real ramen @ menya shinchan

there are times when you just feel like being full. you're tired of eating nice pretentious foods in little portions. you're tired of all the dressing up, the going out, the slow process of sitting down, ordering, and waiting for the food to come one course at a time. the chatting, the small talk. basically, you're tired of all the fuss. it's times like these that you just want to go out to a nice, semi-casual restaurant to get some good food in incredibly large portions that really fill you up. these are the places that truly leave you satisfied without burning a huge hole in your pocket while doing so. you know that feeling when you leave a place and you really feel happy? thats it. and thats exactly what you'll get out of menya shinchan japanese noodle restaurant. but wait, there's more.

menya shinchan not only serves food in nice large portions at a reasonable price. they serve incredibly good food too. more specifically, they serve incredibly good ramen. i was doing a little foodie research (thats what happens to nerdy boys who like to eat) and discovered this little place that supposedly serves really authentic ramen. the reviews were really good, so i decided to give this place a try.


we got to robertson quay, and kinda almost got lost finding the place. actually its quite easy. when you enter through the main area, just pass by the open area and make a left, through the little alleyway and you'll see the shop. it's a tiny little no-fuss restaurant. from the moment you enter the restaurant, you can tell that the place is really authentic. half the signs inside are written in japanese, and half of the patrons are japanese too. its kinda confusing when they hand you the menu cause its written in a mix of japanese and english. but eventually after asking the waitress, my tiny brain managed to figure things out.

apparently the place was opened by this japanese guy who decided to tour japan for the best ramen. one day he was posted to singapore for work and decided that this little island lacked good ramen. so he decided to open his own shop. apparently he was the president of the japanese ramen association or something, so this guy knows his ramen.

the ramen here is made fresh daily. the main menu is divided into several types. you have the seafood soup base (which i hear is really good), the pork-bone soup base (which i had and was incredible), the shoyu aka soy sauce base and the miso base. when you order, you have the choice of ordering your ramen soft or hard, depending on how you like it. or you can just not say anything and they'll do it default style. additionally, on weekdays, they make shin jiro ramen, which is a thicker type of ramen, usually only found in japan, and apparently quite fond amongst the japanese. the shin jiro ramen can be ordered with your choice of soup base, and comes with lots of vegetables and bean sprouts. on the sign pasted on the wall, it says that ladies can order the small portion (where they halve the noodles for you) and replace it with a grape vinegar drink or ice cream. by the way, if you pay by citibank, you can get up-sized, additional noodles free. score.

shin jiro ramen - 8/10

d got the lady shin jiro ramen and i got the pork bone soup (done milky style) ramen. additionally, we ordered an extra side of char siew ($3) and bamboo shoots ($2), and a plate of gyoza (which the waitress recommended). the side orders came first. i took a bite of the bamboo shoots. mmm.. i like bamboo shoots as it is, but these were really incredible. they tasted really fresh, not those that you find in most restaurants that taste very machine made. these tasted slightly soft, yet crunchy at the same time. the charsiew was soo tasty too. the charsiew is not tough at all. its perfectly soft, moist and has just the right amount of fat to add great texture to the meat. both of these were so good that we ended up ordering another plate of each.

the gyozas came and i immediately poured some soy sauce and dipped them into it. mmm.. these were really good. i haven't had good gyoza in awhile and the flavors and tastes came flooding back into my memories. they were done incredibly well. 8.5/10

then came the noodles. d's came first, followed by mine. i took a taste of d's soup. delicious. you can tell immediately that the soup has been simmering for an incredibly long time. d got the miso. i never believed that ramen should be eaten with miso. i always thought that you should get pork base or shoyu. but this wasn't so bad. the noodles were thick. almost as thick as the mee rebus type noodles or the prawn mee type noodles. but the unique thing is that they give you an incredibly large amount of vegetables on top. so much that you probably won't be able to finish it. d really enjoyed it and she said that the noodles weren't enough. so i think if you're hungry don't get the half-noodles version. just get it full. its not as much as they say it is.

ramen in pork bone soup - 9.5/10

now on to mine. i really thoroughly enjoyed mine. the texture of the ramen is really authentic. usually, when you eat at most ramen shops, the noodles is soft and springy. over here, because its hand made, its slightly more al dente and really "compact" or so to speak. the noodles are denser in nature. the soup was incredible. they really cooked the pork bones for an amazingly long time with the soup in order to get all the flavor in. the noodles, combined with the great soup, the tender charsiew, the egg and the bamboo shoots was indeed very satisfying. mine didn't have as much vegetables as the shin jiro, which i liked, cause i hate all the veges getting in the way of my real food. its just me and the ramen. additionally i think the pork bone soup is definitely better than the miso, but i guess its all personal preference. i had the upsized noodles and was really full after that. but i think most people would be full with the regular servings. but up size it if you're super hungry :)

all in all, this is a really great place for anyone to get some authentic, high quality ramen in nicely sized portions. it ain't all to fancy, but the food sure delivers. plus, its pretty reasonably priced too. so try it. a return visit is definitely a must in my book.




30 Robertson Quay
#01-05 Riverside View
Tel: 6732 0114


Operating Hours:
11.30am - 3pm
6.30pm - 10pm
(Closed on Tuesdays)