Dipping broth was thick but find that it lacks the rich sardine taste. Noodles were al dente though and portion was generous.
Dried sardine seafood flavored Niigata SHOYU Ramen topped with hearty 4 slices of tenderly stewed aburi chashu, flavored soft boiled egg, dried seaweed and bamboo shoot, all-in-one special NIIGATA SHOYU Ramen.
Sanpoutei is one of my go to places for good ramen. Soul nourishing for a cold wet rainy day 🤤Expect a queue especially during peak hours though. Also, they don't do reservations. But plus points for being located right smack outside Holland v station exit B. Much convenience for someone lazy like me 😛😛
🥢 Spiffed up with chunks of aburi Chashu, flavoured Egg, Nori, Bamboo Shoots and Leek
🧾 SGD$14.00
✍🏻 ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆〘6/10〙
💬 I love Sanpoutei's noodles. Their consistency is always spot on; perfectly chewy and al dente with the right noodle thickness. I always go for their tsukemen but I figured I might finally give something else on their menu a try. I ordered the mazesoba and it came slicked in a slightly spicy dried sardine oil x shoyu sauce blend. After a thorough mix, my ramen was still pretty dry and with the sauce being slightly oily and on the heavier side, it can get "jelak" very quickly. After a few slurps, I felt like I had lip balm applied all over my lips. The spice here was essential to cut through all that. I was kinda disappointed at the sauce though as I could barely taste the sardine; which is a polar opposite to their tsukemen's dipping broth. However, they made up for it with the generous serving of aburi chashu cubes. They were very well seasoned and tender. Now here comes a twist: I tend to disregard soups that comes with dry dishes, but this chicken soup served exclusively with the mazesoba was astonishingly good. I would even go as far as saying it tasted better than the ramen itself. I finally get what people mean by a good soup warms the heart and soul! It was rich, flavourful and just simply delicious. Oh the irony; the star of the show was not the sardine x shoyu sauce but everything else on the bowl instead. Sanpoutei needs to open a sister restaurant selling tori paitan (chicken broth) ramen, it would be an easy 8/10! (Also oops I forgot to snap a pic of the soup)
[ Food Review — Going to a ramen shop for its non-ramen dishes! ] Anyone else completely flummoxed by what to eat given the constantly dithering weather? After deliberating, we came to a conclusion: We want agedashi tofu. But because Sushi Tei’s version leaves a lot to be desired, and we weren’t looking to travel too far, we found ourselves at the closest alternative: Sanpoutei at Holland!
So no, we didn’t go to a ramen shop for its ramen. We went there primarily because they’ve agedashi tofu, and also because we could pair hot and cold items from their menu. (Onigiri and tsukemen are technically not h o t food, right?)
Since I already did an in-depth review of Sanpoutei’s ramen in an earlier post, I’m just going to summarise my Nikumori Spicy-Rich Miso Ramen as deeply flavourful and smooth, and great for equalising the fat bits in the broth.
A certain someone’s Dried Sardine Tsukemen was honestly more enticing than my order. (Fun fact, it ranks in my top 3 items from SPT!) Pairing its Niigata heritage with contemporary Tokyo sensibilities, this allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds: You get to taste the intense resonant flavours of the concentrated sardine dip without committing to a large bowl’s worth, and you can enjoy SPT’s sprightly noodles without investing in a hot bowl of soup in SG’s heat. Our only complaint was (and is) how small the dip bowl was, heh.
Onto the main reason for our visit: the agedashi tofu! For folks who love textural contrasts without wanting tempura batter, this is a great alternative. By covering tofu cubes in a light dusting of potato starch, you end up with a diaphanous layer that is more crisp than crunchy. Served in tentsuyu — or tempura dipping sauce — it is a light and easy dish that’s fun to eat and pairs well with most mains.
SPT’s covered all traditional aspects, and even elevated the mild flavours with a generous dollop of tarako (cod/pollock roe). The tofu was delicate and the broth was pleasantly mellow. My biggest gripe with it however, was how the nearly soup-like amount of tentsuyu melted away most of the crisp, turning the skin into a sticky web of starch. Shame, because the flavouring was pretty good!
Hard boiled egg, daikon radish, chikuwa, fried fish cake with burdock, konjac, mochi kinchaku, horseradish, kombu seaweed
I love oden and have been wanting to try the one at Sanpoutei Ramen [$11.80++] for the longest time (the quest to find delicious oden is never-ending) 🍢
Queued up for > half an hour just to get a table (not sure why the restaurant is so crowded on a weekday evening but I guess due to social distancing measures, there are fewer tables) and then I waited another half an hour or more for my dinner 😓 Feel like the staff could have at least told me how long I would have to wait for my meal to arrive. My dad finished eating his dinner long before my food appeared. I’m guessing all the ingredients are frozen in their respective packets and so they had to defrost / heat up / boil all the ingredients etc.
