Second ramen lunch at Takumi Düsseldorf Rotterdam
Last Saturday, I went to have ramen again at Takumi Düsseldorf in Rotterdam. I heard that there are still long lines every day of the week during lunch and dinner hours. I wanted to wait until the initial rush would die down a bit, but it might never, as there are always long lines at the Takumi Düsseldorf ramen shops in Düsseldorf, Germany. So, I went there around 15:00 to see if the waiting line isn't too long. When I got there, there were only 4 groups of people in front of us and I think the waiting time was about 20 minutes. It wasn't that bad.
Instead of warm green tea like the last time (Ask for one without sugar!), I rather wanted to drink something cold, as waiting in line - partially outside and partially inside the ramen shop - with my thick winter coat and a scarf wrapped around my neck made me sweat and feel uncomfortable. I ordered my favorite flavor of the Japanese ramune soda, melon (€3), and the other person got a Japanese Kirin ichiban beer (€4.25).
As snacks, we had gotten 5 pieces of Kara-age (pieces of fried chicken, €4.80) and on the side, there is some flavored salt, Japanese mayonnaise, and a slice of lemon. The chicken was moist - with some fatty parts - and the crust was crispy. I really liked it with a little bit of the salt sprinkled on top with my own fingers and then, dipped in the mayonnaise.
First, we thought we would get the kara-age as snacks together with our ramen as it is such a small dish (we should have mentioned this ourselves probably), but we got it as a appetizer and they waited until after we were finished, before they brought us the ramen. We took our time eating the fried chicken, as it was still quite hot. I don't know if that influenced it, but the ramen noodles weren't as chewy as before. The first time I ate there, the noodles were perfect even with the last bite. Ramen noodles really need to be made and served with the perfect timing, as they can get too soggy after staying in the hot soup for too long. So, even 30 seconds can make a difference. It's not that it was bad, but I liked the ramen noodles, which were slightly harder and chewier, more. It could also be, because we ordered the Tsukemen that time, which was made perfectly al dente, and I remember that the most.
This time, I didn't get to sit at the nice 4 person table near the windows, but instead, I got seated at a smaller 2 person table. There was just enough space to sit and eat. It felt a bit cramped and it was harder to get the attention of one of the very busy waiters, but it was okay. I got to experience a bit of the authentic feeling of eating ramen at the small ramen shops in Japan. It isn't about sitting comfortably and dine long, but instead, you go there to have a delicious and satisfying bowl of ramen and leave immediately after you finish.
However, we did get excellent, restaurant like service from the waiters and we were never rushed to leave. The waiter even personally came by to "uncork" the glass bottle of ramune soda for me. It is not that easy to open, as you need to push the glass marble down with the plastic tip on top of the bottle and it could splatter everywhere if you aren't careful enough. That's why the waiter covered the top of the bottle with a napkin and asked me to personally press the marble down, while he held the bottle for me. The popping effect is quite funny to experience yourself, so he wouldn't want to take it from me.
I could also leisurely take my time to go to the toilet, before we paid the bill and left. The toilets are located at the inner part of the ramen shop and near the bar tables. There is only one door to enter, but inside, there are two separate toilets for men and women and a wash stand to wash your hands. Strangely enough, there is also a small wash stand inside the toilet stall, so I already washed my hands before I got out. Maybe, they made one more, so that people can also wash their hands or stains out of their shirts (it can happen when you're slurping up the ramen noodles), even if the two toilets are occupied.
All in all, I didn't leave with a bad feeling and I will certainly come back again to try more ramen. I already collected 5 stamps on my Takumi Düsseldorf stamp card!
Drinks and appetizer
Instead of warm green tea like the last time (Ask for one without sugar!), I rather wanted to drink something cold, as waiting in line - partially outside and partially inside the ramen shop - with my thick winter coat and a scarf wrapped around my neck made me sweat and feel uncomfortable. I ordered my favorite flavor of the Japanese ramune soda, melon (€3), and the other person got a Japanese Kirin ichiban beer (€4.25).
