Score
- Overall ★★★
- Meal ★★★
- Atmosphere ★
- Service ★
- Cost Performance ★★
How to go
It is located on the first floor of International Plaza in front of Tanjong Pagar station.
It takes only a few minutes to get there on foot.
It is convenient to exit the station from Exit C.
Meal
This ramen shop is very famous among Japanese living in Singapore.
The reason is that it is the only Jiro-style Ramen restaurant available in Singapore!
Jiro-style Ramen has a lot of enthusiastic fans. Japanese people who miss the taste of Jiro-style Ramen go to this restaurant.
However, my purpose was not to try Jiro-style ramen.
This restaurant also serves “Ie-style” ramen.
I have a sudden and uncontrollable craving for “Ie-kei” ramen.
Yes, I came here to eat “Ie-style” Ramen.
All orders are taken from a ticket machine.
The touch panel allows you to select the thickness of flavor, amount of oil, additional toppings, amount of garlic, order rice, and other items familiar to Japanese “Ie-style” Ramen, so those who are not good at ordering in English should have no problem at all.
One item that is not available in Japan is to select a spicy level.
This is very typical of Singapore.
I ordered it with strong flavor, more garlic, normal oil, and spicy.
The top of the photo shows hot and spicy, and next to it is garlic.
Since it is my routine to eat the soup of Ie-style Ramen with seaweed and rice, I ordered additional seaweed. It was served on a separate plate.
The thick pork bone soy sauce flavor of the Ie-style is well reproduced, and I think it is quite satisfying.
However, since I choose the Spicy one this time, it made the taste a little different from the original. If you want to enjoy the nostalgic taste of Ie-style, you may want to avoid Spicy.
It may not be as good as the Ie-style taste that I loved in Japan, but if you can enjoy this taste in Singapore, it is worth the effort to go back.
Atmosphere
When we visited on a Saturday weekend around 12:00 p.m., there was some line.
I think it took about 15 minutes to enter the restaurant, though.
The restaurant is surprisingly spacious.
The atmosphere is that of an ordinary ramen shop, not that it is fashionable.
Families were seated at the tables, and the counter was crowded with men eating solo meals.
I had the impression that many of the customers appeared to be Japanese and many were eating Jiro-style ramen.
I don’t think it’s the kind of place you would expect to find an atmosphere, so you wouldn’t worry about it.
Service
I don’t have any particular comment to make about customer service, since the ticket machine completes the order, including my own preferences.
A water server is placed in the center of the restaurant, so you have to take water by yourself.
One thing that was a bit frustrating was the relatively long time it took to serve the ramen.
In my case, I think I waited less than 20 minutes for my experience.
Having been accustomed to the speedy delivery of Ie-style Ramen, we have to give a slight minus point here.
A number is written on the receipt purchased from the ticket machine, and when the number appears on the monitor inside the restaurant, the customer goes to pick up the ramen by themselves.
Cost Performance
- IKEMEN (Ie-style Ramen). $14.9
Considering the cost of living in Singapore, this is about right.
I forgot to record the prices for toppings, rice, etc.,
I think the total cost was about $20 for toppings + additional seaweed + rice.
Summary
If you like Jiro-kei or Ie-kei ramen with a strong flavour, a visit will not be a loss at all.
It is probably the closest to the original flavor available in Singapore.
Personally, I don’t eat much Jiro-style ramen, so I would like to visit again to eat Ie-style ramen.
You will want to repeat, which is evidence of a good restaurant.
