For a time, the Ramen Champion offshoots were the apex of good ramen in town, along with long standing favorites such as Santouka and Sanpoutei. In recent months, though, we’ve seen an exciting new trend of sexy, millennial ramen options, including Tokyo’s Michelin-starred Tsuta at Wheelock Place. Then there’s Ippudo’s chicken stock, New York off shoot Kuro-Obi, not to mention exciting fusion takes by Singaporean restaurateurs such as Kanshoku.
Buta Ramen
This non-traditional ramen joint specializes in rich Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen. The grilled, marinated pork ribs and rich tonkotsu broth in their signature Boss Rib ramen is a recipe for delight. Get a side of the kakuni buns to go with. #01-04 Far East Square, 137 Amoy St.
Ippudo
Hakata-style ramen joint Ippudo is showing no signs of slowing down, opening lots of new branches. On the menu are rich, warming bowls of noodles such as shiromaru motoaji—featuring their classic tonkotsu broth—as well as karakamen, spicy noodle soup. #04-02 Mandarin Gallery, 333A Orchard Rd.
Kanshoku Ramen
This Singaporean-owned expanding empire does tonkotsu- and shoyu-based broths paired with straight Hakata-style noodles. Try their exciting black truffle ramen, which takes 12 hours to make. #01-18 The Metropolis, 9 North Buona Vista Dr.
Kuro-Obi
Ippudo’s quick-service Kuro-Obi is the first outpost outside New York, specializing in chicken-based tori-paitan. Try their signature Kuro-Obi ramen. You can customize the noodle doneness and the soup concentration. #B2-54/55 Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Ave.
Marutama Ramen
Before Kuro-Obi, Marutama had the monopoly on chicken-based ramen with four branches around town. Try the aka ramen, with seven kinds of crushed nuts in a spicy soup, and pair it with gyoza. #03-90/91 The Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen St.
Ramen Santouka
Nothing like starting out the night by first grabbing a table at this cozy Hokkaido ramen specialist almost always mobbed with a queue. Their signature dish, among the four soup bases, is the tokusen toroniku shio ramen. #02-76 The Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen St.
Sanpoutei Ramen
This stylish but casual ramen shop’s claim to fame is its complex fish stock for the shoyu ramen. Don’t worry, they have tonkotsu options, too. #01-01, 253 Holland Ave.
Tsuta Singapore
Tsuta has a special recipe for everything from the dashi to the noodles. Try the shio soba, which consists of a blend of chicken and seafood, rock salt, red wine and rosemary. #01-01 Pacific Plaza, 9 Scotts Rd.
