The Place Perhaps one of the largest ramen store in town, the Ramen Nagi chain won the Tokyo Ramen of the Year 2012 and have since expanded from its first store in Fukuoka to numerous outlets across Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Philippines. The store at Suntec City is its first foray into Singapore, and we understood that they are already scouting around for ideal locations in town for future openings.

Well-lit with natural light in the day, the restaurant is located on the outside of Suntec City Tower 2, and a queue was spotted outside the restaurant during our visit. Luckily for diners though, the efficient kitchen and large space mean shorter waiting time – although it will also mean a short dinner duration as with the hasty speed of serving up your orders and clearing the table for the next diner.

The Food There are four different varieties of ramen here, and while they all use the base tonkotsu pork broth, special sauces are included for three additional variations – Original, Black, Red and Green. These are the 4 Kings here, with a Limited King to be introduced going forward on a seasonal basis.

The Original King (Butao, S$13.90) gets done with the basic tonkotsu pork broth which many of us will be familiar with. That said, the soup base at Nagi did not come across as overly rich or oily. The noodles are made in Singapore to ensure its freshness, with the ramen complete with Nagi spices and pork chashu – which I strongly implore you to swap this to the pork belly, softer in texture and way juicer! You get to customise your spiciness level too, with level 1 being the standard selection.

My fellow diner loved the Black King (Kuroo, S$15.90) rendition of Ramen Nagi. The soup broth is complete with black garlic, squid ink and sesame, with the rest of the ingredients staying the same with the Original King. You should give this ramen a go if you are tired of the usual tonkotsu or miso-based ramen in Singapore. The broth was luscious and didn’t come across too cloying as I initially expected.

Another of the ramen rendition here, the Red King (Akao, S$15.90) gets its spice from cayenne pepper, chilli oil and flavour enhanced with the miso-infused minced pork. You get to customise the spiciness level at Ramen Nagi, so don’t worry about it. I personally don’t take spice very well, and opted for Level 2, and it turned out to be surprisingly pleasant.

The Green King (Midorio, S$15.90) gets its colour from the fresh basil and olive oil, and further topped with grated parmesan cheese. If you like basil, then this ought to be the ramen of your choice here. An Italian answer to a Japanese Ramen here I would say.

For sides, you can add your tamago (S$2), although I find this rather expensive, as with most Japanese Ramen restaurants in Singapore –  sorry, I don’t get it when an additional egg costs S$2. Perhaps for a more value-for-money side instead, you can opt to add more meats to your ramen (S$3 for both Chashu and Belly).

Rants It’s fast service, so don’t expect to sit around for long to enjoy a long long chat with your fellow diners.

Will I Return Again? There are so many options for Japanese Ramen in Singapore, and even more Japanese food options. Yet Ramen Nagi is a credible option to return to as with its roots from Japan, and having mastered the art of franchising across the region, thereby ensuring similar standards and service.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 3.5/5
Hole in the pocket: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Overall Experience: 3.5/5

Ramen Nagi Singapore
Suntec City Tower 2, North Wing
#01-512/513
Singapore 038989
Tel: +65 6821 1601

Opening Hours
Daily: 11am to 3pm; 5pm to 10pm

Ranted by The Rantee