Menya Sanji 麺屋三士 at Orchid Hotel

Menya Sanji 麺屋三士

Menya Sanji is located at Orchid Hotel, just around the corner from the popular Keisuke Tonkotsu King. Perhaps due of lack of publicity, this shop has much less customers than its counterpart around the corner.

Menya Sanji (麺屋三士) refers to the "three warriors" during the meiji restoration, thus their warrior-like designs in the interior of the shop.

Bamboo swords line up the wall, giving a feel of being inside a dojo.

But how was the ramen? Menya Sanji does Kagoshima-style ramen, which is kinda like tonkotsu ramen, but not quite.

It's noodles are medium thick, unlike the usual thin Hakata-style noodles you'd get at an authentic tonkotsu ramen shop. The broth is also a lot more milky and opaque, albeit less rich and intense than the usual tonkotsu broth.

Well, it was nothing exceptional. The broth had healthy levels of sodium, but this means a light and not so flavoursome soup. It also had a lingering taste of beansprouts, something that turned me off quite a lot.

However, the main pitfall is their absurdly dry chashu. It was so tough I had a rough time biting through it. Ugh.

A decent shop, however greatly overshadowed by the other immensely popular shop around the corner. I too, can't see why someone would pick to eat here instead of going over there.



01-14 Orchid Hotel, 1 Tras Link, Singapore 078867
Nearest Station: Tanjong Pagar

Daily 1130 - 2300
Price Range: 14~

Keisuke Tokyo けいすけ東京 at Suntec City

Keisuke Tokyo けいすけ東京



Keisuke is probably the most famous (and biggest) ramen chain in Singapore, and of course, it goes without doubt that it dishes out some nice bowls.



Keisuke Tokyo is smack right near the entrance of Suntec City, and isn't that inconspicuous comapred to it's other brances. Keisuke Tokyo features 2 exclusive flavours - the Niboshi ramen and the Miso Tonkotsu ramen.



You won't go wrong with it's signature Tonkotsu ramen, although I'm not so sure about the rest.



Typical creamy Tonkotsu broth done well, their lean pieces of cha-shu tender yet flavourful. The only downside to the ramen was that the aji-tama was a bit too well-done, but still acceptable.



You can probably have this bowl at all the branches, but I'd recommend the main branch at Tanjong Pagar or this branch over here at Suntec for the quality assurance.



A solid bowl, worth going for if you're near the area.





3 Temasek Blvd, 391-392 Suntec City, Singapore 038983
Nearest Station: Esplanade


Mon-Fri: 1130-1500 / 1700-2200
Sat, Sun, PH: 1130-2200
Price Range: 16~

Tsuta 蔦 at Pacific Plaza

Tsuta 蔦



So nearly everyone have heard of the first ramen shop to earn a Michelin star - Tsuta. But being tucked away in Sugamo, Tokyo in Japan, not many of us might've a chance to try it.

That's when Yuki Onishi, the owner of Tsuta, was invited to open a branch in Singapore. And he did.



The wait for a bowl at Tsuta can go up to 2 hours during peak periods, but you can have a try during 3-5pm in the afternoon, where the wait is much shorter.

So what separates Tsuta from the rest? Well, mostly brand and fame, but also because it serves fusion ramen. Yes, expect truffle oil in your bowl of shoyu blend.



So then, how was it? Not quite jaw-dropping, but yes, it is a wonderful bowl. Deep shoyu flavours mixed in with the aromatic truffle oil is indeed a delight to behold. It gets better with every mouth, as you find yourself noticing more and more notes encompassed in their wonderful broth.



The cha-shu was lean yet tender, and a bit similar to prosciutto. It goes well with the fusion theme.



The egg was a tad too runny and soft, but still good.



One thing is for sure though, this bowl is nowhere near the one I had in Sugamo. So no, this is not a Michelin starred bowl of ramen. It is good though, although I would rather term it as consomme with noodles than real hearty ramen.



Open kitchen concept is rather nice, though I would've preferred a more traditional design.





Nonetheless, this is a bowl you shouldn't miss. It might not fit my palate, but it might be perfect for yours. Onishi-san is only working here till 21st Jan 2017, so the quality might deteriorate after he leaves... or not. Anyways go before he goes lol.





#01-01 Pacific Plaza, 9 Scotts Road, 228210 Singapore, Singapore
Nearest Station: Orchard

Daily 1100 - 2200
Price Range: 15~23
P.S. First pic is from www.ramenadventures.com