Takumi Düsseldorf & Rotterdam ~ which ramen is better?

Finally. The time has come. That famous Takumi store from Düsseldorf, which has also made its appearance in Rotterdam. Finally, I could eat the ramen I have craved for. Is it better than Rotterdam’s?
During the Düsseldorf food trip with Lazy Pinguin we recorded a food review video about the ramen at Takumi’s. I proudly present you my first food vlog, presented by Lazy Pinguin.

Let me know if you interested to see more videos like this. I really enjoyed making it, so probably you will see more of these 😛
That was Lazy Pinguin opinion about the food. I also have some stories about the two restaurants. So here is my take on the two restaurants and food.

Rotterdam versus Düsseldorf 

I went to Takumi Düsseldorf Rotterdam with Lazy Pinguin and Lazy Sloth (a new Lazy friend for you guys). The restaurant started 10 February 2017 in Rotterdam. I have always wanted to try Takumi ramen in Düsseldorf, after I had eaten at Naniwa. Their ramen was soso; very salty. So I was very happy to try Takumi first in Rotterdam.

We went on a Saturday around 14:00, it was not that busy, no lines standing outside. There was one couple before us, so after 5 minutes we could get a big table. Enough time to admire the interior and other graphic visuals. I really liked their PUSH and PULL on their door. Ain’t it strong?

When you are waiting in line, you get a menu to make yourself familiar with the food. This is also the same for the Takumi in Düsseldorf. In Düsseldorf they also have a lot of special menu things hanging on the windows. We had to wait for about 10 minutes in Düsseldorf and we got a table outside. The trees above us were shedding little flowers, so luckily there were parasols to prevent flowers falling in our food.

The interior of Rotterdam is really nice. The use of wood, red and black colors, Japanese menu signs and lanterns give a lovely Japan-feel.

In Düsseldorf we were sitting outside, so I didn’t really ‘feel’ the interior there. The interior is simple; crowded tables and good food.

Menu

I love menu’s with pretty food photos, this way I can have a better idea what to expect. In Rotterdam you get a form to fill in your choices. In Düsseldorf you also get a form, but they fill it in for you since the form is in Japanese, so traditional. Also the waiters speak Japanese to their customers, like “ira shai ma se” (Welcome!) I don’t know if the waiters in Rotterdam can speak Japanese..

Rotterdam menu:

Düsseldorf menu:

The food

The side dishes were really good in Rotterdam. Salty and crispy, but so o-so-soft chicken karaage. We also ordered fried mashes potato, this was also surprisingly good. Perfect crispy and salt taste. No problems there.

Chicken karaage

I ordered the Buta-Tama Tonkotsu ramen, because I wanted to try the soft boiled egg. But I was a bit disappointed. The first few bites were good, but after a while the soup left a strange taste in my mouth. Which I have had before when eating ramen, a taste I don’t really like. It tastes bitter. I give it a 6.5. This experience made me a bit less fan of Japanese ramen.

“Tonkotsu ramen broth is made with pork bones—in particular, pork hock and trotters. They are boiled for several hours until the collagen and fat break down and liquefy. Collagen, found in the bones and in the tendons that surround the bones, makes the broth dense and slightly sticky. Collagen and fat, together, turn the liquid milky and opaque.” 

Aha! So maybe I cannot handle the collagen and fat in the soup broth… I have been warned.

Buta-Tama Tonkotsu ramen

In Düsseldorf I ordered the Teriyaki Miso Ramen. I tried to be safe by not ordering Tonkotsu pork broth with some strange aftertaste. The Teriyaki Miso Ramen was really nice, a good bowl of ramen with the best Teriyaki chicken I have ever had, juicy and plumpy. I would give it a 7.5, safe food.

Teriyaki Miso Ramen

However Lazy Pinguin DID order a pork bone broth ramen (pork shio ramen) and it was good! The pork taste is so much richer then the miso soup (also compared to the pork broth in Rotterdam). You can really taste that they have cooked the bones for a long time. I would give it an 8.

Pork Shio Ramen

In Düsseldorf we also ordered two side dishes: dumplings and chicken karaage. The dumplings had the right taste and the chicken karaage tasted good, but I thought the Rotterdam chicken karaage were better. But it’s like Dusseldorf’s tastes like an 8 and the Rotterdam’s tastes like an 8.5, so quite high up there.

Then there was this delicious braised pork rice bowl, which Lazy Pinguin described in the video: GOOD FOOD!

Pork don

The verdict

Rotterdam Takumi has more side dish choices, but the soup tastes and ramen toppings quality of Düsseldorf are better. So go to Düsseldorf!

Visit them!

Takumi Düsseldorf Rotterdam
West-Kruiskade 9b
Rotterdam, Netherlands
+31 (0) 10 302 7240
Facebook page

Mon-Thu 11:30 – 22:00
Fri-Sat 11:30 – 22:30
Sun 12:00 – 21:30

Takumi Düsseldorf
Immermannstraße 28
Düsseldorf, Germany
Website

Mon-Fri   11:30 – 22:30
Sat   11:30 – 21:45
Sun 11:30 – 22:00

Can’t get enough of ramen? Then check out more ramen restaurants in the Netherlands.

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