Men-ichi Kyoto Ramen @ Northpoint, Yishun

Since my last "sampling" at Ippudo Ramen, my mouth has been itching for another ramen meal. When Cavin has a constant craving, Cavin will do something about it!

*Take note of that Jeffrey!*

I remembered seeing a queue whenever i passed by this newly opened ramen stall in Northpoint! And that's where i am going to satisfy my craving!

Ramen

The most important item for this meal with a very high expectation!

It could have been a matter of choosing a wrong ramen. I ordered Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen. The soup was palatable at first but eventually, the only taste i had was spiciness. I should be more impressed if the dob of chilli wasn't there.

On the other hand, my sister's teriyaki chicken ramen had a thicker, more delicious broth. After pondering on how to describe the taste, it was with realisation that it tasted just like teriyaki sauce!

This in my opinion, was not difficult to make at all!!

Unlike Ippudo, the noodles tasted more like instant noodles although they were apparently handmade. No, i am not complaining because i do enjoy having instant noodles!

The Chashu left a deeper imprint, soaking in the essence of all the goodness of the broth (and only a bit of the spiciness). Though the ramen at Men-ichi was cheaper than Ippudo, the pieces of Chashu were numerically pathetic when compared to Ippudo!

Buta Kakuni

Delish! Part of the ramen set, I would have loved to slowly bite those fats from the pork belly but i didn't for the following reasons.

1) I am too fat and that's fats.

2) It looked plasticky!

Gyoza

Part of the ramen set, these plate of freshly made gyozas were crispy on one side, oily smooth on the other with a juiccccy yet steaming hot meaty filling.

Bigger than the tiny gyozas in Ippudo, these were nice but i would not be able to differentiate them from the many types of gyoza (whether it is from China or Japan) we have in Singapore.

Sushi

A higher regard has always been reserved for sushi from Ichiban Boshi (owed by the same company managing Men-ichi) but the ones in Men-ichi were a few notches down the ladder.

On one hand, the california roll was okay, not bad.

THIS, on the other hand, looked beautiful yet tasted stale. *ugh*

Sashimi

The freshness, thickness and the cut of each piece of sashimi are the main components to a memorable plate of raw fish.

I prefer mine to be thicker and freshness to me, is the most important component. Cut? Nah, noob me doesn't know how to differentiate anyway.

Though it's not my first time having sashimi at Ichiban, this plate of salmon sashimi fell short of expectations. Warm and not fresh. :(

another disappointment.

The swordfish (kajiki) sashimi was way better with its more solid, crunchy texture. And of course, fresher! :)

=============

Please remember i am using Ippudo Ramen as the base guide when i ate at Men-ichi. Comparatively, i prefer Ippudo but that does not mean Men-ichi is bad, because it really isn't.

Due to its close proximity to my house, i am more than keen to try the other ramen they have.  

Location

Northpoint (Opposite Yishun MRT Station)

#01-22/23

Price

Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - S$15.90 (set)

Chicken Teriyaki Ramen -S$15.90 (set)

Sashimi - S$15.90 (each plate)

Sushi - from S$2.10 - S$3.90 (each plate)

Of course, it's necessary to include 10% service charge and 7% GST.

Additional Information

The ramen set came with a side dish (the gyozas, Buta Kakuni etc) and either hot or cold tea.

As with Ichiban Boshi, they have the rewards card that you can use for Ichiban Sushi, Ichiban Boshi, Czzar, Takiyaki Bo and of course, Men-ichi Ramen.

They have freshly made Gyoza for takeaways!

The perfect snack for the freaky rainy weather we have nowadays!