I am a big fan of noodles. One of the most favourite ones has always been Japanese Ramen. There are many ramen joints scattered around Jakarta, and most joints offer us the familiar thick-broth ramen with either chicken-based or pork-based broth. How about something new for the party?
Hajime Ramen opened a few months ago to offer something seemingly unusual to ramen lovers. Bringing out its signature Steak Ramen, Hajime Ramen came out strong in the culinary battlefield. Well, for a brief history, Hajime Ramen came from Tokyo and was established by Chef Uchida Gen in 2009. He’s the first person to invent the Steak Ramen in Tokyo. Hajime Ramen successfully received an award in the world of ramen as “Tokyo Ramen of The Year” both in 2010 and 2011 consecutively. In Indonesia, the ramen will be prepared by Uramoto Shigetoshi as the Head Chef and Sato Toshihiko as the Sous Chef.
What makes Hajime Ramen worth trying? There are some vital elements to mention, from the homemade thin noodle, the clear soup and the juicy grilled steak as the topping. They even serve the innovative ramen on a sizzling hotplate. As an extra remarks, Hajime Ramen does not use pork or lard at all, so it is safe to assume that all my Muslim friends may safely enjoy the Steak Ramen.
Interior-wise, Hajime Ramen is more about simplicity. As simple as it is, the place is very comfortable and spacious. The open-kitchen concept is adopted here so that the guests can witness the process of making the ramen. Cleanliness, checked!
# Chicken Karaage (IDR 28 k)
The chicken karaage needs no introduction. As one of the most famous Japanese appetizers, the chicken karaage here did not fail to please us. The crispiness of the outer layer and the juiciness inside simply comforted us.
# Gyoza – 5 pieces (IDR 38 k)
Gyoza is also another common dish which we can easily find any Japanese restaurants. In Hajime, the gyoza was just an okay. To be honest, there are better gyoza out there with better filling. Oh, this gyoza is pork free. 🙂
# Beef Salad (IDR 58 k)
Well, even the salad here is topped with the signature sirloin steak. But guess what, it’s really good. The steak was of course the main highlight. The juicy chunks were very good and somehow, sinful, but counter-balanced by the bed of fresh veggie.
# Beef Ramen “Hajime” (IDR 88 k)
As the signature ramen, this did pretty well. I was initially (and honestly) a bit skeptical but it turned out that this signature dish did a good impression and I just loved every bit of the sirloin steak on top of the ramen. The doneness of the steak can be requested as we please. I had mine medium well, and the texture was pretty much as I expected, juicy and succulent. For the broth, I found it a bit too light (for my preference) in both texture and flavour. But the goodness of the steak simply made up for this little flaw. 😉
# Chicken Ramen “Hajime” (IDR 68 k)
Aside from the signature Beef Ramen, they have other options. The Chicken Ramen offers no less satisfaction and will certainly work well to those who prefer tender chicken meat and the fragrant chicken broth. Well, for me, I personally took more fancy preference towards the beef though. That being said, the chicken ramen has its own persona.
# Hot Plate Beef “Hajime” (IDR 88k)
This is actually something more unusual, ramen on a hot plate. But under some talking, we found it more attractive and would definitely appeal more crowd because of the unusual presentation. Ramen on a hot plate! Who would resist the fun? I didn’t try this dish that day, but I will certainly come back for this!
There was a preview of their upcoming menu. A bowl of ramen with an amazingly fragrant toripaitan (chicken based), topped with premium beef steak. After a sip, I did fall in love, hard! The broth was that good, fragrant and I found the texture of the broth a bit thicker and more sophisticated compared to the others that I tried. Way to go! Just hope this is going to be serve soon. 🙂
# Mochi Ice Cream (IDR 78 k for 3 flavours and IDR 28 k for 1 flavour)
Last but not least, dessert was up! In spite of quite stuffed up belly, the dessert was certainly welcomed with a nice warm hug. The mochi ice cream was presented in four flavours and each flavour tasted so good I would want to have more! The colour represents green tea, strawberry, mango and coffee. So far, they were all that delish! But the mango surprised the hell out of me though. It’s very refreshing.
So, is Hajime Ramen worth trying? It is! With the diversity amongst the flooding ramen joints in Jakarta, I found Hajime quite successful in standing out of the crowd. With its halal remarks and juicy signature beef steak, I bet most ramen lovers will agree with me as well!
HAJIME RAMEN | JAKARTA
Ruko Elang Laut, Blok C No. 19 – 20
Jl. Pantai Indah Selatan 1, Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta Utara
Phone: +6221-29704981 ext:116
Website: http://hajime.co.id
Instagram: @hajimeramenhouse