Singapore is well and truly spoilt for choice when it comes to ramen. From a dirty quickie at an Ajisen outlet to Ippudo, which is straight outta Fukuoka, there’s no shortage of places to satiate that craving for a scorching hot bowl of noodles soaking in broth.

The spicy Karaka-men ($22++ for extra char siew) has four spice levels to test your mettle, and this bowl is a level three ‘very hot’ spice level. Yes, it’s even more violent than it looks. However, the spice never overpowered the rich, piquant pork broth. The spicy paste added lots of flavor into the sapid soup, and the ramen (which I ordered at medium hardness) was supple, springy and cooked to perfection.

Instead of the normal two slices of pork belly char siew, the extra char siew option sees another three slices go for a luxurious bath in the broth. The char siew itself is cooked acceptably and is sufficiently tender, but it’s a bit bland. That’s where the smashingly savory and spicy soup comes in. What you wanna do is get a spoonful of soup, a bit of ramen, and a strip of char siew before dumping it down your hatch.

Ippudo is certainly one of the better ramen places in Singapore. That’s quite something considering the insane levels of competition in Singapore due to the glut of ramen restaurants round town.