock also warns against getting funky and ordering the ramen with creamy soup. Just keep it real and go with the original soup or miso. The "sauce applying" looked good, the menu is vaguely amusing on a japanglish tip.
Ra Men Bankara, Sukhumvit 39 (Inside the small arcade called ‘The Manor’ which is on the right hand side about 300 metre from the Sukhumvit entrance. Parking available in the premises. Daily 11am-11pm. T: 02-662-5162-3.
Those raw garlic in ramen soup is so evil and good.
What did they mean by "sauce applying"!? I have no idea...
yeah that is crazy with garlic press straight in!
must be good.
what is in the 'creamy' soup - is it actual cream? or tonkotsu bone marrow stuff?
don't know, Hock reckoned it tasted like it had actual cream in it, which when the garlic was added he said made it taste like Japanese pasta cabonara?
The "sauce applying" was a sauce on the side of plain cooked ramen.
The pork was quite fatty, like the song says, you don't need the char sui
Ah I see. Then the "sauce applying" is one of those "tsuke-men" (dipping-noodles). At least it is not "sauce apprying."
Thaified ramen... the bamii noodles in tom yam soup seems like a Thai ramen to me already.