Ramen-ya

Eight stools and one Japanese chef doing everything. Arrive before it opens.

Ramen-ya is worth the trip to Bedok if you are one or two people who care more about broth than branding and can arrive as it opens. It is an eight-seat counter in East Village, the low-rise mall on Upper Changi Road, run by a Japanese chef who cooks and serves single-handed. That is the appeal and the compromise in one: every bowl is made in front of you, and with one man working the whole room, the line moves at his pace, not yours.

Why bother when Singapore has no shortage of ramen, from Tokyo imports in Raffles City to flaming bowls in Orchard? Because this is the opposite of those: no marketing budget, a following built on word of mouth, a short menu and the kitchen a metre from your elbow. East-siders who have been crossing the island for a decent bowl now have one near Tanah Merah.

There are two bowls to know. The Special Shio Ramen is the lighter, cleaner one, with Sapporo-style noodles, torched chashu and a soft hanjuku egg; order it on your first visit. The Special Tonkotsu Red is the bolder bowl, a rich pork broth with a dollop of chilli paste on top, for anyone who thinks shio is ramen with the volume turned down. Add a plate of five gyoza either way. Prices are in the facts box, with their date; check them at the counter.

The room is narrow, with eight counter seats, elbows and steam. Showa-era Japanese posters on the walls, an Ultraman mascot and 80s and 90s Japanese pop make it feel more like a backstreet shop in Japan than a mall unit near Tanah Merah, which is the kindest thing anyone has said about a mall unit near Tanah Merah. It is not somewhere for a long chat, a group or a pram.

How to do it well: go at opening, ideally on a weekday, and assume there will be a line regardless. There are no reservations, and it is closed on Mondays. It is about a 12-minute walk from Tanah Merah MRT, which is worth remembering before you choose the lunch session over dinner in the midday sun. Come hungry, come alone or in a pair, and don't plan anything tight for afterwards. Not halal-certified.

It suits solo diners after a quick, serious lunch, couples who don't need to talk much, and anyone who judges a ramen shop by the broth rather than the queue outside the bigger names in town.

Good to know Open Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner sessions; closed Mondays. No reservations, so arrive at opening. About a 12-minute walk from Tanah Merah MRT. Not halal-certified.

Ramen-ya | 430 Upper Changi Road, #01-03, East Village, Singapore 487048 | Nearest MRT: Tanah Merah