Keefe's guide to the best ramen in Singapore

Keisuke's special Bak Kut Teh ramen is actually really really fragrant and tasty. until end of the October at Suntec's Keisuke Ramen Dining ONLY. try it now. amazing broth if you like bak kut teh. ($14.90++) 5/5

Finally got to try the much talked about Ramen Atelier. basically it's a ramen shop with French influences cause their chef trained in France. you can check out Seth Lui's review here http://sethlui.com/ramen-atelier-singapore/ this is their spicy tomato, which is basically ramen in tomato bisque with shrimp chili. So their noodles are cooked al-dente by default, so do let them know if you prefer it soft (like me). Otherwise their soup was great - a creamy sourish tomato paste with a bit of spicyness. the 3 slices of char siew as well as the egg are prepared sous vide so the quality was great. for $13 nett a bowl, this is definitely one of the best value for money ramens in Singapore!

p.s. They are having 1 for 1 for their Ramen Noir (squid ink ramen, usual price $14 nett per bowl so will be only $7) today (1/10/17) 12pm - 8pm!

this is one bowl of ramen that hardly needs any introduction. if you haven't tried this at least once -- where have you been hiding?! it easily makes my list of top 5 ramen in Singapore with that signature pork cheek that is so tender it melts in your mouth. don't bother with anything else on the menu; their pork cheek ramen is the ONLY bowl worth ordering. if you like it slightly spicy like me, top up to kara-miso soup for a minimal fee. 5/5

Keisuke's outlet at Suntec is well known for their fish stock and crab stock ramen.... but since I've tried both many times i decided to try this Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Special (Level 3 spiciness, $18.90++) this is the bomb lah. ever wanted a spicy ramen but somehow they just turn out weak? this level 3 was tasty and fiery enough without being unpalatable. kinda reminded me of the Summer Ramen at their other branch Keisuke Four Seasons (which is one of the best ramens in Singapore) yummy! 4.75/5

Sanpoutei's (B1 of Lido) ramen uses fish stock for its ramen (apparently sardines). Comparing it to the other fish stock ramen i know of, Ramen Dining Keisuke in Suntec City, this one is clearer and lighter, while Keisuke's is thicker and tastier. I usually prefer the thin hakata style noodles but the thicker curly noodles served here complement the fishy stock rather well. The big winner, though, are the pork slices. The original bowl of shoyu ramen ($15++) contains 2 slices; i got the special ($17.80++) which had 5 slices and was glad i did. The char siew slices are thick, tender, and the bits of fat melt in your mouth so fast even the most health conscious wouldn't bother trying to remove them. I can safely say these are the best tasting pork slices I've had in any ramen so far, especially since the standards at Tonkotsu King in Orchid Hotel have dropped. given the lack of a queue on a Sunday night, I wonder if people actually know of this hidden gem right in the middle of town. 5/5

finally tried the Ma Maison Hokkaido Cheese Ramen! located in the basement of the relatively new Capitol Piazza, it is on the same level as the City Hall MRT exit. this bowl of ramen costs $16.80++, does not come with a ramen egg (additional $1.50++) and only contains one slice of char siew. pretty expensive considering most other ramen shops (read: NOT ippudo) serve bigger bowls with more toppings at a cheaper price. guess you gotta pay more for their supposed "special Hokkaido cheese"... it comes in 4 soup bases: shio, shoyu, miso and spicy (additional $0.50++) i ordered the shio.

the ramen looked really appetising with that mountain of cheese in a creamy bowl of soup. i was told that the cheese mixes better with hot soup, meaning i should mix the cheese in ASAP (and STOP taking 48727294 photos first) so i did. unfortunately i think the cheese did not mix well anyway. i was expecting the cheese to be of a thicker consistency so that it could kind of wrap around the noodles but that did not happen. instead it either dissolved into the soup, which did not make the already-creamy soup taste much more different, or it clumped and collected at the bottom of the bowl (i found quite a few pieces only at the end of my meal)

the noodles were ok; the thicker Hokkaido style ramen noodles were not really to my liking.. i prefer the thinner Hakata style noodles anyway (Ippudo has the best noodles i've tried so far). the soup was creamy and not too salty and it reminded me of a Chabuton kind of milky broth.

special shoutout to the side dish of cheesy pork cutlet. that was better than the ramen.. i guess Ma Maison should just stick to their tonkatsu. haha.

overall i would give the bowl of ramen a 2.5/5 for its taste and rather high cost. if you fancy a nice bowl of cheese ramen i would recommend either the Spring Ramen from Ramen Keisuke Four Seasons (still my #1 ramen shop in Singapore) or the Emerald Green Ramen from Ramen Bar Suzuki. both contain basil + cheese.

if you do visit this ramen shop, get their tonkatsu sets instead (and the HEAVENLY cheesy pork cutlet as a side dish). do yourself a favour and skip the ramen.

I have been a huge fan of Ramen Keisuke ever since I tried their Tonkotsu King at Orchid Hotel years ago (even before the long queues started forming). Naturally I had to also hop by another one of their outlets, Tori King, which specialises in Chicken broth ramen. Since I am new here, I decided to revisit one of my all-time top 5 bowls of ramen in Singapore just to grab a picture and write about it here.

The menu at Tori King has changed over the years. They have added new dishes like the Tan Tan Mien and Tsukemen and added more things like meatballs to their All Toppings option (+$5). One thing that hasn't changed though is their Green Spicy Ramen ($17.90++ with all toppings).

This delightful mix of chicken broth ramen with a slab of wasabi paste offers an extremely unique gastronomical experience. I guarantee that if you have never tried this before, you will be blown away with your first mouth of the soup. The added kick of the wasabi paste together with the chicken broth might not suit everyone's tastebuds, but hey if you like your sushi with wasabi you'll definitely love this.

The ramen eggs are runny and amazing (unlike Tsuta's) and the added toppings just pretty much ensure a satisfying and filling meal.

If you like wasabi, don't even look at the black spicy or original flavoured bowls. Mai tu liao, try the green spicy and let me know if you enjoyed it as much as I did and still do:)

finally got to try the much talked about Michelin starred Tsuta ramen. so there are only 2 choices: the shio or the shoyu. this is the more popular shoyu ramen, with truffle ($15 nett for 1 piece of char siew, $22.80 nett for 4 pieces of char siew). the shio is lighter and doesn't have a truffle taste. don't waste time on that..

figured i should just get the 4 pieces of char siew cause i'm not going to come back and queue again in the near future. queued for 30mins at around 8pm on a Sat night. not too bad.

1) the noodles are springy, ranks up there with Ippudo's.
2) the truffle taste is forgettable. Kanshoku Ramen Bar at the first floor of Orchard Gateway serves better truffle ramen.
3) pork slices are ok. still not as good as Keisuke Ramen's..
4) soup was light. and salty. i don't like light soups. or light AND salty soups.
5) egg was poor. it wasn't runny enough. you could probably make a better ramen egg yourself with a sous-vide machine...
6) cost was reasonable..... for a michelin starred restaurant, not for the quality of the food

overall: 3/5 stars. very forgettable. being a HUGE ramen lover i left without feeling like i'd specially come back again. are you sure this got a michelin star!? i can probably put the Shio bowl beside a bowl from Ramen Play and nobody would be able to tell the difference. feeling quite underwhelmed and sad now LOL