The ‘mustard’ is actually horseradish and it’s extremely strong. I could feel it in not just my nose/sinus but also my brain (LEGIT NOT KIDDING YOU CAN GOOGLE THIS IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME!!) 😓 It actually also fell into the broth so it was kind of like consuming wasabi soup. But otherwise, the broth was delicious. I also enjoyed the chikuwa and daikon and fishcake with burdock. The moneybag wasn’t so amazing and didn’t have any veggies. It hd mochi inside I believe, but I’m not a big fan of the texture of the fishcake/tofu(?)
I would say this oden is good, not bad, well priced. But the waiting time is quite long, so that’s something to consider! Personally I would say the best oden I’ve had so far in SG would be at Shukuu Izakaya. This is only the 2nd restaurant in Singapore where I’ve had oden. I believe another Japanese restaurant in Tanjong Pagar also specialises in oden but I’ve yet to visit - it’s called The Public Izakaya. Will try that out next time!
Hard boiled egg, daikon radish, chikuwa, fried fish cake with burdock, konjac, mochi kinchaku, horseradish, kombu seaweed
I love oden and have been wanting to try the one at Sanpoutei Ramen [$11.80++] for the longest time (the quest to find delicious oden is never-ending) 🍢
Queued up for > half an hour just to get a table (not sure why the restaurant is so crowded on a weekday evening but I guess due to social distancing measures, there are fewer tables) and then I waited another half an hour or more for my dinner 😓 Feel like the staff could have at least told me how long I would have to wait for my meal to arrive. My dad finished eating his dinner long before my food appeared. I’m guessing all the ingredients are frozen in their respective packets and so they had to defrost / heat up / boil all the ingredients etc.
The ‘mustard’ is actually horseradish and it’s extremely strong. I could feel it in not just my nose/sinus but also my brain (LEGIT NOT KIDDING YOU CAN GOOGLE THIS IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME!!) 😓 It actually also fell into the broth so it was kind of like consuming wasabi soup. But otherwise, the broth was delicious. I also enjoyed the chikuwa and daikon and fishcake with burdock. The moneybag wasn’t so amazing and didn’t have any veggies. It hd mochi inside I believe, but I’m not a big fan of the texture of the fishcake/tofu(?)
I would say this oden is good, not bad, well priced. But the waiting time is quite long, so that’s something to consider! Personally I would say the best oden I’ve had so far in SG would be at Shukuu Izakaya. This is only the 2nd restaurant in Singapore where I’ve had oden. I believe another Japanese restaurant in Tanjong Pagar also specialises in oden but I’ve yet to visit - it’s called The Public Izakaya. Will try that out next time!
If you are here for ramen, do give the Butariki Mini Don a try. A small portion of rice with with pork and egg yolk. Give it a little mix and enjoy the delicious rice bowl.
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Butariki Mini Don $5++
Feel like having a bowl of ramen in this weather.
One of the better ramen I had in Singapore, I love their rich tonkatsu base, chewy noodles and melt in your mouth aburi chashu that were so tender it always break when I don’t pick up with care.
Added a mini pork rice bowl to complete the meal, I didn’t need that extra carbs but it so satisfying I couldn’t help it. Enjoy the mixture of yolk, pork and rice, now the meal is completed.
Delivery: GrabFood
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Tonkotsu Ramen $19++
Butariki Mini Don $5+
Feel like having a bowl of ramen in this weather.
One of the better ramen I had in Singapore, I love their rich tonkatsu base, chewy noodles and melt in your mouth aburi chashu that were so tender it always break when I don’t pick up with care.
Added a mini pork rice bowl to complete the meal, I didn’t need that extra carbs but it so satisfying I couldn’t help it. Enjoy the mixture of yolk, pork and rice, now the meal is completed.
Delivery: GrabFood
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Tonkotsu Ramen $19++
Butariki Mini Don $5+
20% off takeaway for ramen! Aburi chashu here is really soft and flavourful, thick pork broth goes really well with their noodles and i also added a mini pork don to complete the set which taste so good. I like how they pack the soup and ingredients separately so the food quality will be preserved until i reached home.
My favourite kind of men is definitely raMEN. I like the cosy environment of this restaurant and how it kinda feels like I'm in Japan. This bowl of hot ramen is perfect for rainy weather and I loveeee ramen egg. The flavoured soft boiled egg melts in your mouth 😍 And it would be better if they can slightly more since it's in a pretty small bowl right now haha. Nevertheless good ramen and I don't mind coming back for more!
(Part 2 of 2)
Nikumori Rich Miso Ramen with Special Full Topping ($19.80++)
While the noodles and the egg were the same, the broth tasted much more umami and of course, less 'meaty'. This broth was simmered for 8h before being mixed with their original blend of miso. And though it was great, as a fan of tonkotsu, it really paled in comparison to the previous bowl. Furthermore, while the stir-fried pork belly slices were thick, they were considerably tougher than the aburi char shu and I would gladly swap the pork belly slices for the char shu any day. Oh, plus points for the copious amounts of onions provided though.
