When it comes to Japanese comfort food, ramen is king. After all, there’s just something so soothing and satisfying about a steaming bowl of umami-rich broth with springy noodles, melt-in-your-mouth pork slices and an onsen egg. Here in Singapore we have tons of places to get your ramen fix from hole-in-the-wall hidden gems to renowned ramen shops that put out gourmet variations of this classic dish. The next time you feel a ramen craving kicking in, make your way to one of these restaurants for a sublime slurp-worthy bowl.
Ikkousha
Coming to us by way of Fukuoka, Ikkousha is all about Hakata ramen. This particular style of ramen originated in Fukuoka and consists of thin chewy noodles, a creamy pork bone broth, thin slices of chashu, black fungus and green onions. Go classic with the Tonkotsu Standard or try something different like the ‘God Fire’ bowl featuring a secret spicy sauce. You can also add extra toppings like flavoured eggs, seaweed and bamboo shoots.
Ikkousha, Blk 7 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-104B, Singapore 081007. p. +65 6538 1880. Open Mon – Sat 11:30am – 10pm, Sun 11:30am – 9pm & 30 Victoria Street #F1-07 Chijmes, Singapore 187996. p. +65 6338 8460
Ippudo is one of our all-time favourite ramen chains because they have a great selection of ramen to choose from and they consistently put out delicious, top-notch quality bowls. This is another Fukuoka transplant, so the signature is the Hakata style Shiromaru Motoaji bowl with a rich pork bone broth simmered for hours. Other options include ramen with spicy miso sauce, yellow noodles in a clear chicken broth, and a veggie soba bowl.
Ippudo, 5 Wallich Street #01-15, Tanjong Pagar Centre, Singapore 078883 (and various locations). p. +65 6584 0087. Open Sun – Thurs 11am – 10pm, Fri – Sat 11am – 11pm
Kanshoku Ramen
The name translates to ‘finish every last bite’ in Japanese, and that’s exactly what you’ll do at this homegrown ramen shop. Each bowl is the result of 12 hours of prep time including eight hours for the broth to simmer, four hours for the pork to marinate, two hours to create the noodles and another hour to marinate the eggs. You can really taste the effort that goes into their creations with every delicious slurp.
Kanshoku Ramen, 2 Orchard Turn, ION Orchard #B3-18, Singapore 238801 (and various locations). p. +65 6509 8221. Open daily 11am – 10pm
Ginza Kamo Soba Kyudaime Keisuke
Getting bored with the same old classic ramen bowls? Head to this elegant Japanese restaurant in Holland Village to try the much-hyped hybrid duck ramen. Chef Keisuke Takeda uses extra-fatty Irish hybrid ducks to create intensely flavourful broths in your choice of clear or rich consistency. Each bowl is loaded with thin ramen noodles, tender slices of duck, yuzu duck meatballs and a flavoured egg. Not in the mood for soup? Try the duck sliced or minced on rice.
Ginza Kamo Soba Kyudaime Keisuke, 16A Lorong Mambong, Singapore 277677. p. +65 6463 4344. Open Mon – Fri 11:30am – 2:30pm, 5pm to 10pm, Sat – Sun 11:30am – 10pm
Ramen Bar Suzuki
This Boat Quay favourite gets packed during lunchtime when hungry office workers flock to its tables and counter bar to fuel up on hearty bowls of ramen. The menu features various ramen bowls in an array of colours and flavours like the Pure White with a light tonkotsu broth, the Cardinal Red with spicy miso and the Sakura Pink with three different types of shrimp. Added bonuses include bottomless servings of rice, eggs, bean sprouts and potato salad.
