Ramen Taisho – Delicious Artisanal Japanese Ramen below $10

We’re on a hunt for Japanese Ramen across the island, and after hearing about Buta Kin, one of the cheaper ramen options in Singapore, we began to find affordable ramen here. Opened last year within Clementi Mall’s NTUC FoodFare food court, Ramen Taisho serves artisanal ramen. Hock Soon runs the stall with his wife, Kalene. He spent 3 years traveling to and fro Japan to learn the ropes before launching Ramen Taisho. He even followed the old ramen grand masters in Japan to learn the art of ramen. So, let’s find out how his ramen fared.

There are three ramen options – Soup, Dry and Dipping. Hock Soon meticulously and diligently makes the noodles by hand every night after closing the stall to ensure that customers get them fresh the following day. He uses wheat flour imported from Japan for his noodles. Other ingredients such as the chashu pork and tamago eggs are also made in-house.

Tonkotsu Ramen ($6.90) is the best out of the three ramen options. The thin wheat noodles are cooked al dente, boasting a light and springy texture. The broth, made from a mixture of pork and chicken, is robust and flavourful but not too rich. The slices of chashu pork are savoury, with a hint of natural pork sweetness. However, it was a tad too tough and dry. We would also have preferred the slices to be thicker, with a good balance of lean and fatty layers. Also, the tamago eggs weren’t very well done. We like ours softly firm, with a runny yolk in the middle. Big eaters should go for Ramen Deluxe ($8.90) that comes with extra chashu, egg and nori.

Tsukemen – Dipping Ramen ($7.90) – came in second among the options. The cold ramen paired up very well with the seafood dipping broth. It is full-bodied and features the sweetness of seafood. We assumed that seafood, most probably crab, has been simmered for a long time, giving the broth such strong flavours. We did not feel thirsty after our meal, making us certain that Hock Soon prepares his broth from scratch, without the addition of MSG.

Finally, the Mazemen ($6.90) is a shrimp-infused dry ramen, accompanied by miso soup. The taste reminded us of “bak chor mee”. The fragrance was enhanced by huge dollops of sesame oil but the overall package just didn’t hit any right notes for us. Moreover, the miso soup was too bland, nothing impressive.

Ramen Taisho also serves one type of Donburi Rice Bowl – Chashu Negi Don ($5.90), as well as, a Kid’s Meal, consisting of chashu rice with miso soup. If you’re looking for a casual meal in an unpretentious setting, Ramen Taisho is the place for you.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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