With so many ramen places opening up in Singapore, the country is fast becoming a ramen capital outside of Japan.
The various regional styles ranging from Tokyo to Sapporo allow us to practically eat our way through Japan without leaving our sunny island. With so many choices available, which contenders are actually worthy of a return visit? At inSing.com, we picked out a diverse mix of ramen joints, and rated them individually based on broth, noodles, toppings and tamago (stewed egg). This is our verdict.
Location: #04-02/03/04 Mandarin Gallery
Opening hours: Mon-Sat: 11am-11pm; Sun: 11am-10pm
Taste test: Shiromaru classic with egg ($17++)
Rating: 5/5
Three months after its eagerly-anticipated opening, crowds are still flocking here for ‘king of ramen’, shigemi kawahara’s Hakata-style ramen. One of his two signature ramen, the shiromaru classic, was truly divine. We slurped up every single drop of the elegantly silky and flavourful pork broth! Though it boasted rich and complex flavours, the broth was amazingly light.
Just as fabulous were the thin and straight Hakata-style noodles, retaining their springy bite right till the end. Tender pork loin chashu, sweet cabbage, crunchy black fungus and piquant pickled ginger, were toppings that complemented the noodles perfectly.
Though a tad pricey, do shell out an extra $2 for the tamago (egg) to complete the experience. There’s just one word to describe the lightly seasoned stewed egg with gooey yolk and tender white – sublime.
Location: #01-23/24 Liang Court Shopping Centre
Opening hours: Daily: 10.30am-10.30pm
Taste test: Black pig shabu ramen ($13.80++)
Rating: 4.5/5
Tampopo isn’t a pure ramen joint, as it offers a wide variety of Japanese dishes from sushi to bento sets. In fact, its ramen selection is somewhat of a hit-and-miss, but you won’t go wrong with the bestselling black pig shabu ramen.
Despite its fiery appearance, the chilli flakes were rather mild, providing a lovely kick against the milky tonkotsu broth. Among the myriad of umami and spicy flavours in the broth, we detected a subtle sweetness that lingered on the palate. Just as praise-worthy was the paper-thin black pig pork belly slices that simply melt in your mouth! In fact, all the components of this dish – including the thin Kyushu-style noodles, cabbage, and bamboo shoot – work beautifully together to create a symphony of flavours and textures.
Location: #01-11 The Gallery Hotel
Opening hours: 12pm-3pm; 6pm-9pm; closed on Wed
Taste test: Tokusen tonshio ($12.50++)
Rating: 4/5
Miharu is one of the pioneer ramen joints in Singapore. And the ramen here is authentically Sapporo-style, as in the broth is very fatty and salty. Perhaps all that fat provides much-needed sustenance in the freezing Hokkaido winter, but in our hot, sweaty climate, it might prove a bit too rich.
But if you have the stomach for it, Miharu’s creamy broth provides great depth against the ultra chewy Sapporo Nishiyama noodles that’s specially flown in from Nippon-land. Crunchy corn kernels provided much welcomed sweetness, which we enjoyed much more than the stringy lean chashu and tough pickled bamboo. The tamago was a tad too cooked.
Location: #03-90/91 The Central
Opening hours: Daily: 11.30am-10pm
Taste test: Aka ramen ($15++)
Rating: 3.5/5
Pork broth not your cup of tea? If you prefer chicken soup for your soul, then Marutama is an alternative to the typical tonkotsu-broth ramen joints. The aka ramen was no less richer than the usual pork broth, thanks to the addition of seven kinds of nuts. It’s mildly spicy, thick and velvety. A squeeze of lemon helped to cut through the richness somewhat.
Nicely al dente when served, the noodles here tended to go limp rather quickly. We weren’t bowled over by the three minced chicken balls that topped the noodles, for they were boringly rough and dry. But the tamago ($1) here was very well-seasoned, with a wonderfully molten yolk.
Location: #B3-04/05/06, 313@Somerset
Opening hours: Daily: 10am-10pm
Taste test: Sanpou tonkotsu ramen ($14.80++)
Rating: 3/5
The newest kid on the block, Ramen Play is a collaboration between Japan’s Sanpou Co. and local brand BreadTalk. Its house special is topped with “sanpou” or “three treasures”: toroniku (braised pork cheek), butakakuni (braised pork belly), and cha shu (pork loin in char siew sauce).
Gorgeously tender, the three unctuous pork toppings were priceless gems in their own right. However, the broth was marred by a mild porky pong. Also, there was a slight alkaline after-taste in the noodles. The half-tamago that’s included in the price had a sufficiently soft texture, but somehow, the seasoning still needed fine-tuning.
There’s much potential for this new player, but maybe it needs some time before it reaches the finesse of its better peers.
