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RESTAURANT REVIEWS
Ramen Isshi
1 Raffles Place, #04-29
6438 1350 | isshi.sg
A new, healthy ramen concept from the
team behind Orgo, Ramen Isshi is a
relaxed and reasonably priced eatery
in the CBD. Decked out in dark wood
with a colourful motif of electric blue,
orange, purple, red and green that
carries through to the menu, the whole
effect speaks of modern Japanese style.
Along with ramen, the menu offers
Chinese and Japanese small plates
like
carrot cake with saffron
($8) – a
surprising twist on traditional carrot
cake – delectable
tuna sashimi and
avocado salad
($12) and crispy
gyoza
pork dumplings
($5 for four). The main
event though, is the homemade ramen
noodles. We tried themeaty andmoreish
“Black” Tonkotsu Kuro Ramen
with
sliced cha-shu pork ($13) and the
“Red” Tonkotsu Aka Ramen
with spicy
Szechuan pepper and scallops – a little
spicy for my British palate! If you have
room for pudding, the almond jelly ($5)
with framboise is a great way to finish.
The surprise of the meal, however,
was the drinks. On offer is a range of
fresh fruit and soy juices, and smoothies
to rival most smoothie bars. We tried
the
“Yellow” Pure Juice
(passionfruit
and mango, $4.50) and the pineapple
Total Soy
($3.50), both of themmade in-
house and delicious. The fresh fruit beer
was also a hit – the
passionfruit beer
($9) was like a summery fruit shandy. For
something stronger, try the Korean rice
wine,
makgeolli
, or Japanese whisky-
style
shochu
(both $9) available in fruity
flavours.
The verdict? Ramen Isshi is a great
lunch spot. From 11.30am to 2.30pm, a
bowl of ramen, complete with salad bar,
is just $12. And if you get really hooked,
you can even buy one of their snazzy-
coloured thermos lunch boxes to take
away and have hot ramen at your desk.
Katie Peace
LUNCHTIME
HOT-SPOT
Tonkotsu Kuro Ramen