En Ramen: Family-run eatery with $8.90 ramen, $9.90 Japanese Mapo Tofu & big karaage pieces

Ramen has become a mainstay dish in Singapore and is widely available. But if you’re picky and want to eat at an air-conditioned place that is ideal for hanging with friends on top of an affordable bowl, it gets trickier. En Ramen on 106 Clementi Street 12 hits those checkboxes right off the bat.

It’s a cosy little establishment under a low-rise HDB block. They have an outdoor eating area but as my friend and I were pretty early, we easily snagged a table indoors.

Past a sliding glass door, you can observe that the layout is a mix of a hawker space combined with a traditional Japanese ramen shop. There’s a return station for bowls and trays, and a counter. Beyond the Japanese-style Noren curtains was the kitchen.

Peeking in, you can see the owner Dennis and his family at work. He explained that employing family members helps to keep costs down and his dishes affordable.

What I tried at En Ramen

We started with slices of Salmon Sashimi (S$9). While the cut wasn’t anything special, you can’t really complain. Restaurants rarely charge below S$10 for the slices of raw fish. You get 5 slices of fresh fish with a side of thin strips of carrot and radish.

Another side we ordered was Gyoza (S$7 for 5 pieces). They are served fried, which made the serving of vinegar a little surprising. I normally have vinegar with the dumplings in it if it’s the steamed version, so I just abstained from dipping this fried version. Each is freshly handmade, so you don’t need to fear that weird aftertaste food gets when it’s straight from the freezer.

It was kind of underwhelming, a simple gyoza with a mixture of meat and Chinese scallion. The charred bits of skin added a nice crunch, though, and it wasn’t dry. I would have liked mayo with this.

The true king of these sides was the Karaage Set ($S3 for 3 pieces). They were served with a bit of mayo and a sprinkling of scallion.

I recommend trying it as is before eating it with the sauce. En Ramen’s karaage isn’t heavily coated in batter, leaving the big chunks of meat juicy. They weren’t overly greasy, either. They were rather gingery, but not too overpowering.

Now, moving on to the namesake of this eatery – the ramen. We started with a hearty Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen (S$8.90). While Dennis explained all the ramen broth is tonkotsu based, each noodle dish has its own type of soup flavour. For this, shoyu is mixed into the pork bone broth.

It was surprisingly not overly salty. The soup was more subdued but was a nice contrast from the saltier side dishes and chashu that topped this bowl. There were two fat slices, one pork collar and the other, pork belly. This way, you have both lean meat and a fattier cut to enjoy.

The bamboo shoots added a nice crunch to the soft noodles. Speaking of the noodles, you better eat them fast as we saw our soup soak up the porky flavours when we were eating the sides.

The ajitama egg added a nice touch of richness to the soup, but we may have left them soaking in the hot bowl for too long as the yolk wasn’t as runny.

Senya serves mouthwatering Japanese pork don & fatty salmon belly sashimi

The other ramen dish we ordered was En Ramen’s Original Ramen (S$8.90). The soup was noticeably whiter than the tonkotsu shoyu. This is just their simple tonkotsu flavour as is.

This version comes topped with shredded crunchy black fungus and the same cuts of chashu and egg. Like the bamboo, it adds a nice crunch to the noodles.

Dennis explained that these two bowls were popular among kids due to the less intense flavours. For a bigger kick, many people actually go for the Japanese Mapo Tofu (S$9.90) or, if they prefer noodles, the En Signature Ramen (S$10) or Kara Miso Spicy Ramen (S$8.90).

The latter pair use En Ramen’s signature chilli paste, and the kara miso version is marketed as hot and spicy.

Honestly, I liked that the two versions we got weren’t all that heavy and did not leave us feeling bloated.

Final Thoughts

So long as you don’t drop by on Friday nights or the weekends, En Ramen has a very chill vibe. It’s perfect to relax and enjoy a bowl of ramen with friends.

The ramen being offered is simple with no added fluff. However, the affordable cost of both the mains and the sides is very attractive. En Ramen is more of a casual hangout than something for special occasions so if that’s fine with you, come order a bowl.

Expected damage: $8.90 – $13.90 per pax

90’s Fusion Food: Ex-COLLIN’s chef’s Japanese-Western wagyu donburi & curry chicken karaage from $7