Zuzudo

Special thanks to Zuzudo for extending this food review invitation.

Zuzudo Ramen Bar (ズズッド) is the latest addition to the al fresco dining piazza between G Hotel and Gurney Plaza. Opened around 2 weeks ago, this Japanese eatery specializes in ramen (ラーメン). By the way, "zuzudo" refers to the slurping sound that one makes while eating ramen.

While most restaurants prepare their broth from pork bones, Zuzudo differs from the pack in the fact that its menu is entirely pork-free. Zuzudo's noodle dishes use chicken stock that is stewed from torikotsu (鶏骨, chicken bones) for more than 10 hours. Interestingly, the same soup base is used to create all 4 categories of soup: Shiro (white, 白), Kuro (black, 黒), Curry (カレー) and Kara (spicy, 辛).

The Kuro category is essentially the basic broth with additional seasoning such as soy sauce. This bowl of Butter Scallop Kuro (バターホタテ黒, RM19.00) is saturated in umami (うま味) flavor plus a subtle sense of creaminess.

The highlight of this noodle dish is the juicy scallops (ホタテ). The scallops are fresh indeed. Another interesting ingredient is onsen tamago (温泉玉子). Traditionally cooked in hot springs, the yolk remains slightly runny even though the egg white has solidified.

If you prefer something spicy, Ebi Curry (えびカレー, RM21.00) is a sound choice. In general, Japanese curry is only mildly spicy by Malaysian standards. However, this bowl of soup has surprisingly strong pungency through a clever blend of spices. The aroma is very appealing too. I think you should try the curry version if you have an affinity for spices.

This bowl of spicy noodle features two large shrimps (えび). Also included are cooked pumpkin, carrot and potato; these vegetables help to balance the overall taste. Like the previous dish, there is also an onsen tamago to impart additional savoriness to the soup.

Tori Katsu (鶏カツ), or chicken cutlet, looks almost identical to grilled chicken. Unbeknownst to many people, the chicken is actually baked. The chicken's flesh under the browned skin remains quite juicy - nowhere nearly as dry nor oily as actual grilled chicken. Tori Katsu is available with most types of soup.

Zuzudo also makes its own ramen from scratch, certainly not using ready-made ones! The noodle is sufficiently firm to attain the desired degree of springiness. Overall, I feel the noodle dishes here are very satisfying. Although Zuzudo is mostly focusing on ramen now, the restaurant will be introducing more dishes such as Mentai Rice (明太ご飯) and Temari Zushi Ball (手まり寿司ボール) in the near future.

Name: Zuzudo Ramen Bar (ズズッド)
Address: G-04, G Hotel, 168A, Persiaran Gurney, 10250 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-609-6375
Business hours: 11:00am-11:30pm
Website: https://www.facebook.com/zuzudoramen.bar
Coordinates: 5.43772 N, 100.31033 E
Directions: Zuzudo is located at G Hotel's outdoor piazza, directly facing Gurney Plaza. Gurney Plaza has basement and multi-level parking garages.