From the very few proper ramen outlets available in Shah Alam, Menya Hanabi is one of the most popular spots for those craving for a couple of bowls of non-halal Japanese ramen.
There is more than one Menya Hanabi restaurant in the Klang Valley, and this is the one located right next to Gamuda Walk within Kota Kemuning, a bustling township within Shah Alam that has perhaps the most up-to-date eateries.
Fortunately, finding available car park space is still a relatively simple exercise in this area.
The restaurant is of a typical Japanese ramen shop setup, with a long kitchen and bar taking up 30-40% of the floor space, and tables on the other side.
They have a pictorial menu that showcases every single dish they offer, which is wonderful – though some description would have been helpful as well.
During the visit, the classic shoyu soup ramen (RM27), Nagoya mazesoba DX – non-halal (RM31), and a portion of gyoza (RM10) were sampled.
The soup ramen came in three options: shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce) and Nagoya (spicy with minced meat).
The shoyu version is on par with most Japanese ramen, as the noodle was springy and the soup packed quite a punch.
The chasiu (non-halal) had an awesome three-layer texture and came with decent thickness, though perhaps it would have been better if it had been three slices instead of two.
The egg was prepared just nice as well. Overall, it was a very satisfying and competent bowl of ramen.
As for the Nagoya mazesoba DX, the ramen itself is of a thicker variety. Upon stirring and mixing it together with the minced meat, egg yolk and leek, the entire bowl felt almost unlike a more expensive version of chili pan mee, except this one is less spicy and carries less of a “kick”.
Once you are done with this dry version, the staff will give you a scoop of rice to fully utilise the sauce, which nearly feels gimmicky, to be honest.
Lastly, do order their gyoza, which could perhaps be one of the best-tasting ones and well worth the asking price of RM10.
Overall, Menya Hanabi is a pretty decent Japanese ramen place. Give the dry ramen a try if you must, but stick to the soupy version if you’re into more of a traditional taste.
Menya Hanabi (non-halal)
2-37-1, Jalan Anggerik Vanilla
Seksyen 31, Kota Kemuning
40460 Shah Alam
Selangor
Hours: Open daily from 11am to 10pm
Tel: +603 5131 9308
Read the original article here.
Trying to influence your cravings since 2005, Kar Yeong was Guest Judge on Versus 1001 Rasa Baba’s 2018, R.AGE Food Fight Judge 2015 and NTV7 Foodie Blogger 2014. To read more about Kar Yeong’s food journeys, visit his blog at KYspeaks.com.