Shop Reviews

The ramen here is good value for money and pretty good for its price! One of the better noodle options in the Canberra area. The staff working here provide very good service, too. They greet you.

I don't usually write reviews, but I felt that I needed to for both the benefit of potential customers and the restaurant owner/chef/manager. The shop clearly tries to market itself as an Authentic Japanese Ramen Restaurant, with its menu items presented in both Japanese and English. I also just found out that the restaurant prides itself on being owned by a Chef who formerly worked at Santouka, a Hokkaido Ramen Chain. I was there at around 2:30 PM. The stall was empty, with one other customer leaving when I ordered. Ordering and payment are made on the self-service kiosk. I ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen, priced at $10. My order took about 5 minutes to be ready. I spent no more than 10 minutes in the restaurant. Also, I was told that it was their very first day of opening. Usually, on a restaurant's debut, food served is expected to be of the best standards. But clearly, this one was a miss. I have eaten many bowls of ramen from various stores around Singapore, and I couldn't decide if this shop or Ajisen disappointed me more. (P.S. I ate at Ajisen so long ago I can't remember when I last went there; it was a 'try once and never return' experience.) I'll be really straightforward. **GOOD:** * The waitress was friendly, readily recommending the more costly $15 Black Pork Ramen as it was their "signature item." * Serving size was acceptable for $10 (as seen in picture). * Egg was similar to onsen-style. * Pork was tender. **BAD:** * Soup was much more diluted (compared to other ramen shops). * Soup was really bland (despite asking for more tare). * Noodles were slightly undercooked (the inside was still a little "doughy"). * Pork and egg were unseasoned (usually chashu and eggs for ramen are seasoned by soaking in tsuyu). * The shop was not proactive or very interested in receiving feedback (I saw what looked like a manager or perhaps owner in store, but not once did he check in to find out how the food was. Perhaps that's the standard of today's service, and after all, I only spent $10. But back then, I worked for a Japanese food stall, and my shop staff and owner were proactive in receiving customer feedback. It is also possible that I left too quickly, having been disheartened by the standard of food.) **CONCLUSION:** As I was expecting to get a bowl of authentic Japanese ramen, I was greatly disappointed. It was so disappointing that I could not even take a third bite of noodles (as seen in the photo, I only ate the egg and pork with some soy sauce). As a Japanese, I'm deeply saddened and somewhat offended that this is being advertised as an authentic bowl of Japanese ramen, or for that matter, an authentic Japanese ramen shop. It is at best a failed Japanese wannabe or at worst, cultural misappropriation. I'm somewhat glad that I ordered the $10 item and not the more expensive $15 one. Yet, it was still a big waste of money. **RECOMMENDATIONS:** **(for customers)** For ramen in a similar price range, I would recommend Suparakki Ramen @ Yishun-Northpoint or Takagi Ramen @ Ang Mo Kio. They offer a much wider range of items at a slightly cheaper price, and are more authentic to the Japanese taste. Marutai Instant Ramen is also a good go-to that you can easily get from Don Donki or Sheng Siong Supermarket. **(for owner/manager/chef)** Please taste your food before sending it out. Visit other ramen places; I recommend Ramen Champion, Sanpoutei, Keisuke, perhaps even Santouka (your chef should know better since he used to work there). Do try Takagi and Suparakki too (they are your immediate competitors offering affordable ramen to Singaporeans). If you are able to, do visit Japan too. While I don't have a specific restaurant to recommend, I suggest visiting Ganso Sapporo Ramen Alley (do spend a few days there to try out all the different stores. I went there in my early teens, and those are some of my fondest memories of a great bowl of ramen).

The Charsiu Donburi, at $6.80, is very reasonably priced. The Charsiu cubes are on the salty side, but the egg is perfectly done, and I love the attitude of the chef, greeting each customer in Japanese as they collect their order.

I had Ebri Donbutsu for lunch earlier this afternoon. It's delicious. The counter staff is polite and helpful too.

Not a bad ramen, quite tasty. Not the best, but a good ramen. Not as good as other ramen.

Don't order the set ramen if you want whole char siew slices. The set contains tiny chopped pork pieces 😢 …

I'm always here once a month with colleagues or family. I value their quality ramen. Love the tonkotsu miso ramen!

Ramen is good. I would recommend everyone to come for their ramen. It's good value for money!

Ramen is affordably priced and tastes great! Broth is decent for the price. Staff are friendly too.

The food was above average. The atmosphere was crowded and cramped; it was not comfortable dining in.