Several decades ago, when I was living in the US, I never had the luxury of enjoying quality Ramen.
There were Ramen shops. It’s just that they were flat out awful.
Sometimes the soup is not good.
Sometimes it’s the men, or the noodles. Don’t match the soup.
Maybe it’s the cooking. The noodles are overcooked.
Sometimes temperature. Not hot enough.
Etc, etc, etc..
Fast forward a few decades and now, there’s delicious ramen all over the world.
My, how the world has changed.
A change for the better. Hurray!
So, on that topic of Ramen, welcome to another episode of restaurant rating by the Japan-Guru.
We’ll be going to a Ramen restaurant called Hitoyoshi. They have a restaurant at mapletree business city.
Hitoyoshi Ramen and Grill at Mapletree Business Center
40 Pasir Panjang Rd, #02-38, Singapore 117440
I’m going alone as an early weekday lunch.
Actually, very early – like 11:30 early - trying to beat the lunch crowd. The crowd is quite bad these days in this area.
Here’s how it looks from the outside.
I really like this Mapletree Business Center area. It's very Singapore.
I mean, It’s modern, lots of nature but (although organized nature and not like… wild nature), with a smart and intelligent feel.
Hitoyoshi Ramen and Grill blends into this landscape beautifully.
Inside the restaurant.
Very high ceiling, spacious seating. Nice and modern setup.
Not a quiet restaurant – more on the noisy side of the spectrum. Lively and energetic.
There’s already a bunch of customers. It’s only 11:30.
I see some Japanese customers. It's always a good sign.
Staff look efficient.
They operate somewhat like robots, but quick and looks well trained.
There’s a stack of Dassai boxes in the corner. I guess it becomes an Izakaya (Japanese bar) at night.
Now the menu.
The menu is quite simple.
They specialize in the Tonkotsu soup. They only have 4 types of ramen. The Tonkotsu, the Spicy Tonkotsu, The Buta Shogayaki Tonkotsu Ramen, and the Garlic Tonkotsu.
Essentially, they’re all Tonkotsu. No other choice.
This as a definite positive sign.
That’s right. POSITIVE.
Not negative.
Surprised?
I would say that’s a Japan-guru evaluation point for Ramen. And let me explain why.
Firstly, let me start by laying out that ramens are a form of art.
It’s extremely difficult to create even one ramen with the perfect soup with the perfect matching noodles and a hint of originality.
It’s the time, effort, expertise, resources, and luck required to nail it.
It’s almost like an invention.
Such a rare feat.
Therefore, for a restaurant to have several options such as “Tonkotsu based” and “Shio based” and “Miso based” and “Shoyu based” etc etc….
Yup, chances are their strategy is variety, and not necessarily the pursuit for that one elusive perfect ramen.
And of course, as a Japan-guru, the perfect ramen is what I’m looking for.
Ok, let's move on.
They have some other food in their menu as well.
OK, let’s choose my order. The “Japan-guru rule” is to start with the basics.
Let’s try the Tonkotsu Ramen with All toppings.
Yes, the standard.
Tonkotsu Ramen with All toppings $15.90++
The final picture was my order sheet. You can adjust your preferences by marking your preferences in the sheet.
I went for normal soup, thicker noodles, and hard noodles.
The first thing that comes out.
Marinated bean sprouts, and corn.
Nope, I didn’t order these. This is a little something to have while I wait for my order. And perhaps something I can add to the Ramen as well.
THAT’S NICE!
I think these small differences in services are important. They leave impressions.
I was trying the marinated bean sprouts as I was waiting for my Ramen to be served. Quite addictive. Especially because I’m hungry, it’s hard to stop.
It’s a bit spicy. Nice and almost crunchy.
The ramen looks like this.
The soup.
Nice. It’s a VERY orthodox tonkotsu ramen.
You might have a perception that tonkotsu soup is really thick. In reality, there is a wide variety to tonkotsu soup.
Some are super thick, but some are light.
I’d say this falls in around the middle, maybe a bit on the thicker side.
The taste is good. Not too thick. Not too salty.
I wonder if it’s light for hungry younger gentlemen? Not sure.
But for this mid-40 uncle, this here is a good balance.
Here’s the Men. The noodles.
I selected ‘thick’ but hmm these look thin.
The thickness of these noodles itself isn't a problem. It's just that if this is "thick", I wonder what comes out when you choose ‘thin’… I’m worried it might be like angle hair spaghetti.
Which will never do for tonkotsu soup.
Anyways, the noodles are good too.
The toppings are relatively normal.
Except for this… not sure what it is. It looks like stir fried beef and onions scrambled and put into the soup.
The onions are nice and melty and the umami and texture it adds is a bit unique.
I guess this might be the originality of their Ramen.
Interesting. Yah, it’s nice.
What else. Black fungus (or wood ear). Half-broiled egg.
A small Kakuni (braised pork)?
No menma. (Bamboo shoots)
That’s a little sad for me. I love menma.
The nori seaweed has good color. Great flavor. Nice and crunchy.
Well managed seaweed.
The Char shew is okay. It’s large. Has taste.
Might find it a bit dry here and there.
Overall, again it’s a very orthodox tonkotsu ramen. Using a baseball analogy, it’s like a fastball right down the middle.
Some of the unique things about Hitoyoshi is the stir-fried meat and onions in the toppings, and the free-flow corn and marinated bean sprouts.
It doesn’t make it VERY unique, but it does add a bit of a color to the restaurant.
Overall, a pretty satisfying ramen experience.
Guru Rating
As a Tonkotsu Ramen: 8.6 / 10.0
Yes, I would definitely consider coming again. I've enjoyed it, and you can definitely do much worse at the same price.
Not only that, I can use this ramen restaurant as a recommendation too. Someone looking for a tonkotsu ramen? Yes, I think this is a pretty safe choice.
The score is not higher than this because the ramen is a very basic, orthodox taste. I don't think it really wows anyone. Just a very solid choice.
Comments