Ramen @ Menya Musashi, Raffles City, Singapore

Since popular Japanese ramen joint Menya Musashi arrived in Malaysia, I have wanted to get my hands on a bowl of ramen there.  I finally got my first taste, not at the Menya Musashi in Eat Paradise, Isetan 1Utama, but at Menya Musashi in Raffles City Shopping Centre, Singapore. 

A piping hot bowl of ramen.. so satisfying!

Set up in the mid-1990s in Shinjuku, Tokyo by Yamada Takeshi, Menya Musashi (which means Musashi ramen shop) is one of the most famous ramen brand in Japan with over 10 outlets in Tokyo.The name comes from the legendary Edo-era swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi, and operates on the five key ramen principles of ‘chi, sui, hi, kaze and ku’ to create an ideal bowl of Japanese ramen. Illustrations of samurai with swords can be found on their bowls, chopstick sleeves and cutlery.

Casual atmosphere

It was not a planned visit, but luckily for us, there was no queue in front of the restaurant when we got there. However, there was a long queue by the time we finished with our meal.

We were seated fairly quickly and I found the menu here pretty straightforward. You can choose either the ramen in broth or their signature dish, the ramen with dipping sauce (tsukemen). Then there is a choice of white, black or red broth/dipping sauce. Hubby went for the white musashi and I went for the black tsukemen, so that we can try both and compare.

Ramen Menu

For the tsukemen, diners can also choose the serving size of the noodles (at time of order) - you can choose up to 5x the noodle portion, which is a whopping 600g of noodles! There is no additional charge for upsizing your noodles but sharing the tsukemen is not encouraged/allowed. Since I was feeling hungry, I went for 3x regular noodles (360g).

Black tsukemen (RM14.90) with 3x noodles

The tsukemen came served in two bowls - one with the noodles and another with the thick black dipping sauce. You pick up some of the noodles and dip it into the black-garlic sauce. The sauce on its own is very salty but with the noodles, it was perfect. I was actually worried I wouldn't be able to finish the noodles but it was so good and I enjoyed this way of eating it so much that I finished it all! The noodle texture suited me too, slightly thick so it absorbs the thick broth well. The cha siu was pretty good too, with melting layers of fat. The flavoured egg was a tad overdone but still decent. The tsukemen is a popular dish during the summer months in Japan.

Thick black garlic broth

Slurp slurp slurp!

Hubby's white musashi is the original tonkotsu flavour. This is the ramen that we're used to, noodles served in a flavorsome pork broth. I have to say the broth was very good, thick and rich... Hubby drank it all up. Diners get to choose kakuni or cha siu with their ramen. Since I was having cha siu, Hubby picked kakuni which literally means "square simmered" and is Japanese braised pork. This was also very good, a bit more lean than the cha siu but still tender with some layers of fat. Hubby gave the ramen a big thumbs up!

White kakuni ramen (S$14.90)

Noodles here are thick and nicely cooked - great texture!

Oh-so-tender kakuni (Japanese braised pork belly)

There is even a samurai at the bottom of the bowl!

This is what you see if you finish all the noodles and soup! 

Busy kitchen

Verdict: Loved the ramen here, will definitely give the KL/PJ ones a try. 

Full set of photos can be viewed on my Facebook page here. 

Price: Total bill for two S$37.50.

Location: Menya Musashi, Raffles City Shopping Centre, 252 North Bridge Rd, #01-16, S 179103, Singapore.

Tel: +65 6336 6500

Nearest MRT: City Hall.