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For all us ramen lovers, it can get tough trying to satisfy a craving for ramen. A good bowl of ramen is just too expensive these days!
I’ve gone on a pilgrimage around Singapore to find 10 Ramen Bowls Under $10. No need to thank me, I’m just doing my part for my fellow ramen fans.
1. Signature Dry Truffle Ramen, $8.80 (Grove 一素)
If you’re a vegetarian or have vegetarian friends, then this restaurant is right up your alley. Opened by Elemen, a vegetarian restaurant chain, Grove 一素 is a vegetarian restaurant that serves natural and rather novel dishes which are quite affordable.
The Signature Dry Truffle Ramen ($8.80), for example, substitutes meat for mushrooms, black fungus and xiao bai cai.
The noodles looked and tasted more similar to la mian, with an earthy taste of mushrooms and a subtle scent of truffles. I liked that the ingredients were fresh and it came in a reasonable portion. However, do prepare for a bit of a wait, because the last time I’ve gone there I waited quite a bit.
Grove一素: 83 Punggol Central, #02-21, West Wing, Waterway Point, Singapore 828761 | Tel: +65 6385 8874 | Opening Hours: 11am – 11.30pm daily | Facebook
2. Singapore-Style Ramen, $8 (A Noodle Story)
Winning a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2017, A Noodle Story has got people all over the country swarming here for their Singapore-style ramen ($8 for small).
A marriage between ramen and wanton mee with a little dash of their own creativity, the signature ramen is certainly one of its kind. Each bowl consists of wantons, sous vide char siew slices, crispy potato-wrapped prawns, an ajitsuke tamago and a bowl of bak kut teh soup.
Fair warning: you should prepare to queue because everyone wants this pot of gold. But trust me, it’s definitely worth the wait.
A Noodle Story: 7 Maxwell Road, #01-39, Amoy Street Food Centre, Singapore 069111 | Tel: +65 90276289 | Opening Hours: 11.15am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 7.30pm (Mon – Fri), 10.30am – 1.30pm (Sat), Closed on Sun
3. Takagi Ramen, $5.90 (Takagi Ramen)
First opened in Ang Mo Kio back in 2015, then branching out to NUS and Jurong West, Takagi Ramen is the people’s ramen. Like their slogan “Ramen For The Average Singaporean”, the ramen served here is cheap, good and convenient.
My go-to ramen bowl whenever I’m there would be the Takagi Ramen ($5.90). The broth was thick and flavourful, tasting richly of pork. It came in a decent portion as well, with two large slices of chashu.
What I found unique about the chashu here was that it doesn’t have the usual charred taste like most ramen chashu. Although I found it a little blander than normal, my friends absolutely loved this rendition of chashu.
Takagi Ramen: 498 Jurong West Street 41, #01-452, Singapore 640498 | Tel: +65 9138 8017 | Opening Hours: 12noon – 9pm (Tue – Sun), Closed on Mon
4. Tonkotsu Ramen, From $6.80 (Ramen Taisho)
Helmed by a Singaporean couple, husband and Chef Hock Soon spent three years cultivating the art of cooking from old ramen masters in Japan. The ramen made at Ramen Taisho is undeniably authentic.
Specialising in only tonkotsu ramen, their menu consists of three renditions of the dish: Chashu Ramen ($8.80), Ajitama Ramen ($7.80) and the Standard Ramen ($6.80).
What I really liked about this stall’s ramen was their chashu; aside from getting three sizeable slices for each bowl, the chashu also has a good ratio of fat to meat. However, what really sold me was its great depth of flavour. Also, the broth was thick and filled with umami flavour, exactly how good tonkotsu ramen should be.
Ramen Taisho: 1 Kadayanallur Street, #01-32, Maxwell Food Centre, 069184 | Tel: +65 6777 5859 | Opening Hours: 11am – 9pm (weekdays), Closed on weekends | Facebook
5. Tonkotsu Ramen, From $8.20 (Wafu Japanese Dining)
Down at Capitol Piazza Food Republic, you’ll find Wafu Japanese Dining, a ramen stall that specialises in Tonkotsu ramen.
This ramen stall sells three types of ramen: Normal ($8.20), Garlic ($9.20) and Spicy ($9.20). The first thing you’ll notice when you get yourself a bowl is the ridiculous size of the ingredients; the chashu was nearly the size of my palm and I bet I could cover the bowl with the nori.
The chashu slice wasn’t all that tender, but it had good flavour with a fair amount of fat to meat ratio. Although the pork broth wasn’t quite thick, it still had decent umami flavour. I tried both the Normal and the Garlic, and trust my recommendation to go for the latter. I assure you, adding garlic to tonkotsu ramen is one heck of a game changer.
