New Menu at Takumi Düsseldorf in Rotterdam

Takumi Düsseldorf in Rotterdam has a new menu and I was happy to hear that, as I had almost tried every ramen on the menu and I started to order the Monthly special ramen instead. It was really hot that day, so we ordered cold green tea (500 ml, €3.50) and cold oolong tea (500 ml, €3.50). It is a bit more expensive than the normal soft drinks, but you get a large bottle and it is not too sweet, more on the bitter side actually (which I like!). I was also curious about the homemade ice tea (€3).

Special deal on weekdays until 16:00: a side dish will only cost €3, when you order a bowl of ramen. You can choose from 5 gyoza (fried chicken dumplings), 5 pieces of kara-age (fried chicken pieces), 4 takoyaki (squid balls), and 5 pieces of teriyaki chicken. 

I am not sure for how long it will be, but be sure to take advantage of that while it lasts. It might just be temporary for the slow summer period. We ordered the kara-age (not pictured, as it was the first to arrive to our table and we were hungry) and takoyaki, both for only €3 per dish.



This was the first time I tried takoyaki at the Takumi Düsseldorf restaurant in Rotterdam, but I had eaten it before in Japan and it is pretty similar. It has takoyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce and barbecue sauce) and mayonnaise drizzled on top, some spring onions, a grilled exterior, a soft dough center, and cut up, chewy octopus pieces inside. I kind of miss the bonito flakes on top.   

As I had collected enough stamps on my Takumi Düsseldorf stamp card, I could get 5 gyoza for free. They were tasty, but still not as great as the first time, I ate them. Back then, the wrapper was soft - but still a bit chewy- and crunchy on one side. 

 Seafood miso ramen with mussels and salmon €14.50

The previous monthly special ramen were curry ramen with kara-age and buta kimchi miso ramen, but I skipped those, as they didn't really appeal to me and it was way to hot for that. But the seafood miso ramen sounded nice, so two people in my group ordered it.

You get a miso ramen with two pieces of salmon and two large mussels. On the side, there are also bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, spring onions, and two sheets of nori. I tried a bit of the salmon and it was perfectly cooked (still a bit pink). The mussels were large and chewy. I actually had one and it still had a 1 cm large crab inside of it. I guess the mussel didn't get to digest that yet. I also took a small sip of the soup and it had a mildly sweet, white miso flavor and just a tiny hint of seafood. I actually expected a rich seafood broth, so I was a bit disappointed. 

 

Torikatsu shoyu ramen €13.80

I wanted to get the seafood miso ramen too, as I just love seafood, but I tried one of the new ramen instead. I choose the torikatsu shoyu ramen, which is noodles with a large chicken schnitzel, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, and spring onions in a soy sauce based soup. I really like fried chicken, so I thought I would really like this. Although the fried chicken strips were really crunchy on the outside (breadcrumb crust), the chicken meat itself lacked flavor. It really needed some seasoning or a dip sauce to eat it with.

As I wrote before over here, I was curious about the shio and shoyu ramen, as I kept getting miso ramen, just to be on the safe side. But I think I made the right choice, as the shoyu soup was a bit bland. I had to add some of the La-yu (spicy oil) and sesame seeds that can be found on the table to spice up the flavor a bit. 

The other new ramen are: Spicy veggie tan tan men, BBQ cha siu & gyoza tonkotsu ramen, and BBQ cha siu & kara-age mala tonkotsu. They don't really sound that amazing to me, so I will be looking out for the next monthly special ramen.

 Traditional Tokyo shoyu ramen €11.50

This ramen hasn't been featured on my blog before, but the toppings were shown before in other bowls of ramen. The only new thing is the soup, but I tried that already with the torikatsu shoyu ramen that day, so I did not taste any of this. I was a bit surprised to see that the cha siu has changed again. From long strips with bits of fat in between to oval shaped with marbling on the inside, and now, an oval shape with a tiny bit of fat on the outside. I hope they can develop their own signature cha siu one day, as it is one of the main selling points of a ramen shop.  

Soon also available in Amsterdam 

Umaimon Amsterdam - powered by Takumi Düsseldorf  restaurant will open soon and it is specialized in chicken broth ramen. They also only have chicken/seafood/vegetables as side dishes or toppings. I think this would appeal to women who prefer lighter meals and people who don't eat pork and beef.