After a disappointing experience with Takagi Ramen via Grabfood, my wife and I thought it was time to go outside and find some proper ramen. So we began our quest of finding the best ramen in Singapore.
We didn’t trust Google results for this kind of search, and we weren’t sure if the food bloggers were telling the truth. So, we looked at a Reddit thread about the best ramen in Singapore and decided to try the ones with the most upvotes.
Bari-Uma
Our first visit was to Bari-Uma. It was a little hard to find because there was some construction work happening nearby. We went for dinner, but then decided that ramen is more of a lunch dish. So, for our other visits, we went at lunchtime.
I thought their ramen was alright. But my wife didn’t really enjoy it. I asked her why, but she couldn’t remember. She seemed more interested in the prawn noodle shop next door. So maybe we need to go back and give it another try.
Our rating: 🙆🏻♂️🙅🏻♀️
Sanpoutei Ramen
Next, we went to Sanpoutei. We’d heard from Redditors that this place is usually very busy. But when we arrived, it was empty. Maybe it’s because we went on a weekday at 4pm.
We ordered the rich dried sardine tsukemen, just like everyone recommended. And it was really good! I did take off a little bit from the score because I was hoping for the more traditional bone broth ramen, but it was still quite tasty. Plus, it’s right on Orchard road, so it was easy to get to.
Our rating: 🙆🏻♂️🙆🏻♀️
Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King
Keisuke was a name that kept popping up in the Reddit thread. But the Suntec branch, which most people seemed to like, was closed. So we ended up going to the Tonkotsu King branch at Tanjong Pagar.
(This was my first time at a Keisuke ramen shop. I noticed they all have different names. I wondered if they serve different things? Anyway, I thought “tonkotsu” sounded like the kind of traditional ramen we were after, so we decided to try it.)
The reviewers were right about one thing—they offer free-flow eggs and bean sprouts. But the ramen was just alright.
Our rating: 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♀️
Hakata Ikkousha Ramen
Hakata Ikkousha is at a place called Chijmes. There are actually two ramen shops there. And the other shop has a bigger sign, shiny posters, and even Michelin logos. Luckily, I double-checked to make sure we were at the right shop.
When we got there, there weren’t many people. The ramen was good. My wife thought so too. There was nothing fancy about the ramen, it was just a good, traditional bowl of ramen. If you want a Japanese dessert afterwards, you can try the matcha at Hvala just a few steps away.
Our rating: 🙆🏻♂️🙆🏻♀️
Brothers Ramen
We knew about the long queues at Brothers Ramen during lunchtime, so we decided to go on a weekend. But the queue was still really long, and we saw a lot of Japanese people who seemed to have come just for the ramen.
We had to wait a long time to get into the shop, and then we waited even more after we ordered. All in all, we waited about 1 hour. I’m not sure how people find the time to eat there during their lunch break.
Because we waited so long, we were really hoping the ramen would be great. We ordered the Brothers ramen and the Megamen. But to me, it was just alright. My wife thought it was above average, but we both agreed that it wasn’t worth the 1 hour wait. On the plus side, their ramen is cheaper than at other places.
Our rating: 🙅🏻♂️🤷🏻♀️
Ramen Matsuri
Ramen Matsuri is another ramen place in the CBD area. Like Brothers Ramen, it’s known for its long queues at lunchtime. So, we decided to go on a weekend and were ready to wait. But it wasn’t crowded when we went.
We tried the chicken ramen and their bak chor mee mazesoba. My wife enjoyed their ramen, but I didn’t like the onions they put on top. I didn’t think the taste of raw onions went well with the ramen soup.
But their mazesoba was pretty good! I guess I’m just a sucker for nori seaweed. My wife didn’t care for it as much, though.
Our rating: 🤷🏻♂️🙆🏻♀️
TLDR: Go to Hakata Ikkousha for classic ramen. For dipping noodles, try Sanpoutei.
Next, we’re thinking of doing the same for char kway teow. Can’t wait!