We live in the golden age of ramen, especially in Singapore where ramen shops sprout faster than you can say "oisshi". As I've always confessed openly, my favourite type of men is ramen. So when Tsuta Ramen, the first Michelin starred ramen in the World, has set up its first ever outpost in Singapore, I was left with no choice but to join the unwinding queue to find out more.

I queued on a Saturday morning. It was also Kam's Roast opening day in the same building Pacific Plaza. Kam's Roast is brought in by Hersing Culinary, also the same company that brought in Tsuta Ramen and 1-Michelin star Tim Ho Wan. Seems like Hersing is trying to build a Michelin empire in Pacific Plaza.

I posted a live update on the situation on Instagram that day.

The situation at 11.30am. Reporting live from Pacific Plaza, Singapore. . 🍜 🍗 Kam Roast will open at 1pm today. The plan is to eat Tsuta first then move to Kam. #determined

A photo posted by @weekendeatwhat on Nov 18, 2016 at 7:46pm PST

For the record, I didn't eat Kam after Tsuta because #TooFull.

Managed to get in after an hour plus of queuing (thank god for my Kindle which made the wait more value-adding).

I ordered the unusual shoyu ramen ($22.80 / 4 pieces of char siew / 1 ajitama egg), which is Tsuta's award winning ramen. The truffle oil and clam-based dashi stock was a weird combination for me. Hmmm let's just say I can't appreciate the exotic broth which was umami with a hint of truffle pungency. It wasn't inedible but personally, I don't think pungent and umami goes well together. The redeeming factor was the amazing seasoned runny egg which was sweet and savory, as well as the lean yet flavourful pork collar. I wasn't expecting myself to like the pork slices as they aren't the usual melt-in-mouth and fatty char siew.. but they turned out to be the most favourite ingredient of the day. The thin noodles were al dente and springy, just the way I like them.

Ramenologists would know that there is no such thing as a perfect ramen, given the huge variety of ramen types in this world (see Lucky Peach's A Guide To The Regional Ramen of Japan). Just like men, ramen comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Each person has their own preference. For me, I still prefer my thick milky pork-based broth, the typical ramen next door. Till then, doubt I will be going back to Tsuta anytime soon.

Address: 9 Scotts Road, #01-01, Pacific Plaza, 228210

Orchid Hotel has a lot of famous Japanese restaurants, for example the wildly famous Keisuke chicken ramen, and Teppei which I have given up on getting a reservation. Totally surrender. Menya Sanji is like the hidden gem that dishes out surprisingly good ramen.

The shop has very few seats, probably maximum 25 including bar seats? But we were able to get seats at 5pm on a Saturday. We got the Sanji Ramen ($11.5++) each. 

The soup was distinctively more milky white than other ramens and I could taste caramelized onion. But the main star is actually the char shu (pork). It has the right ratio of fats and lean meat that melts in the mouth. The edges were also crispy and the meat was flavorful. Excellent. The egg was also perfect - sweet and runny.

I think I would be going back very soon.

Address:  Orchid Hotel, 1 Tras Link #01-14 Singapore 078867

Phone: 6604 8891

In Japan, it is common to see people eating cold ramen during summer.  Local grown Shin-Sapporo has come up with a summer special to save us all too. 

Ok I know now is more like autumn already. But doesn't matter.. Because Singapore is summer all year round! 

I was at the new orchard gateway outlet. Orchard gateway is just next to somerset MRT and 313. How convenient.

The summer special, which will be available till 31 October, comprises of tenchirashi ramen which is a cold ramen, ebi tofu, and miso steak tofu.

Tenchirashi Ramen ($15.80)

A light taste chilled ramen served with mixture of tempuras, prawn, shitake and shimeji mushrooms, lady fingers, and top off with poached egg.

Destroy the poached egg and mix the flowing egg yolk with the noodles. The noodles used are the Hakata style noodles which are the same used in tonkotsu ramen. These noodles are firm, thin straight and have a high content of egg white, perfect for coating with the egg yolk from our poached egg. The cold ramen was cool, refreshing and savoury with the egg yolk and sauces. The tempura mushroom, prawns and lady fingers were lightly coated and not heavy on the palate. Be sure to eat them asap before they turn soggy. 

Do mix the egg with the noodle thoroughly or else it will be tasteless.

This was an interesting surprise as I was a bit skeptical about cold ramen initially. Turned out I liked it a lot! 

