This week's ramen expedition brings me to Men-Tei Ramen at Robinson Road.
Sitting quietly in the CBD...
A small eatery in the heart of the CBD, when I went there at night at around 9pm, it was pretty quiet. I guess everyone have more or less knocked off.
The signboard outside the shop says that it takes delivery too to nearby offices - and that the noodles is cooked in a way that it can be kept for 15mins without loosing the quality. Not sure how many ramen-crazy Singaporeans actual ordered it before?
The restaurant is bright and simple, and has 2 rows of neatly arranged tables. It gives me a no-frills feeling that it wants its customer to enjoy the food.
I sat down and ordered my usual combination of ramen & gyoza. The music played in the restaurant was Japanese oldies and some enka. This might be the Japanese atmosphere that the restaurant wants to create.
Tried their signature Tonkotsu Ramen ($14++) since this is my first visit.
The ramen is topped with a variety of items: half an egg, a piece of roasted char-siew, naruto fish cake, bamboo shoots, wakame and a handful of spring onion and leek. It uses medium straight noodles for its noodles.
The tonkotsu soup, said to have boiled for 9 hours from 2 different types of bones, does not have a strong smell and is kept pretty light compared to other creamier ones. According the the menu, its specialty is also the layer of oil on top of the ramen: it is a concoction of leek, garlic, dried shrimp and pork oil. And they create different types of oil for each type of their ramen too!
The best part that I like about this ramen is its char-siew. It is roasted to the right level and it is tender and tasty too. The egg, as promised to be another of their specialty, is soft on the inside too. But I expected it to be like the photo on the wall where the yolk is still slightly fluid. The only part that I felt could be better is its noodles. I think its more of a matter of personal preference that I like the noodles harder. Since it seems possible for Men-Tei as they accept orders to customise the hardness of the noodle.
Last but not least, their gyozas. I like the arrangement!
All in all, Men-Tei's ramen is very decent. It has not blown me away but the total experience of the restaurant, ramen and service was good. I would want to come back to try the other types of ramen, which from the menu it really seems that the chef has put in a lot of effort in customising the seasoning, soup and ingredients.
Ramen Data - Men-Tei Ramen, Robinson Road
Address: 61 Robinson Road, #01-01 Robinson Centre
Types: Tonkotsu, Shoyu, Miso
Price: S$14-15.5
Rating: 7.5/10
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