Taste: 8/10
Rice Set
Tarako Onigirazu ($4++)
Topping up an additional $4++ for their rice set, I had their Tarako (Salted Pollock Roe) Onigirazu (Onigiri's rectangular cousin). Simply put it, it tasted like a less satisfying version of mentaiko mixed with a hefty portion of rice which should not be surprising I guess as the roe is not marinated in a mixture of salt and chili peppers. While I'm unlikely to have it again, at least not this flavour, I'll highly recommend dunking it into the broth. Though it'll fall apart instantly, it's akin to dipping bread in soup i.e. They are *meant* for each other.
Needless to say, this meal is perhaps the closest semblance (thus far) to food found in Japan. And if not for the price point, I'll gladly come back to sample everything they have to offer.
Overall (Taste + Ambience + Price): 8/10
More pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Q9UhrHx1w/?igshid=j3jazvzudc2t
(Part 1 of 2)
After my disastrous experience at Ajisen Ramen, I've received quite a few other recommendations on legit Japanese food in Singapore. Forgiving myself for my ignorance, we enjoyed an amazing bowl of ramen this time, reminiscent of the ones in Japan. That is, apart from the price point.
Entering Sanpoutei Ramen at Holland Village, I was surprised at how spacious the interior was as it appeared tiny from the front. To get to our seats, we walked past the kitchen where different staff were focused on skillfully cooking just 1 item. As I finally browsed through my favourite book, I began to get increasingly excited, forgetting just how much I've missed Japanese cuisine...
Tonkotsu Ramen w Special Full Topping ($19.80++)
Rich and porky broth filled with creamy goodness, this was thoroughly satisfying and we wished that we could have gotten a refill (Didn't actually try asking though). Soaking up their broth were their firm and springy curly noodles. While I do prefer mine extra firm, it had already exceeded my expectations. Of course, one should not forget their creamy shoyu egg which spotted a surreal sunset orange hue. Without the 12 hour tonkotsu (pork bones) broth, their aburi char shu (BBQ Pork) would have taken centre stage. It had a nice layer of fat, was tender all around and had a smoky flavour which seems to have had eluded other Japanese restaurants I've tried in Singapore.
Taste: 9/10
More pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Q9HnLHS_O/?igshid=byugjx48fufo
The soup is made from made dried small sardines soup, thick soy sauce, and pork backfat. It is good. Price is $16.
Take my review with a pinch of salt, I’d pick tonkotsu over shoyu any day of the week but this shoyu ramen came highly recommended by a friend. When the waitress came around to serve my order, I was hit with the heady aroma of fish emanating from the broth way before the bowl was placed on the table. Because apparently the base ingredient is sardine, each spoonful of the broth was expectedly rich in flavor, though the saltiness became apparent after a few spoonfuls. Ingredient-wise, this is a quintessential bowl of ramen with a perfectly done ajitama (why half an egg only though?), bamboo shoots, 2 slices of charred char siew that melts in your mouth, and thicc al dente-ish ramen noodles. My only gripe was not being able to finish the broth because of how SALTY it was!
chashu was really tender and delicious, with the charred flavour from the torching coming through nicely. broth was thick, very flavourful and hearty. not a huge fan of the wavy, yellow noodles though but that’s just a personal preference 🙈🙈 ingredients were all of really good quality, definitely a top-notch bowl of ramen.
$17++ | 8/10 ✨
Something different than the usual ramen broth you have, this was made from dried small sardines soup, thick soy sauce and pork backfat. I like it with not so strong flavour and chewy noodle.
Settling in to a continuation of our previous ramen review, the innovative world of rich flavourful broths, light springy noodles, golden oozing ajitamas and tender melt-in-the-mouth slices of chashu still remains to be one of the greatest things man has come to achieve in its deepest respects. After all, a life without ramen, is a life without ramen. With every ramen shop crafting their very own recipes from scratch, the wonders of this perennial plethora of noodles remain infinite, limited only by one’s imagination. Despite this being the case, one must never forget the very roots they try to tear themselves away from in an ardent desperation for recognition. Yes I’m talking about places that sell over-zealous products of a failed fusion that end up being a miss more than a hit. Nevertheless, a place that remains true to tradition while still standing out to be one of the best ramens one can get in Singapore’s blistering warmth is Sanpoutei Ramen. Established in 1967, their broth has a unique flavour of dried sardines that give a subtle umami, its aroma exuding from the very moment the bowl is set onto your table. Served with long and tender strips of aburi chashu that simply melt in your mouth, their noodles are made fresh daily in house within a specialised noodle-making room within the restaurant’s confines. Their W Soup Tonkotsu Ramen with flavoured soft-boiled egg ($16++) still remains to be my fourth favourite ramen in Singapore (yes it’s not my favourite-favourite, the competition is abundant).
