Ramen is expensive in Singapore, typically ranging from $12 to $18. In Japan, it is seldom more than 1000 yen ($11.80). It is hard to justify paying so much for a bowl of ramen in Singapore, and when I’m having a craving, nothing makes me feel more satisfied than the Tsukemen from Menya Musashi.
The Tsukemen costs $14.90 and comes with free noodle upsize of up to 5 times the normal portion (120g each). Sharing of the noodles with young kids is allowed, so that works well for us. Between the 4 of us, we normally have a total of 7 or 8 times the noodles.
I like the noodles – it is slightly on the harder side, which is my preference, and it never sticks to the teeth. The broth is inconsistent – it varies from branch to branch and could be different every visit. It is sometimes too salty, other times somewhat dilute, or sometimes lukewarm. Nevertheless, it is still good enough. At least, the use of MSG in the broth isn’t very obvious. I don’t fancy the char siew. It is undoubtedly made from frozen pork, tastes stale and on the dry side. The soft boiled egg – nothing special and I can do it better at home.
The problem with eating Tsukemen is that it gets cold too soon. The noodles turn cold from exposure to the aircond, and after repeatedly dipping cold noodles into the soup, the soup turns cold as well. There’s no way around this except to eat quickly. All in all, it is still very satisfying and this may well be the best deal you can find for Ramen. We save a bit more by signing up the Japan Food Holdings membership, which offers a 10% discount. At $15 per year, it takes just patronizing 5 times to break even. Furthermore, I do get a 5% cashback with the ANZ Optimum credit card, which brings the cost of the Tsukemen down from $17.50 to $15 per set.
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