We tried Singapore’s best-rated ramen

When it comes to food, finding the ‘best’ is often a tough task, as everyone has their own opinions. However, it seems like most folk unanimously agree on what the best ramen in Singapore is. This supposed chosen one of Singaporean ramen is Ramen-ya in East Village, and it’s truly something special.

At first, the name may seem like a pun playing on an indecisive conversation about what to eat that goes something like: “Ramen? Yeah.” I was first introduced to this humble ramen bar by my colleague Aaron, who discussed Ramen-ya’s fantastic 4.8/5 stars in 471 reviews (at the time of writing).

Obviously, I had to pop by for a visit. As you can see, Ramen-ya uses the famous Ultraman as its mascot. As a diehard Ultraman fan who grew up watching the show, I immediately recognised it as Ultraman Neos. My excitement only grew by the second.

Ramen-ya’s probably the most authentic Japanese ramen bar in Singapore. Stepping into Ramen-ya felt like being transported to a humble streetside ramen bar in Japan, with classic 80s and 90s Japanese pop music playing in the background as a single chef tosses ramen in a basket to the beat.

The interior is decorated from wall to wall with authentic Showa-era Japanese iconography, which is truly charming. However, those familiar with ramen bars likely shudder at the thought of how cramped they are, and that aspect is replicated, too. Ramen-ya can only seat 8 patrons at a time along one long table, with benches outside for guests to wait their turn.

It’s a tight fit for someone horizontally challenged (chubby) like me, and I felt bad taking up extra space with my camera bag.

What I tried at Ramen-ya

Because Ramen-ya’s a one-man show, expect wait times of about 10 minutes, which I can forgive, as I spent time soaking in the ramen bar’s atmosphere.

Most ramen bars have a speciality ramen unique to them, and for Ramen-ya, it’s their Special Shio Ramen (S$14.80). Shio ramen is a variant of ramen where the broth is seasoned mainly with salt, or ‘shio‘ in Japanese. The bowl was so alluring that I nearly forgot I had a job to do.

Those 4 giant slices of chashu were pure eye candy. I’ll talk more about them later, but I just took a moment to bask in the bowl’s beauty when it was first placed in front of me.

Ramen lovers who are used to slurping an endless amount of broth may find a change of pace here, as Ramen-ya’s Speciality Shio Ramen has just enough broth to barely submerge its ingredients but not so much to slurp. It made sense, given how salty shio ramen can be.

Speaking of which, the broth. I was expecting at least some balance in flavour with how highly rated Ramen-ya was, but my expectations were blown away the moment I took a sip. It was just the right amount of salty, yet so clean and rich at the same time. I often say the best broth evolves as you sip it, and this broth only gets thicker and thicker the more you drink.

I appreciated the addition of bamboo shoots to counter the saltiness in case it overwhelmed me. Of course, it was entirely optional, as the broth was immaculate.

I was served Sapporo-style ramen noodles, which, in my opinion, are the best type of noodles for ramen. They’re the right combination of thin and springy while also having a firm chewiness and somehow never turn mushy from absorbing too much broth.

The sheets of seaweed added additional texture as well, though they were a bit hard to mix well into the broth. That isn’t an issue with Ramen-ya specifically; it’s one with seaweed sheets in general.

You Fu Ban Mian Ramen: Soulful fusion of Japanese ramen with Chinese broth

Ok, we’ve finally reached the part where I get to talk about the chashu. The first thing I noticed was the gently charred surface of each slice, applied with the flick of a blowtorch. Then, I sank my fork to grab a slice, only for the whole chashu to fall apart due to its sheer tenderness.

It took me 3 tries to snap a picture and some considerable effort. That’s a testament to how tender the chashu was. It was thick and savoury, with subtle smoky hints permeating throughout every bite. Honestly, eating the chashu felt like ascending to a higher plane of existence.

With how good the rest of the dish was, I wouldn’t have cared if Ramen-ya phoned in the hanjuku egg. But they didn’t. It came pre-open, so to speak, with a visible crack in the white and gooey yolk peeking out. The amazing part about it was how the yolk didn’t leak out into the broth despite this crack and stayed within the white obediently till I fully broke it open.

Like I said in my previous ramen review, the greatest compliment you can give to a chef is handing back an empty bowl, in my opinion at least.

Final thoughts

Ramen-ya’s bowls are masterfully crafted, and I have zero issues with them. Everything about the ramen bar, from the ambience to the decoration and the food, makes you feel the genuine love for Japanese culture that the owner has. Ramen-ya absolutely deserves the title of best-rated ramen in Singapore. Make sure to check them out!

Expected damage: S$14.80 per pax