Tasty ramen for the itchy mouth at Men-Ichi

Did you know that the soup broth at Men-ichi is brewed for over 14 hours to give it its thick, full-bodied flavour? They use 100% home-made noodles created with their very own special recipe. The storefronts of Men-Ichi restaurants mimic those of typical ramen outlets in Japan, and there are no frills in the ambience within. You won't usually spot a long queue, but you may have to settle for undesirable seats such as the ones next to the bar counter. Find out how to get extra noodles for free at the end of the post.

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Crabmeat Salad - S$4.90

The greens were fresh and crunchy, but the crabstick was a tad disappointing. It didn't taste fresh and was difficult to chew. However, the sweet sauce made a large positive contribution to the taste.

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Tori Karaage Don - S$10.90

This bowl features Japanese rice accompanied by succulent chunks of chicken. drizzled with waves of mayonnaise. It's probably one of the dishes they fare better at, as the meat was white and chunky and was thoroughly marinated. It was really juicy, awesomely good!

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Pumpkin Croquette - S$4.00

This is probably one of the larger croquettes I have encountered in traditional Japanese restaurants. It seems to be one of the hot favourites, though I thought it was rather pricey. In comparison to other croquettes out there, this is probably below average because it is not sufficiently crunchy and well-balanced in taste. The sweetness of the pumpkin was overpowering.

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Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen & Gyoza Set — S$17.90

The set meal comes with Shoyu tonkatsu ramen, gyoza (6 pcs) & spicy bean sprouts. This is definitely a must-try, as the noodles soaked up the broth well and every strand was really smooth and springy. I also loved that the seaweed remained crisp even after sitting in the broth for quite some time.

The egg was great! The yolk was runny, yet it was firm on the outside. It tasted sufficiently aromatic too.

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Chicken Gyoza - S$5.90

You definitely have to order this. These pan-fried dumplings with minced chicken & cabbage (6 pcs) were succulent, crispy and extremely tantalising. The skin was evenly wrapped and they tasted consistent throughout. The portion is large enough to share among three people. 

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Wafu Shoyu Ramen - S$11.90 (2 pcs Char siew), $14.90 (5 pcs Char siew)

I loved the soup broth of this dish the most. The taste was balanced, though slightly on the richer side. It felt like a lot was going on in the food — I loved the mix of textures of the bamboo, seaweed, chunky chicken and egg.

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Hakata Shiro Kotteri Ramen - S$12.90 (2 pcs Char siew), $15.90 (5 pcs Char siew)

This dish featured thin noodles with Hakata Char siew, rubbery black fungus, bits of spring onion, seasoned egg and seaweed in a thick tonkotsu broth. While the noodles tasted great with it, the soup was too salty to drink on its own.

If you could pull out a handful of noodles with your chopsticks, you'd see the golden shimmer on the surface of each strand. It's really beautiful — you feel like you're eating a melting pot of gold.

I believe a skilful chef is behind this bowl because the chicken is evenly sliced.

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Spicy Bean Sprout Salad — S$4.90

The salad was well-dressed with their special sauce. It was tossed thoroughly and had a heady combination of sweetness and spiciness, pleasantly surprising my tastebuds.

Order any ramen and get extra noodles for free. 

1 Jurong West Central 2 #B1-54
Jurong Point
(currently closed for renovations)

23 Serangoon Central #B1-79
nex
Tel: 6634 4638
Daily: 11:00am -10:00pm
(Last Order: 9.30pm)

930 Yishun Avenue 2 #01-22/23
Northpoint
Singapore769098
Tel: 6755 5719
Daily: 11.00am -10.00pm
(Last Order: 9.30pm)