kagura ramen - kl, malaysia

Rating:  8 / 10

I realise the irony of trying to be taken seriously as a food blogger in Malaysia, but then recommending "non-halal" ramen shops to a nation that invariably avoids pork.

Kagura and Marutama still the fears of porcine desecration, offering chicken-friendly versions.

My hesitant fingers shook whilst reading the google reviews in the back of my taxi. Bukit Bintang? Shopping centre? Having said that, some of the best meals I ate in KL have been in malls, so why should this be any different?

I took the escalators all the way to the top floor, finding Kagura empty as usual (I dine at weird hours). The server ran over to me with a menu and stood excitedly as I perused. I told him i'd be "two minutes" so he retreated back to the kitchen to continue talking to the chef.

Spicy, rich ramen with egg. Ring a ding ding. I put in my order and sat checking instagram for photos of previous visitors. Ten minutes later a piping hot bowl of molten love was set before me.

If the spice level was anything to do with the colour, i'd be in trouble. I had never seen such fiery red broth before.

Luckily, spooning in I found a nice background burn but a rich, comforting flavour. This was a bowl to recommend to friends. All the things that matter were on point, the noodles, the broth, the egg (a bit overcooked for me), the toppings. What really stood out to me was the creaminess and depth of flavour they managed to squeeze out of chicken bones vs pork. The meat wasn't legendarily exciting but it definitely wasn't a sore spot.

Push aside your fears of shopping centres and head over here whenever you get the chance. These boys are popping out top notch ramen for a crowd of people in-the-know.

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG  and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.