As snacks, we had gotten 5 pieces of Kara-age (pieces of fried chicken, €4.80) and on the side, there is some flavored salt, Japanese mayonnaise, and a slice of lemon. The chicken was moist - with some fatty parts - and the crust was crispy. I really liked it with a little bit of the salt sprinkled on top with my own fingers and then, dipped in the mayonnaise.
Ramen from Takumi Düsseldorf, Rotterdam
I already tried three different kinds of ramen before, and this time, I decided to order two other ramen of the menu to try out.
Aji-tama miso ramen €12.50
This is the ramen I ordered and I really like it. As toppings, you get 3 slices of cha siu, two halves of a soft boiled egg, spring onions, bean sprouts, and bamboo shoots. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get a lot of fried onions on top this time and the bamboo shoots aren't marinated as well as before. The eggs weren't perfectly made either, but at least, the cha siu had improved a lot. I got three very pretty slices of cha siu with some fatty parts and a lot more moist than before. The soup is very delicious with a sweet miso flavor and a light hint of spiciness. It has just enough depth and it never got too salty. I almost drank all of the soup. To me, it has the best soup base of all the ramen that I have tried at Takumi Düsseldorf in Rotterdam.Sapporo Miso ramen €12.50
As toppings, you get a cube of butter, corn, seaweed, spring onions, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts (and an extra egg +€1). I was the most curious about this ramen, as I have never tried putting a block of butter on top of my ramen before. I tried a bit of the soup before the butter melted and it had a very light white miso flavor with a little bit of sweetness from the spring onions and corn. The most flavor seems to come from the butter. I think it has the same effect as buttered corn.
What do I think?
It is my second visit to Takumi Düsseldorf in Rotterdam. I was so blown away by my first visit that I went there again after a few weeks. I still really liked the delicious noodles, but to keep the quality high all the time is understandably difficult. There were no big flaws, but just things that could be a little bit more perfect.First, we thought we would get the kara-age as snacks together with our ramen as it is such a small dish (we should have mentioned this ourselves probably), but we got it as a appetizer and they waited until after we were finished, before they brought us the ramen. We took our time eating the fried chicken, as it was still quite hot. I don't know if that influenced it, but the ramen noodles weren't as chewy as before. The first time I ate there, the noodles were perfect even with the last bite. Ramen noodles really need to be made and served with the perfect timing, as they can get too soggy after staying in the hot soup for too long. So, even 30 seconds can make a difference. It's not that it was bad, but I liked the ramen noodles, which were slightly harder and chewier, more. It could also be, because we ordered the Tsukemen that time, which was made perfectly al dente, and I remember that the most.
This time, I didn't get to sit at the nice 4 person table near the windows, but instead, I got seated at a smaller 2 person table. There was just enough space to sit and eat. It felt a bit cramped and it was harder to get the attention of one of the very busy waiters, but it was okay. I got to experience a bit of the authentic feeling of eating ramen at the small ramen shops in Japan. It isn't about sitting comfortably and dine long, but instead, you go there to have a delicious and satisfying bowl of ramen and leave immediately after you finish.
However, we did get excellent, restaurant like service from the waiters and we were never rushed to leave. The waiter even personally came by to "uncork" the glass bottle of ramune soda for me. It is not that easy to open, as you need to push the glass marble down with the plastic tip on top of the bottle and it could splatter everywhere if you aren't careful enough. That's why the waiter covered the top of the bottle with a napkin and asked me to personally press the marble down, while he held the bottle for me. The popping effect is quite funny to experience yourself, so he wouldn't want to take it from me.
I could also leisurely take my time to go to the toilet, before we paid the bill and left. The toilets are located at the inner part of the ramen shop and near the bar tables. There is only one door to enter, but inside, there are two separate toilets for men and women and a wash stand to wash your hands. Strangely enough, there is also a small wash stand inside the toilet stall, so I already washed my hands before I got out. Maybe, they made one more, so that people can also wash their hands or stains out of their shirts (it can happen when you're slurping up the ramen noodles), even if the two toilets are occupied.
All in all, I didn't leave with a bad feeling and I will certainly come back again to try more ramen. I already collected 5 stamps on my Takumi Düsseldorf stamp card!
