Keisuke Tonkutsu Ramen

We finally had the chance to try the famous Keisuke Tonkutsu King at Tanjong Pagar beside Orchid Hotel. We reached 6pm sharp (their evening opening hour) and there was already a long queue, the shop was pretty small (sits about 20 persons at a time) so we had to wait for the first round customers to finish their dinner before we could enter. There were seats outside the shop and there was free flow of Japanese tea (which tasted like coffee) for the people who're queuing up. There was an unpleasant smell outside the shop though (probably from nearby drains) which makes waiting a bit dreadful. Thankfully the shop serves really fast and most patrons didn't stay to chit chat after finishing their dinner so the waiting time was not too long.


Normally I would be so occupied grinding the sesame seeds but the complimentary eggs (Chew's brand) caught my attention. I'm an egg lover and I was so excited because since it's free it means that I can eat as many as I want! But of course I didn't :( I had to leave space for my Tonkutsu Ramen. There's also free flow of delicious bean sprouts! They took our orders during the queue so the kitchen would prepare in advance and the meals were served within 5 minutes we sat down (godspeed).

I love the idea of 'customizing' ramen, we can choose our flavor to be 'light, normal or strong' and oil to be 'less, normal or none'. They have the basic Tonkutsu Ramen, Black Spicy, Red Spicy and Tonkutsu Ramen Special All Toppings. The broth was absolutely delicious, one of the best I've tried in Singapore. Also, their noodles had the best textures and they were generous with the meat slices.

However, the place is really cramped and small, so don't expect to chill out (even for a short while) after you have finished your dinner. Also they do not accept nets/credit card so be sure to bring along cash. Overall the food is excellent and affordable (less than S$40 for 2 Tonkutsu Ramen Special All Toppings), definitely worth a try. I'm missing the broth already, can't wait to visit again! (:

Keisuke Tonkatsu King

1 Tras Link #01-19 Orchid Hotel, Singapore

Tel: +65 6636 0855

(appx 5 mins walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT)

Opening hours: 11:30am - 3pm, 6pm - 10:30pm Daily

Till next time,
Ace