Men-Ya Kaiko @ 1ON Orchard

I chanced upon Hokkaido Ramen Men-Ya Kaiko when I was walking around at 1ON Orchard. The rents on the basement food street must be prohibitive, judging by the turnover of stalls. I have to say that it is a bit weird to be eating in a semi-open area, and paying restaurant prices.

Ordered the chicken ramen, partly because I was interested in seeing how it would turn out, and partly because I was a little sick of chasu. Did not go for the king crab ramen, since I thought paying about $30 in that environment was a bit over the top. I asked for the ramen to be cooked hard.



A large bowl of ramen came in no time. The ajituke tamago I ordered came in a separate saucer. The serving size was good, and the ramen was well cooked. The chicken was also tasty. Unfortunately, the two slices of pork included in the ramen were dry and like cardboard. The menma was also overly soft, giving it an almost melt in the mouth feel. The broth was not bad, but definitely not what you expect for a Hokkaido-style ramen, as the miso flavour was weak. It was probably one of the least satisfying bowls of ramen I have had recently. At the price, the ambience is seriously lacking, since it is restaurant pricing with food court ambience.

Rating: 6/10
Website: none
Address: #B4-52/53, 1ON Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn
Phone: none
Hours: 1100 hrs - 2200 hrs
Price: $1/2