Miss a good bowl of Ramen

Above: Bowl of Tonkotsu ramen from Tonchin, Japan.


Since I returned from Japan some 4 weeks ago, I have been going places around Singapore and chatting up friends to find out where to find the best ramen is!

Names like Santouka (Central mall), Marutama (Central mall), Ramen Champion (Changi Airport) and Ramen Bari Uma (Tanglin Shopping Centre) etc etc have been mentioned! Since post-Japan trip I've tried Marutama, Menya Musashi (Raffles City), Ramen Dining (Millenia Walk), and Keisuke Tori King (Orchid Hotel). Sadly, none matched up to Japan standard but probably it is too superior and untouchable to begin with. It's akin to eating Katong Laksa or Hainanese Chicken Rice in other countries - they try to do it the same but none emulates the goodness of the real stuff in Singapore. However, I must say the ramen from Keisuke Tonkotsu King is by far the most authentic and closest to what I can find.

Was around Tanjong Pagar area and decided to head there for dinner.

Pic of interior of restaurant (Kop-ed off flickr)

As soon as you step in, the staff greets you with a boisterous Japanese chant and leads you to your table, or counter top. I was pleasantly surprised to find that a glass of chilled water has already been served, a la the service in Japan! The walls and decor are nicely done up to mimic a Japanese restaurant, and even the garnishings are presented neatly.

While the restaurant was not fully packed at the time we were there, we waited for about 10 minutes for our noodles to be served. The waiting time was reasonable as we eagerly looked forward to our bowl of piping hot ramen. While waiting, customers can help themselves to the complimentary hard boiled egg and slightely marinated bean sprouts. On every table, you can also expect a tray of a variety of garnishings, a kettle of water and of course, tissue paper - the Japanese made sure to take care of your every needs.

From the counter top where we were seated, it allowed us a bird's eye view of the Japanese chef in action. The time that every ball of noodle is sunk into the boiling water is painstakingly monitored, to ensure that the noodle texture remains springy and palatable. The soup, egg, seaweed and garnishings are then added in with patience and care, the chef mindful of presentation and taste bud appeal.

Out of the few ramen I've tried over the last few weeks, the ramen from Keisuke Tonkotsu King was the only one where I finished the entire bowl of soup. That good! Verdict - noodles are springy and nice! Soup is very flavourful and thick enough (I asked for 'normal'). The generous piece of pork is succulent and maintains its 'porky' taste despite being broiled in the broth. The highlight is the flavoured tamago (egg) whose yolk is done wonderfully and goes extremely well with the soup. Tatemo Oishi desu!

Finally done with our bowl of ramen, we walked up to the counter and made payment. The Japanese chef bellows another chant in Japanese (which I presume is 'Thank You') and I complimented him with a 'Oishi desu' followed by 'Mata kimasu'. The chef seemed surprised and returned a shy smile. He verifies our order using his heavily accented Japanese English and like every true-blue Japanese, the chef was courteous throughout and thanked us again as we made our exit.

Next up: Menya Sanji, which is a stone's throw away from Keisuke Tonkotsu King, also located in Orchid Hotel. Observed a fully packed restaurant with a few customers in line. Definitely heading there soon!

Where's ur personal favourite ramen? :)