ramen 🍜😻

finally visited keisuke !!! tried their winter ramen, which is your regular tonkotsu broth & had all the toppings. may not look like much but this is a deceptively big bowl, packed to the brim! this is the first time i’ve seen so much meat in my ramen HAHA since most ramen places only give you a thin slice. the stir fry pork was also a welcome addition — it was sweet and extremely tender, probably the best thing about this dish. 😋

that aside, having tried many tonkotsu ramens, would say that this is really average ramen. broth was creamy but not quite flavourful enough, toppings and noodles were average. pretty good value for money though, especially with the free flow boiled eggs and pickled bean sprouts.

$14.90 | 6/10 🌟

this was infused with a lovely peppery aroma, which added a dimension of complexity to your regular tonkotsu broth. unfortunately, the smoked flavour wasn’t as prominent as i had hoped. soup was quite light (which made it quite enjoyable!), contrary to the thick and creamy tonkotsu broths at other joints which can get a bit heavy.

always enjoy the thin, whole grain flour noodles at hototogisu—they’re very light and tasty.

ps. if you can, go to the outlet at chijmes! better ambience & better food imo with some special menu items.

8/10 🌟 | $13.90++

the tonkotsu ramen is always a safe option, was a hearty meaty broth with noodles cooked just right. go for the black kuro ramen for more complex flavors and a spicy kick — there is a good amount of heat without being unbearable and is a unique take on the normal ramen, worth a try 😉 the karakamen with sze chuan peppers was reminiscent of chinese la mian, was decent as well.

8/10 ⭐️

bari-uma probably has one of the best—if not the best—char shu in sg. the char shu had notes of sweetness due to the charring and was melt-in-the-mouth soft.

broth and ramen were decent, with the noodles cooked just right, al dente. the broth was thick and rich, making it a hearty meal.

7.5/10 🌟

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 ✨

yuzu was very fragrant and the citrusy flavour was well infused into the broth. among the two, i prefer shio ramen as the broth is lighter and the yuzu flavour shines through better! noodles were also really thin and well-cooked, complemented the soup well. definitely something unique and worth a try 🌈

$15.90++ | 8/10 ☀️

noodles were thin and chewy, cooked just right. however, the soup was much too salty for my liking and the meat was average.

one plus point would be the price point though — the meal came up to just under $10 for the ramen with gyoza and a drink (student meal). an affordable option for ramen 😊

6/10 ✨

shio ramen with white truffle oil and a clams-based soup. soup was light and fragrant (they didn’t skimp on the truffle), had a lovely depth of flavour quite unlike other means places. ramen was decent, meat was a tad bit too tough. the highlight here is definitely the soup base 😛

shoyu ramen was not bad too but if you prefer a lighter soup, go for the shio! (my personal preference) a warm, comforting meal definitely worthy of its michelin star 💫

$14.90++ | 9/10

so ramen is easily my go-to ramen place! 😻⚡️

the grand ramen came with chashu, toroniku (pork cheek) and a huge slab of pork belly. all three cuts were outstanding; the freshly torched chashu was flavorful, the pork cheek tender and the pork belly fatty and sweet. while the meat took centre stage, the other components were very well executed too — the thin, springy noodles had soaked up the flavor of the broth and the half-boiled ni-tamago was cooked just right. 🍳

the creamy tonkotsu broth was exceptional. the broth had a distinct, full-bodied flavor from the pork bone and was not too salty. rarely do i finish up all the broth in my ramen but i do every time i get so ramen’s tonkotsu broth 😛

overall, an exception bowl of ramen with robust flavors. 🌈 the grand ramen comes at a price tag of $13.90 but for the quality, it’s definitely worth it! (and considering that most ramen joints start at $13+ for basic bowls). visited so ramen during their 1 for 1 promotion & it came to be only $7.90 🤩

$13.90++ | 10/10 🌟

shoyu broth was decent, flavorful but fairly standard. their thin noodles weren’t very satisfactory — felt like the noodles didn’t adequately soak up the flavor of the broth and tasted a bit like yellow noodles. the texture was a little soft and the noodles didn’t have a good chew. char siew was, gladly, soft and tender (although a bit too soft and broke apart too quickly. bamboo shoots (menma) weren’t great and egg was average.

overall, pretty mediocre, but nevertheless a comforting bowl of ramen. bonus is that you do get a free noodle upsize (although i didn’t really discern a substantial increase in noodle portion) and service is fast.

$13.50++ | 4/10 ⭐️

truffle taste was really strong and aromatic, one of the best truffle dishes i’ve had! meat was also tender and tasty, complemented the noodles really well. however, the noodles clump together and were rather hard to eat, perhaps because i mixed the sous vide egg with the noodles. ramen noodles were alright, of average hardness.

$16.90++ | 7/10 🌟