old school ramen: Taichan Ramen

Taichan Ramen is one of those restaurants that has been around in Jakarta for decades, but people have only been realizing it after they went public by establishing branches in malls, first in Plaza Senayan some years back. Not many people know that the original restaurant is in Midplaza I, which is fine by me since that is the place that I go to most often ever since I was little. I still remember I had this fear of falling down through the steps to the shallow pool underneath; the marble stairs are see-through.

Other things that I like about the Midplaza branch is the fact that many Japanese went there, some of them leave their liquor bottles behind for their next visit. A sign that they have a regular Japanese crowd which endorsed the food as authentic. I love the old chairs with grey cushion and their black and white tables, almost like an office table. The little restaurant was so cozy and familiar, with the staff greeting you when you come and when you leave. Last year, when I was back for a visit after a long while, I was surprised to find out that they have renovated the place. The chairs and the tables were different, to me, those changes made that branch lost some of its old charm. I wish they had renovated it but still preserving their old look and atmosphere. It seems like there are less Japanese visiting these days in the Midplaza branch. In the malls' branches, visitors are mostly locals. While its true that by localizing the food a restaurant ensure an in to the local population, I think they should stay true to the cuisine they are representing.


The ingredients to make the best dip for the gyoza: shoyu (soy sauce), layu (oil), and chuka (vinegar). And the chilli powder.

Anyway, back to the Taichan Restaurant in Plaza Senayan now. M told me after our movie today that she had only little food and was feeling hungry and decided to have Taichan, which is fine by me since I was actually thinking that it has been a while since I last ate there. She couldn't decide whether to have ramen or yakiniku, and I completely understand the hard decision that she had to make. The yakiniku is my favorite food there, even if the rest of my family loves the ramen. So I told her I'd order the ramen, and settled for Taichan Ramen with extra corn. We ordered gyozas to share and iced lemon tea and hot lemon tea; free refill.


Gyoza (Rp 25,000), Taichan Ramen (Small @Rp 29,500), and extra corn (Rp 13,500)

The gyozas came first; served upside down boasting their golden browned bottoms up. After preparing the dip of shoyu (soy sauce), chuka (vinegar) and layu (oil), and of course taking some pictures, we devoured the first couple of gyozas. Yum! Even though the gyozas are made from chicken meat, the ingredients that they mix, the crispness and firmness of the skin made it really yum.


One gyoza, up close and personal...


cross section of the gyoza

My Taichan Ramen came next with a small plate of the extra corn. The ramen itself has cubed chicken, shallots, corn, seaweed, bamboo shoots, carrots, bean sprouts and chinese cabbage. Plenty of veggies for your daily fiber and nutritional balance, or just my way of justifying a bowl of steaming goodness. The noodle is thin and firm, not too soft and just a tad chewy. Three quarters of the bowl was filled with the noodle, definitely value for money for those who are hungry. The soup is miso based, and I wonder whether the stock is veggie or chicken based. Either way, its delicious.


Taichan Ramen close up of the topping

Next came the Yakiniku set. It came with a bowl of rice, miso shiru, and a few appetizers including: seaweed and cucumber in vinegar and soy sauce, meat and potato stew and salad. The yakiniku itself was accompanied by stir fried bean sprouts with corn on top. The Yakiniku beef is sliced thinly and mixed with kucai (shallot like veggies) in dark soy sauce and either some sugar or mirin for the sweetness. The strong rich of the yakiniku is perfect to balance the succulent japanese rice.


Yakiniku set (Rp 65,000)

At the end of it, we were full and satisfied. To me, ramen and yakiniku set are comfort food and only just now do I realize how much vegetables are included in both dishes! Glad to have make that discovery, it would definitely justify my future visit to Taichan.


Taichan Ramen
Plaza Senayan 3rd Fl.
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8
+ 62 21 572 5262

(Also available at: Midplaza I, Plaza Indonesia, Pondok Indah Mall II and somewhere in Melawai)