AFURI Ramen: Popular Japanese Yuzu Ramen From S$9.80 At Funan Mall

AFURI Ramen has finally opened its first outlet at the newly revamped Funan Mall.

The name ‘AFURI’ is derived from a mountain on the east of the Tanzawa mountains, Mt. Afuri. There is no exact translation for the term, so the loose translation is “higher”. From AFURI Ramen’s perspective, it simply means ‘to strive higher and for excellence’.

This well-established ramen restaurant has one of the longest queues during meal times in the mall as compared to the other dining options.

Together with the monochromatic colour scheme, the bright and open interior gave the restaurant a very minimalistic vibe.

Watch the trained staff prepare your orders and have them send it to you straight from the kitchen. AFURI Ramen uses only the freshest locally-farmed ingredients of the highest quality, so you can be sure you’re getting good food.

For those who have young children with them or are health-conscious, AFURI Ramen does not use any MSG, artificial ingredients like colouring agents, food preservatives and other chemical seasonings in all their dishes.

Best known for their yuzu ramen, they use the yuzu imported from Umaji-mura, Kouchi prefecture, which is famous for — you guessed it — producing yuzu.

One of their best-selling dishes from their yuzu series is the Yuzu Shoyu Ramen (S$15.90).

The citrusy taste from the yuzu adds a hint of freshness which pairs perfectly well with the fresh chicken broth and charcoal-grilled pork. Grilled on lava stone, the chashu retained the natural juices from the pork fats and had a smoky flavour too.

The Yuzu Shio Ramen (S$15.90) is also another popular menu item from the yuzu series. The tangy yuzu flavour is infused in the salt-based chicken broth which has a lighter finish as compared to the Yuzu Shoyu Ramen.

Another popular Yuzu dish is the Yuzu Tsukemen (S$15.90). All the components of the dish are placed neatly above the whole-grain noodles, and it comes with a cold dipping bowl containing the broth for the noodles.

Dip your noodles in the dashi-based broth and you’ll get notes of yuzu fragrance on your palate.

For those who are not as keen on their yuzu series, fret not.

Apart from their Yuzu Ramen dishes, they also have the Tonkotsu Shio Ramen (S$13.90). To my surprise, the tonkotsu broth was not as thick as most tonkotsu broths I’ve tried.

For those who prefer to have rice as their staple, you can also order a bowl of Kakuni Cha Shu Don (S$6.80/Small, S$9.80/Regular). This actually reminded me of a popular Korean dish, the bibimbap.

Top it with an onsen egg that will flow when you rupture the yolk and mix it in with the rice. Take a bite with the other ingredients in the bowl, and this dish will leave you wanting more.

AFURI Ramen sure doesn’t disappoint with its Fried Chicken (S$6.90/four pieces). I could hear the crunch as I bit down onto the crispy exterior, which was hiding the juicy chicken chunks.

One other thing that AFURI Ramen is famous for is its dumplings. We ordered the Afuri Buta Wing Gyoza (S$6.90/six pieces) that comes with a house-special dipping sauce.

Each gyoza had a generous amount of the filling that went extremely well with the slightly vinegary sauce.

Given the affordable and reasonable prices as well as the central location, I would definitely come back.

Truth be told, I am not a die-hard fan of yuzu so I personally preferred the tonkotsu ramen. I can understand how the yuzu series would taste phenomenal for those who are big fans of yuzu though!

Expected Damage: S$9.80 – S$15.90++ per pax