RAMEN NAGI - The Best Ramen in SINGAPORE at Suntec City!

Ramen has always been a favorite comfort food of mine! Talking about Ramen Nagi, although they started from Japan, my first encounter with theirs was actually in Hong Kong. Soon after a sip of their broth, I instantly fell in love and now couldn't be more happy to celebrate their opening at Suntec City. 

Chef Ikuta Satoshi, the man behind this award-winning ramen chain, started making ramen from a hole-in-the-wall shop in Fukuoka, Japan. Personally preparing each bowl, he had been working hard to hone his skills and finally walked away with top spots in the Tokyo Ramen of the Year Championship for three consecutive years. Ramen Nagi has since expanded throughout the region with 22 outlets in Japan and 28 overseas outlets spread across Asia. 

You can find Ramen Nagi at Suntec City Tower 2, just right next to the taxi stand near the roundabout. One thing for sure, be prepared to queue!

Each generous bowl of noodles that Ramen Nagi serves is handcrafted and cooked with premium quality ingredients air flown from Japan. Here, they also embraces the open kitchen concept where you can also see everything being neat and profesionally prepared to your liking. 

The brand’s four signature Ramen Kings range from the traditional Butao King, the spicy Red King as well as my favorite Black King and the quirky Green King if you're feeling adventurous.

In an old fashioned Omotenashi style, Ramen Nagi offers a checklist for guests to customise their ramen to their liking, such as the soup richness, noodle firmness, and type of pork you'd like. 

If you're a purist, a bowl of Original BUTAO King ($13.90) is an ideal option. Their award-winning thick, opaque tonkotsu broth surely lives up to its name - it's so velvety smooth and creamy with sticky-lipped intensity! The full-bodied pork broth was so satisfyingly rich with enough fat to cling to the long straight noodle. 

As the ramen arrives with a hot broth and also in a preheated bowl - I'll suggest you to choose firmer noodles or go for the "extra-hard" if you need some photo-time. Please note that an overcooked noodle is not just a mushy noodle, it also makes the broth more starchy ;)

What I heard from the store, the broth's saltiness level would be the same as the one in Japan - I think some of you might find it a little bit too salty. On the other hand, they also provide bonito extract on each table if you need to add extra savory-umami to your ramen broth. 

Original Butao King and Black King ($15.90) are actually two of my favorites! 

If you like distinctive flavor, try the latter as it had distinctive flavor. They added house special black sauce to the same original tonkotsu broth and on top of that they also placed black ball (made of fragrant blackened garlic, squid ink, and minced pork) to be mixed together in your ramen bowl.

This striking Red King Ramen ($15.90) has a striking blend of garlic, chili oil, and cayenne pepper in their original tonkotsu broth - perfect for people who love fiery noodle. 

As for me, I decided to choose reduce the amount of their special sauce and found it bearable and more enjoyable. Some of my friends said it somehow reminded them of "laksa without the dominant flavor of coconut milk".

If you're feeling adventurous, try their Green King ($15.90) as they mix fresh basil and olive oil with the delectable tonkotsu broth. At first, I thought it tasted like a pesto pasta soup especially with parmesan cheese on top. But after a couple of spoons, my palate had adjusted plus the fact that I actually like pesto, I found this whole bowl quite enjoyable.

Ramen Nagi is well-known as the first restaurant in the world to serve a different type of ramen every day for all 365 days of the year! One thing for sure, I'm so looking forward to the new seasonal items they will introduce in the future!

Ramen Nagi

Address:

Suntec City Tower 2, North Wing, #01-512/513, Singapore 038989

(next to the north atrium taxi stand) - MRT: Promenade

Opening Hours:

11am - 10pm daily (L.O 9.30pm)