The ramen shop Tsuru-tate seems to have opened not long ago, conveniently located next to the famous Ryūrin Ramen, in an alley of the Zhongshan shopping district, adjacent to Jiancheng Park. The decor is quite tasteful, primarily utilizing warm wooden tones combined with dim yellow lighting, creating a warm ambiance for diners. There are single seats at the bar as well as several double seats, making the overall dining space quite spacious and not feeling crowded.
We arrived around 5:30 PM, and there was no queue at that time, so we could be seated right away. Ordering is done through a screen on the wall, with photos accompanying each ramen item. This is a nice touch, allowing people who have difficulty choosing to directly select based on pictures.
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✨ Tsuru-tate Chicken White Soup Ramen $360
Recommendation Index: 4.5/5
Tsuru-tate's signature dish is the "Tsuru-tate Chicken White Soup Ramen." Inside, besides a soft-boiled egg, domestically produced pork belly, sous-vide chicken, and cherry duck breast, there’s also a big heap of fried burdock on top. The ingredients are diverse and rich, and the color arrangement is quite eye-catching. Just this bowl alone is packed with protein.
I ordered a bowl to eat, and the chicken white soup is very rich. It retains the chicken broth without being too thick; it's just right. The fried burdock can be eaten alone, offering a salty and crispy texture that feels like a snack. Eating it soaked in the chicken white soup brings a different flavor; the entire experience is quite unique.
The soft-boiled egg has the perfect degree of doneness and softness, which amazed me the most. It's not hard to make a soft-boiled egg, but to make it perfect, only Tsuru-tate can do it.
The sous-vide chicken is tender and not dry. The pork belly, being from Taiwanese pigs, has no unpleasant odor and is very palatable. The cherry duck breast is chewy, and the skin is nicely smoked and very fragrant.
There’s minced garlic available on the side. I recommend finishing half of the bowl in its original flavor before adding a spoonful of minced garlic to enhance the taste even more—it's refreshing!
The only downside is that the noodles in the chicken white soup ramen are a bit thicker and chewier. Personally, I prefer ultra-fine and very firm noodles, so it's a bit disappointing that this aspect cannot be adjusted.
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✨ Marinated Egg Soy Sauce Chicken Soup Ramen $310
Recommendation Index: 3/5
My friend ordered the "Marinated Egg Soy Sauce Chicken Soup Ramen." In comparison, I found the broth to be much less impressive. The soy sauce clear soup lacks depth in flavor, but it also includes a soft-boiled egg, pork belly, and sous-vide chicken. Plus, the soy sauce chicken soup ramen uses thin noodles, which have a texture similar to buckwheat noodles, allowing for a fibrous bite, which is a bonus.
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✨ Char Siu Rice $60
Recommendation Index: 4/5
We also ordered a bowl of Char Siu rice. It uses pork cubes that are reminiscent of Matsusaka pork’s texture. It’s very chewy with a bit of crunch. On top, there’s cheese and minced onions that are torched for extra flavor. A spoonful scooped together with the white rice makes for a delicious bite. If you have a bigger appetite, I highly recommend sharing a bowl of Char Siu rice between two people.
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After finishing, we came out just in time to see a slight queue forming outside. I think if you’re visiting this ramen shop, it would be best to go at an earlier dining time. This way, you can save quite a bit of time waiting in line!