Ebi Tofu ($6.80)

This is a cold appetizer that combines prawn and tofu to enjoy a lighter taste, served with home-made sesame sauce. Very light on the palate and I loved the peanut sauce that accompanied it.

Miso Tofu Steak ($6.80)

Miso is fermented soya beans and I recalled it being salty with a tinge of pungency. Shin Sapporo's miso tofu steak is accompanied with thick miso paste which was really heavy on the palate. Served sizzling on a hot-plate, this would be be ideal for those who really love heavy salty food. Fried potatoes are found hidden at the bottom.

Miso ramen ($14.80)

We also got a miso ramen which is not part of the Summer Special. Miso ramen uses a thicker and curly version of noodle so that the thick miso broth does not slide down the noodles when you lift them up. I am not really a big fan of miso but I think miso lovers would be able to appreciate this ramen which is more flavourful, saltier and intense than tenchirashi ramen. I like the char shu which was lean and thin. The egg could be better and more flavorful.

Chocolate lava cake ($8.80)

Omg this is a must try! The lava cake is ultra nice and I love that it's piping hot, the chocolate is intense and thick and the sponge cake is moist and airy. Mix with cold ice-cream and I'm transported to heaven already! This might be Chocolate Origin's Cuppa Lava Cake's twin brother separated at birth!

Heads up: The lava cake is freshly made only when you order. It takes about 15 min to be prepared, so do manage your time. 

I like that this outlet is not crowded on a weekend afternoon. Especially when we are talking about weekend in Orchard.

While Singapore is an air-conditioned nation and we don't really need cold ramen, it's refreshing to see some restaurants come up with seasonal menus for a change. We all like novelty don't we?

Thanks to Nicolette and Shin Sapporo for the invite!

Address: 277 Orchard Road #B2-04A/05, OrchardGateway, S(238858)

I went for a Tokyo work trip and managed to extend for half a day. 

A very precious half day it was. It was the only day which I can explore Japan on my own and eat at my wish. Not that my work-related meals were not good. They were in fact impressive and interesting, ranging from a suspicious Italian-style blowfish to a simple pork chop drizzled with delicious special brown sweet sauce. 

Japanese is my favourite cuisine, along with Singaporean. And nothing beats a savoury umami-rich piping hot ramen. I decided to drop by this highly raved Ichiran ramen, which is a popular ramen chain in Japan. The last time I checked, it had a 4.5/5 Tripadvisor rating. I visited the outlet which was less than 5 minutes away from my hotel in Shimbashi. 

The concept is gimmicky. Basically you eat in cubicles that are separated so that you only focus on the ramen instead of talking to your friend. It is also a loners' haven. You could bring a frenemy here in case you need to eat with him. But it would definitely be unwise to bring a hot date here.

They make sure ordering a bowl of Ichiran ramen is idiot-proof. 

First : Select your ramen at the vending machine outside the restaurant. Egg is sold separately. Collect the ticket.

Second : Look at this electronic board which will show you the empty (空) seats that are available.

Third :  Settled down at my seat which I swore was just a comfortable size for XS me and might be claustrophobic for larger sizes. Ask the waiter for an English order sheet. Tick your preferences. 

Fourth : Press the button below to call for waiter (hidden behind the screen in front) to take your order sheet as well as the meal tickets you paid for at the vending machine

My mother would probably frown at this anti-social restaurant that promotes non-cohesion culture and communication breakdown. Nevertheless, I am fine with it. Sometimes you just want to eat ramen in peace right?

The waiters move around behind the half-lifted bamboo shield in front of my cubicle, chanting lines of Japanese which I assume are courtesy greetings. I can't see their faces. About 5 minutes later, the hands of the waiter served the bowl of tonkotsu ramen. And the shield is drawn down fully. That was the last time I saw of my waiter.

The broth was flavorful and specks of red pepper made it spicy. But it was certainly not the most flavorful one that I had before. The pork was tasty but slightly overcooked. I would have loved the pork to have a melt-in-the-mouth texture. The perfection was in the runny egg and the noodles which were springy and had the right thickness.

I noticed the spoon had a design which allows it to be hooked against the bowl, thus prevent it from sinking into the soup. Hmmm innovative.

To conclude, I had better ramen. The best one is still Keisuke Tonkotsu Ramen Four Seasons followed by Totto Ramen in NYC. Both were amazing.

Address: Various outlets -  http://www.ichiran.co.jp/english/html/map.html