Monday, November 10, 2008

japanese/food court: i recommend AJISEN RAMEN




AJISEN RAMEN
A4, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi
19 Sung Kao Rd, B2
(02)2723-8691

this location closed a/o 9/2009 :(
Moved to Xinyi Eslite food court. Spotted in 4/2010

website: i couldn't find a site for Taipei= here is Ajisen.com.hk

hours: 11 am- 9 pm; fri/sat 11 am- 9:30
$

Kid friendliness: booths/chair only.

Visit reviewed: 6/12/2008 & 8/15/2008



There was nothing not to like about the ramen here- I devoured my bowl of Ramen with corn (NT$170) as well as the little side of seaweed salad with sweetened vinegar (NT$60). It was on the better side of the experiences of ramen I've had here, although mall ramen here in Taipei is probably better than lots of mall ramen in the states.



If you don't like seaweed, they also offer cold tofu, gyoza (pan fried dumplings) and some other sides.

After ordering at the counter from a picture menu, you get a number. I noticed that almost everything had the girl mascot- from their number to their seasoning on the table, to the spoon, bowl and napkins.



They offer about six different types of ramen- Ajisen Ramen, Miso Ramen, Ramen with Corn, Tenderous Ribs Ramen, Vegetarian Ramen and Curry ramen, and a handful of sides like cold tofu and gyoza (pan fried dumplings) (everything is in Chinese but with pictures).

They also offer a little row of booth seats independent from the mall food court seating, which is great when you don't feel like circling the filled seats for a spot (though I do like their food court neighbor Indian Palace).




The ramen is on the looser side, so it's not as wavy as some ramen places, but it soaks up the soup adequately so it's not bland.



Only recently, I tried the Tenderous Ribs ramen which include large braised chunks of pork (instead of the sliced cha siu in the ramen I usually get). I thought the pork was tender and well seasoned and something different than what's offered at other ramen places.



The menu is limited, so I don't know if there's more options at other locations in Taipei, but on the Ajisen Hong Kong menu there is a TON of more stuff. They have over 120 locations around the world, including in Australia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and US.




other location:

No. 43, Nanjing W Road
(02) 2559-8726


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11 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're right, they have this store in Toronto and it's actually right across in the plaza at my parent's home. Although I've only been twice, I didn't think their ramen was spectacular. (and it's a little pricey for the type of food we can get here) My friend did get me to try their house dessert, the black sesame ice cream. I'm also not a big fan of that, but she swears by it every time!

The black sesame ice cream has a very peculiar taste at first taste...a very burnt, nutty taste. But I guess you really have to love black sesame to love it!

Anonymous said...

anonymous: thanks for your comment! yeah, not spectacular, but reliable, though prices are definitely comparable to US more than Taipei.. hmm no black sesame ice cream here!

abstractpoet said...

Hey, they have one of these in Fremont, so maybe we'll make the trek down one of these days...

My favorite ramen in Taipei was from the Akasaka chain. We used to go to the one on Zhongxiao Sec. 4, in the same building and on the same floor as the Hi-Sushi.

Anonymous said...

They have locations here in SoCal, there's at least two in the San Gabriel Valley aka Chinese central. I go to the one in Temple City. I like the tenderous ribs ramen the best, the meat is really tender as their name suggests and the broth is hearty but not too oily or overpowering. I like their side dishes and desserts too.

I can't stop reading your posts. Keep eating!

Anonymous said...

In L.A. there's a SGV and a Temple City branch of Ajisen Ramen. I'm not a big fan of either location, though I might be spoiled after having awesome ramen in Japan.

Lisa Wang said...

looking at these pictures made me crave ramen so much!! i might have to take a trip to Sawtelle and go to Asahi Ramen.

joanh said...

abstractpoet: hmm, I will have to try your branch. I tried an Akasaka ramen near Nanjing E Road and it wasn't good at all!

annie: thanks!!! keep commenting!! :)

andy: yeah, definitely can't compare to food in Japan!! just like you can't compare Taiwan mexican food to LA mexican food. ahhahah

ffc-life: you like asahi better than ramen-ya?? interesting.. :)

Lisa Wang said...

actually I like ramen-ya better. i just totally forgot the name!! i don't like that expensive one near on sawtelle near Orris though.

Anonymous said...

WOWWWWWW!!! just looking at this pic!! wowwwww!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Ajisen Ramen doesn't seem really interesting here in Indonesia. But after reading your review I think I should visit Ajisen Ramen next time.

:D

Anonymous said...

I found the Website for Ajisen Ramen

http://www.aji1000.com.tw/

Sadly its only in chinese though...

This use to be one of my favorite restaurants in California. I would eat at the one down on Fullerton Rd. in Rowland Height. Every time I went I got the same thing. Beef Bowl with Enoki Rolls =p Can't believe they have one in Taiwan. I'm going to try it out tomorrow =]

:)