eatandtreats - Indonesian Food and Travel Blogger based in Jakarta: HAKATA IKKOUSHA RAMEN (AND NEW MAZESOBA)

The Fukuoka-Hakata originated ramen house, Hakata Ikkousha, recently launched their newest menu to the already impressive menu line up: MAZESOBA, but before talking exclusively about the new menu, I will talk about the restaurant in general and taking you on this roller-coaster flashback ride to one of the most successful yet established ramen houses in Jakarta.

...or if you feel like reading about the Mazesoba directly, you can just scroll down and stop at this red HAKATA MAZESOBA sign.

I still vividly remember the first time Hakata Ikkousha came to Jakarta's F&B scene, back then there was quite a few ramen houses pre their arrival, but none really lived up the hype and "started" that ramen trend quite like they did. I remember waited for 45 minutes just to had the hype of that moment back at their small little store in Muara Karang. As the business grew, they moved to a much much bigger space in Pantai Indah Kapuk along with 12 more outlets spread around Indonesia (4 in Jakarta, 1 in Gading Serpong, Bandung, Medan, 2 in Jogjakarta, 3 in Surabaya and 1 in Bali).

...and I still remember how my girl-friends went crazy over the good looking Japanese chef...

If I could name that one product that distributed their name out there, it has got to be their signature Tonkotsu (pork based broth - non halal) ramen with thick and tasty soup extracted from pork bone in long-term cooking, but positioning themselves in a country with huge Muslim population (Indonesia), they do put care to the matter and chose to open 100% HALAL outlets mainly the ones in the South like Senayan City and Kemang.

Ok enough yakking let's just go straight to the food! Prepare to drool as I have a lot of food to show you in this post!
Tori Karaage - IDR 34k

Normally when having ramens, I always find myself tempted to have some side dishes and condiments on the side. I would either have tori karaage or gyoza. Hakata Ikkousha's tori karaage is among the best ones that I've had in ramen restaurants on its standards (but nothing close to Oku's well they're on a different level). Texture was tender and juicy (with crunchy coating) with beautiful seasoning to the chicken. They paired the tori karaage with two sauces: spicy mayo and onion sauce, again it's all about preference and I like having the karaage just how it was without the sauces.

Mini Chasiu Don Pork - IDR 18k (non halal)

The portion makes this dish a perfect side dish instead of main course, delightful seasoning of the pork chasiu and the juicy little pork belly should be the highlight of this dish, it's a simple dish where flavors did the talking.

Mini Chasiu Chicken Don - IDR 18k
Unlike the pork don, I found this a bit lacking of flavor with dry chicken texture.

Chasiu Babi Tebal - IDR 58k (non halal)

This has been their best selling side dishes forever, and no wonder why: aromatic-char grilled thick & tender pork chasiu with yet again impressive seasoning that suited Indonesians (my) palate, juicy fats and dressed with homemade sauce, chili oil and homemade sauce. YUM.

RAMENS
Their ramen are available in both pork and chicken based soup

Tonkotsu Ramen (Ramen Babi Spesial) - IDR 55k (non halal)

This was the menu that started it all and my personal favorite of theirs for a long-long time: TONKOTSU RAMEN with tender and fatty chasiu topping, soft-boiled eggs (Ajitama tamago), sesame and spring onion. The soup was mild in texture but rich in flavor, and the noodle was thin but had the right firmness and this eggy flavor that never changed (and I like!). Anyway, based on your preference, you can either choose to have the thick or mild broth, I have tried both before and for me it's just as tasty because it's only the matter of texture, and overall both the mild and thick broth had equally rich and tasty flavor.

Ramen Tam-Tam Pork - IDR 58k
This is the spicy version of their Tonkotsu Ramen. I couldn't say that the red sauce was ultra spicy as I believe each of us has different take of spicy things, but to me it's just medium.

Ramen Tam-Tam Chicken - IDR 58k

Ramen Naga Merah - IDR 58k
This was another favorite of mine of the lunch that day and a perfect fit for you who fancy the bolder type of ramen with rich spicy seasoning, generous minced meat and egg infused to the soup and garnished with sesame, spring onion and chili oil dressing! The default type of ramen they're using here is the firm curly noodle which fits the overall character of this ramen.

HAKATA MAZESOBA HAKATA MAZESOBA HAKATA MAZESOBA HAKATA MAZESOBA HAKATA MAZESOBA HAKATA MAZESOBA HAKATA MAZESOBA HAKATA MAZESOBA HAKATA MAZESOBA HAKATA MAZESOBA

Now moving on to the highlight of this entry and the new menu of Hakata Ikkousha that I want to introduce to you: MAZESOBA (pork or chicken - IDR 58k)

Hakata Ikkousha Mazesoba is Hakata Ikkousha's latest dry ramen which available in either pork or chicken topping with various toppings making it appear super delicious such as onsen tamago, minced pork/chicken, mushroom, spring onion, minced pork/chicken chasiu, tenkatsu and onion! For this type of ramen, they're using the large and chewier type of noodle (almost like bakmi karet type of texture only softer).

The way to enjoy the Mazesoba ramen is simply by mixing every element of the dish together along with a moderate amount of chili oil and vinegar (suggested amount) for better dining experience.

MIX MIX! hashtag #eggporn

The onsen tamago (soft-boiled egg) really gave that extra creamy texture to the dish along with a bit of crunch from the mushroom and the crumb. Do note that adding in the chili oil and vinegar is important or else the flavor will be a tad bland.

If you want a little kick of spice to your dish, you can also customize your order by adding in Tam-Tam chicken (IDR 8k) - other additional toppings such as onsen tamago, pork chasiu, chicken chasiu, onion and mushroom are also available for extra toppings to the mazesoba (IDR 8k each).

Now here's the fun part: ENJOY 50% OFF MAZESOBA MENU ON 22 SEPTEMBER 2016 SIMPLY BY SHOWING THIS BLOG POST TO THE STAFF - PROMOTION VALID ON PANTAI INDAH KAPUK & KELAPA GADING OUTLET ONLY ON 22 SEPTEMBER 2016!

Guess what? It took me a while to actually write this post because I keep on feeling distracted by the ramen pics and I am so DAMN HUNGRY right now I can't even. Hakata Ikkousha is one of those restaurants which is consistently serving good food, there might be minor misses for everything was totally acceptable, and I still consider them as one of best places to have ramen in Jakarta.

Thank you for reading!