There are two rather popular places for ramen in The Central, Clarke Quay. Marutama Ramen and Ramen Santouka. I tried the former almost 2 years ago when it first opened, this one, I only recently discovered. Ramen Santouka is hidden in a corner of The Central, it is necessary to rebuff the advances of the very-friendly waitstaff from the chinese restaurant you need to pass through in order to get to it. Or, you just really need to know where you’re going. I ordered the Toroniku ramen the first time and the char siew ramen the next. I will admit that I’m not particularly carnivorous. With that said, the toroniku (pork cheeks – at this point in time, an imaginative friend asked me if it was really the cheeks of the pig, or the butt cheeks) slices were delicate and tender. I haven’t tried the supposed meat that melts in your mouth, but this comes close, I think. They didn’t have much fat on them (which was a big plus for me) and even the ones that had fat weren’t overwhelmingly fatty. The miso soup base I chose was rich and tasty and the noodles were springy. 口感! Yum. It is a bit pricey for ramen though – the Toroniku came up to about $20. Then again, I suppose this is the kind of price you get around here. I’ve seen a couple of ramen places at Liang Court though and I think they might just be a bit cheaper for similar quality.
Toroniku
Toroniku Ramen
Ramen Santouka
http://www.santouka.co.jp/
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#02-76 The Central
Tel: 6224 0668
