Shin-Sapporo Ramen Review: Ramen Set On Fire Right Before Your Eyes

Ramen, ramen, set on fire

Update (4th April 2019): Shin-Sapporo Ramen has relocated to 460 Alexandra Road, Singapore 119963.

I appreciate restaurants with open kitchens because I love the anticipation of watching my food being prepared before my eyes. Set inside Century Square in Tampines, Shin-Sapporo Ramen doesn’t have an open kitchen, but they’ll bring the kitchen to you – well, kinda – by setting fire to ramen at your table.

Ramen at Shin-Sapporo Ramen

I was all pumped up for a good show and Fire Ramen ($15.80++) did not disappoint at all. A chef doused a huge scoop of oil that was already on fire carefully over a bowl of chashu ramen and the fire blazed spectacularly. The flame was humongous and I could feel the heat despite sitting a distance away from it. That made me understand why they asked me to tie my hair up and put on an apron – ain’t nobody wanna be a burning man here.

Unfortunately, the ramen didn’t taste as fantastic as the show that came before it. After the fire died out, we were left with a lacklustre bowl of noodles. It didn’t come with many ingredients, just ramen and thin slices of chashu under a pile of spring onions.

But the broth impressed me with its sapid charred taste and strong garlic fragrance. That made up for the lack of ingredients, and the soup was so flavourful, I didn’t have to add any condiments to enhance it.

Another ramen that caught my attention was Sake Ramen Soup ($15.80++) because of its weird sounding combination.

Unlike the fire ramen, this had scrumptious ingredients. There was black fungus, bamboo shoots, grilled chashu, mushrooms, seaweed and my favourite ajitama (soft-boiled ramen egg)! If you love soft boiled eggs too, you can add a whole ajitama for $1.50++.

The idea of incorporating alcohol into ramen broth was really strange but I was hooked on this bowl of sake soup. The complex taste was similar to X.O fish soup; it was savoury-sweet with a hint of bitter aftertaste that kept this thick broth refreshing.

Sides at Shin-Sapporo Ramen

I was quite disappointed with our side dish, Grilled Yakibuta ($4.80++), because it didn’t look grilled and was served cold.

It looked like the chashu in our soup except with some marinade slapped on and I was right. The amount of marinade was generous but that backfired as the dish became too salty.

The Verdict

Even though the yakibuta left me sulking, I have nothing to complain about the ramen broth here. The noodles weren’t as springy as I’d like them to be, but managed to soak up the taste of the broth and made every slurp satisfying. My favorite was Sake Ramen as the vast amount of ingredients and delectable sake soup made the price worth it.

As Shin-Sapporo Ramen doesn’t serve Fire Ramen everyday, remember to call in advance if you wanna come down for the show!

This is an independent review with all expenses borne by Eatbook.sg.