“Serving more than just ramen”
Located in B2 of the somewhat quiet Orchard Gateway, Shin-Sapporo Ramen can be quite easy to miss. Opened in May 2014, the Orchard Gateway outlet is the fourth and latest addition to the popular home-grown ramen chain. Using age-old Japanese recipes, many people do mistake this local chain as a Japanese franchise.
Like their other outlets, the restaurant’s interior is kept clean and simple, which is Japanese inspired for its austerity. Let’s get on to the food, shall we? We started off by sampling the appetisers from their seasonal menu and the current season being their summer specials (strangely it’s not summer anymore though).
Ebi Tofu ($6.80). The silky tofu was served cold on a bed of fragrant homemade sesame sauce and topped with plump prawns. The dish was light and thanks to the sesame sauce, packed with flavour. However, all that flavour can be a tad overwhelming, it’s best to be conservative on how much of the sesame sauce you “scooped” up.
Miso Tofu Steak ($6.80). Another dish on the summer specials, this dish comprises fried tofu and potato lathered in miso sauce. The salty miso sauce complimented the lightly battered tofu.
Tenchirashi Ramen ($15.80). The only main dish on the summer specials, the Tenchirashi ramen is served cold as Japanese would usually eat colder dishes in the summer. This dish is really refreshing and one you can definitely appreciate in our weather.
The poached egg, once broken and mixed, makes the noodle silky thick and the tempura fried mix including prawns, shitake, shimeiji mushrooms and ladyfinger provided the needed crunch and texture. Excellent mix of flavours, although heavier than it looks. For the wasabi lovers, you’ll be pleased to know that the orange paste is actually orange mustard and tastes like wasabi.
Hakata Tonkatsu Ramen ($14.80). The pork bone broth is creamy and full-bodied, although slightly salty. Then again, most ramen broth has a certain degree of saltiness. The cha-shu had a good meat to fats ratio, making it tender yet not overly fatty. As this is Hakata styled, the noodles are thin, firm (but I would have preferred Shin-Sapporo’s noodles to be firmer still) and almost white. This noodle type is probably the our favorite amongst all that we’ve tried today.
Shin-Sapporo Miso Ramen ($14.80). The signature miso-based ramen. The saltiness of the miso stock is counter balanced by the sweetness of the crunchy corn and bean sprouts. However, we’re not too big on the thick curly noodles. The noodles were a bit tough on the bite and the fuller size of the noodle makes the dish more filling than it needs to be. We’d imagine that the Hakata style noodle will go wonderfully well with the miso broth.
Although not stated on the menu, customers are also able to request to change the type of noodles they prefer in whichever soup base. So if you’re like us and prefer your noodles thinner, you know what to do!
Ajitama ($1.50). We loved the Ajitama so much, we ordered extra. The egg was so well marinated that it tastes good on its own (no need to pair with ramen broth) and the runny yolk just left us wanting more.
Yakiniku Cha-han ($16.80). Beef marinated in japanese sauce paired with egg fried rice. The rice dish is simple and serve as a good alternative if you’re not in the mood for ramen.
We like the variety of Shin-Sapporo’s menu and how their noodles are all made locally from their own recipe. Prices are quite wallet-friendly too. It’s a casual place to go if you’re in town and you want some ramen while your company can try other non-noodle dishes. Not much of a crowd as well which is plus points for us.
Expected Damage: $18 – $40 per pax