Wafu Japanese Dining: 1 Stamford Road, #B1-20/27, Capitol Piazza, Food Republic, Singapore 178905 | Opening Hours: 11am – 10.30pm daily
6. Mazemen Shiro, $6.90 (300 Boru)
Hidden within Geisha Specialty Coffee in Burlington Square, 300 Boru is a popular lunch spot for especially for students from LASALLE College, which is just right across the road. And trust me, the food served is as good as it’s cheap.
As you can tell, the restaurant does not serve traditional ramen, this here is 300 Boru’s Mazemen Shiro ($6.90) with an onsen egg resting atop a thick bed of cheese sauce and lightly spiced mentaiko.
I highly recommend stirring the contents up before eating, get the onsen egg thoroughly mixed in to slightly sweeten and thicken the cheese sauce. I also like to mix the mentaiko and seaweed into the ramen as well. It’ll give each bite an added subtle crunch and flavour.
300 Boru: 175 Bencoolen Street, Geisha Specialty Coffee, #01-55, Burlington Square, Singapore 189649 | Tel: +65 8748 9676 | Opening Hours: 11am – 8pm (Sun – Fri), Closed on Sat & Public Holidays | Website| Facebook
7. Aka-Obi, $10 (Kuro Obi)
With how hectic working life is, people sometimes end up dabao-ing their lunch back to the office. Luckily for the people working around MBS, Kuro-Obi’s takeaway ramen will satisfy their ramen cravings.
Aside from the doneness of the noodles, customers can also select the strength of flavour, the amount of oil, and the amount of onion and garlic toppings.
The Aka-Obi ($10) is a spicy shrimp ramen with tori-paitan (white chicken broth) as a base. The spice was oddly reminiscent of otah, and was fairly good. Also, if you do have the time to settle down and eat, get a bowl and you’re more than welcome to head over to the food court nearby to have your meal.
Kuro-Obi: 2 Bayfront Avenue, #B2-54/55, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore 018972 | Opening Hours: 10.30am – 11pm ( Sun – Thu), 10.30am – 11.30pm (Fri & Sat) | Website
8. Chashu Ramen, $9.90 (Osaka Ohsho)
Though it is better known for its gyozas, the ramen here at Osaka Ohsho ain’t half bad either. The ramen here actually starts from $14.90 and comes with a free side dish of your choosing. I always go for their gyozas, for obvious reasons.
The restaurant has a lunch menu with two choices: Chashu Ramen ($9.90) or ChaShu Maze Soba ($9.90). The sets also come with free-flow Green Tea (Hot/Cold).
The portions were a little on the small side, but it was still a fairly decent bowl of ramen. This set makes for an affordable meal, but I’ll honestly just go for their regular ramen that comes with a side dish. Gyozas and ramen are the perfect pairings!
Osaka Ohsho: 3 Gateway Drive, #03-09, Westgate, Singapore 608532 | Tel: +65 6465 9383 | Opening Hours: 11.30am – 10pm (Daily) | Other Outlets| Website | Facebook
9. Volcano Seafood Ramen, $9.90 (Wakon Ramen)
For a Westie like me, I had very little reason to venture to areas like Pasir Ris. But then Wakon Ramen set up a stall at Pasir Ris Central, whenever I’m craving their ramen, I will travel across the island just for it.
The menu is pretty extensive, with 12 ramen dishes, all served with different broths and toppings, ranging from Plain Tonkotsu Ramen ($4) to Volcano Seafood Ramen ($9.90). Fair warning though, the spice is rather potent, so if you’re a spice weakling like me, arm yourself with a big bottle of water.
The best part was the Ajitsuke Tamago; it’s honestly one of the best I’ve tasted. The egg seemed to have been infused with the shoyu, along with its umami flavour. I also found the yolk to have a custard-like texture. You simply have to try it for yourself!
Wakon Ramen: 443 Pasir Ris Drive 6, Coffee Express 2000, Singapore 510443 | Opening Hours: 10.30am – 10.30pm (Daily) | Facebook
10. Tonkotsu Ramen, $9.90 (Chabuton)
Opened by Chef Morizumi, the first ramen chef to receive a Michelin star, Chabuton has numerous outlets in America, Japan, Thailand and Singapore.
The orders get served pretty fast; I had my food within 10 minutes of entering the restaurant!
Bowls of ramen start from $12.90, but they also come in junior sizes for $9.90. I would usually go for Chabuton’s signature Tonkotsu Ramen ($12.90), because the broth is rich with flavour, though slightly salty.
I find it more value-for-money to go for the regular-sized bowls, because the junior size comes with a single chashu slice, while regular bowls have two.
Chabuton: 9 Raffles Boulevard, #02-15, Millenia Walk, 039596 | Tel: +65 6837 0335 | Opening Hours: 11.30am – 10pm (Daily) | Facebook
Fun fact: ramen is considered fast food in Japan, with the intended purpose of being “informal”, “affordable” and quick. So why view ramen as some fancy-schmancy affair when I’ve now shown you places to go to get your ramen fix for cheap!
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