Ramen Bar Suzuki, 61 Circular Road, Singapore 049415. Open Mon – Fri 11am – 3pm, Sat 11:30am – 3pm, Sat – Thurs 6pm – 10pm, Fri 6pm – 10:30pm
Sanpoutei Ramen
Established in 1967 in Niigata, Japan, Sanpoutei offers up authentic shoyu ramen bowls topped with aburi chashu, seaweed, spinach, a soft-boiled egg and bamboo shoots. The clear broth is made with tonkotsu, chicken, veggies and two types of sardines simmered for six hours to create an aromatic and flavourful soup base with subtle hints of fish. You can also opt for a rich, creamy broth or something a bit spicier if you like your ramen fiery.
Sanpoutei Ramen, 253 Holland Avenue #01-01, Singapore 278982. p. +65 6463 7277. Open 11:30am – 11pm & 350 Orchard Road #B1-04, Shaw House, Singapore 238868. p. +65 6836 4644. Open 11:30am – 11pm
Tonkotsu Kazan
Add a bit of fun to your dining experience at Tonkotsu Kazan where the specialty is ‘volcano ramen’. It starts with a hot stone bowl filled with flat ramen noodles and your choice of meat or seafood. Then the server will pour in the broth and cover the dish with a red funnel. When steam starts coming out of the top like a smoking volcano, you lift the top, give the contents a stir, and your ramen is ready to eat.
Tonkotsu Kazan, 177 River Valley Rd #01-10 , Liang Court, Singapore 179030. p. +65 6336 8698. Open Sun – Thurs 11am – 10:30pm, Fri 11am – 3am, Sat 11am – 12am
Tonkotsu King
There’s always a lineup at this tiny spot brought to us by chef Keisuke Takeda, who was once voted the top ramen chef in Japan. The menu is simple: you choose either original, black spicy or red spicy broth and then let the server know how rich you want your broth and how firm you want your noodles. The bowls come with thick slices of chashu and luscious eggs with soft yolks, plus there are free hardboiled eggs and bean sprouts on offer.
Tonkotsu King, 1 Tras Link #01-19 Orchid Hotel, Singapore 078867. p. +65 6636 0855. Open daily 11:30am – 3pm, Mon – Sat 6pm – 10:30pm, Sun 6pm – 10pm & 60 Paya Lebar Road #01/04 Paya Lebar Square, Singapore 409051. p. +65 6341 6123. Open Mon – Fri 11:30am – 3pm, 5:30pm – 10pm, Sat, Sun & PH 11:30am – 10pm
Tsuta
Chef Yuki Onishi takes ramen to a whole new level at Tsuta, the world’s first and only Michelin-Starred ramen restaurant. The attention to detail here is second to none with noodles made fresh every day with four different types of whole wheat flour, a custom blend of shoyu sauce from Wakayama prefecture, and richly marbled Canadian pork shoulder chashu. Then you have special touches in each bowl like black truffle sauce, porcini mushroom oil or tender Hosaki bamboo shoots.
Tsuta, 9 Scotts Road #01-01 Pacific Plaza, Singapore 228210. p. +65 6734 4886. Open daily 11am – 10pm & 18 Tai Seng Street #01-01 Mapletree 18, Singapore 539775. Open Mon – Wed 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm, Thurs – Sun 11am – 9pm
Uma Uma
Uma Uma now has two locations at Forum the Shopping Mall and Millenia Walk, both of which feature chic decor and a great selection of ramen and izakaya style bites like gyoza, yakitori and donburi bowls. You have seven different flavours of ramen to choose from including the original Hakata version with tonkotsu broth, a spicy miso version, a light chicken ramen and a mentaiko version with fish roe.
Uma Uma, 583 Orchard Road, Forum The Shopping Mall, #01-41, Singapore 238884. p. +65 6235 0855. Open Mon – Sat 11:30am – 10pm, Sun 11:30am – 9:30pm & 9 Raffles Boulevard, Millenia Walk, #02-06, Nihon Food Street, Singapore 039596. p. +65 6837 0827. Open Mon – Sat 11:30am – 10pm, Sun 11:30am – 9:30pm
*images sourced from respective venues
