Best ramen in Singapore!

Keisuke Tonkotsu king

It seems that Singaporeans have an insatiable appetite for Japanese ramen. Since our last Tried & Tested feature on ramen, there has been at least seven more new openings. We pick out five highly raved places for this taste test. Who will be the new king of ramen?

Keisuke Tonkotsu King EDITOR’S PICK!

1 Tras Link, #01-19 Orchid Hotel

Opening hours: Daily: 11.30am-3pm, 6pm-10.30pm

Signature dish: Tonkotsu Ramen Special

Price: $14.80++

Rating: 4.5/5

The newest player on the scene, Keisuke Tonkotsu King is fast becoming the next must-visit ramen destination. This tiny 16-seater joint offers three types of ramen – tonkotsu ramen, black spicy tonkotsu ramen and red spicy tonkotsu ramen. There’s lots of flexibility allowed, from customising the strength of the broth, to the amount of chicken oil to the texture of the noodle.

We went for the authentic version of their signature tonkotsu ramen special with all the toppings. Whoa! Salty and velvety, this tonkotsu broth has remarkable depth and complexity, and isn’t at all shy with fat and flavor.

Even more sinful is the chashu. These are big slabs of marbled and unbelievably melt-in-the-mouth pork belly, guaranteed to send you straight to heaven!

We also like the little extras provided, like chilled pickled beansprouts, roast sesame seeds, bonito flakes and free-flow boiled eggs.

Sanomaru Sapporo Ramen

111 Somerset Road, #02-15 TripleOne Somerset

Opening hours: Daily: 11.30-10pm

Signature dish: Sapporo Miso Ramen

Price: $15.90++

Rating: 4/5

This is one seriously under-rated ramen joint. Opened in June 2010, this is Sanomaru’s first and only branch. Their Sapporo-style miso ramen may have been tweaked to appeal to our local tastebuds, but it doesn’t compromise on quality.

Blended from two separate broths – chicken and seafood – the lightly creamy broth has great depth without being too rich. Mildly sweet and not too salty, there’s a hint of miso that engages but doesn’t overwhelm.

The toppings are just as impressive. There’s only one slice of tender cha shu, but they are very generous with corn, beansprout, spring onion, menma (pickled bamboo shoot), and black fungus. The toppings taste very fresh, and provide lots of crunch and sweetness. The curly, springy noodles remained nicely al dente till the end of our meal.

The only minor nitpick is the egg, which could have been more flavorful and more runny. That said, Sanomaru’s miso ramen is very easy to like. Highly recommended!

Nantsuttei

9 Raffles Boulevard, #P3-06 Millenia Walk

Opening hours: Daily: 11.30am-10.30pm

Signature dish: Chashu ramen

Price: $16.00++

Rating: 4/5

Nantsuttei’s iconic style is robust, savoury tonkotsu broth topped with black ma-yu (roast garlic oil). Surprisingly, the ma-yu isn’t as potent as it looks. It is actually quite mild, but you still get the sweet fragrance of roasted garlic. Fresh garlic cloves and garlic press are available if you wish to up the potency.

We advise you to shell out 4 extra bucks to upgrade from the basic ramen to their chashu ramen. Thick and tender, the flavorful pork loin chashu is juicy and flavorful. The Hakata-style noodles are al dente on the soft side, and go limp quite quickly. No complaints with the competently-executed tamago.

If you’re looking for a ramen that’s satisfyingly savoury and meaty, you won’t be disappointed with Nantsuttei’s hearty chashu ramen!

Ippudo Tao

207 River Valley Road, #01-55/56 UE Square (River Wing)

Opening hours: Mon-Thu: 11.30am-3pm, 5.30pm-12am, Fri-Sat: 11.30am-3pm, 5.30pm-2am, Sun: 11.30am-11pm

Signature dish: Tao Kuro

Price: $15.00++

Rating: 3.5/5

After the successful debut of their Singapore outpost at Mandarin Gallery, Ippudo teams up with Japanese Drum Group Tao to open their second outlet at UE Square.

Specially created for this branch, the signature dish here is the Tao Kuro – featuring thick chewy noodles served in tonkatsu shoyu broth. Ippudo’s famous tonkotsu broth doesn’t disappoint. Smooth and balanced, the broth is delicately creamy and wonderfully complex.

Slippery, curly and firm, the thick noodles go well with the rich-tasting broth. But we were most impressed with their superbly tender and flavorful pork belly chashu. The boiled egg had a uniquely smoky flavor, but it was much too cooked. The toppings were also on the scanty side.

Shin Sapporo Ramen BEST EGG

3 Temasek Boulevard, #01-223 Suntec City Mall

Opening hours: Mon-Thu: 11.30am-10pm, Fri-Sat: 11.30am-10.30pm, Sun: 11am-10pm

Signature dish: Shin Sapporo Miso Ramen

Price: $14.80

Rating: 2/5

Of the five ramen shops in this round-up, Shin Sapporo is the weakest link. The miso in this Sapporo-style ramen is quite distinct. But the stock base is simply too watery and diluted to have any real oomph.

If you like your noodles very firm and eggy, you might like the noodles here. For our tasting panel, the noodle texture veers too much towards ‘rubber band land’.
 
Compared to Sanomaru – the other Sapporo-style ramen in this taste test – Shin Sapporo’s toppings aren’t as plentiful nor as fresh. The yakibuta is a lovely slice of smoky, melt-in-the-mouth belly pork, which would have greater bite if it was thicker.
 
Amidst all these lackluster elements, the only sunny spark was the tamago. Shin Sapporo has the best egg among all these ramen shops. With a subtle kiss of soy and divinely molten yolks, this tamago is pure heaven!


inSing.com made anonymous visits and paid its own meals at the eateries featured here.