When it comes to proper comfort food, especially on cold rainy days, there is none quite as hearty as a bowl of hot ramen. Yet, for something so simple—just hot soup, simple ingredients and noodles—restaurants in Singapore often overcharge for it.

Nestled in the heartland of Kovan along the same row as popular Thai eatery, Nakhon Kitchen is Gonpachi Ramen. At this humble ramen joint, you can expect gorgeous bowls of restaurant-standard ramen that will not cost you more than S$8.

Using freshly imported ingredients from Japan, Gonpachi Ramen serves traditional Japanese ramen, delectable rice bowls and small dishes with a blend of local flavours. This is a joint you should definitely visit for top-notch comfort food at pocket-friendly prices.

Gonpachi Ramen dishes out a creamy tonkatsu (pork bone) and tori (chicken) soup base that finds its origins in the Kyushu and Nagasaki Region of Japan. You can have the option of selecting from 3 different soup types—miso, chicken and pork.

An added bonus is that the broth is enhanced with collagen, which is believed to be the essence of health and beauty, so beauty nuts get excited.

We went for a slightly more unusual option, the Smoked Duck Chashu Ramen (S$7.80). Each bowl comes with 3 slices of smoked duck, bamboo shoots and half a flavoured egg. We liked that the noodles were cooked just right—springy, soft with a good amount of bite.

The soup was creamy, tasty but surprisingly light, which made it so easy for us to gulp down the entire bowl. The smoked duck really accentuated the broth well too.

If you are unsure of what to have, then we highly recommend going for the Seven Wonder Ramen (S$7.80) that essentially features the best of everything. This dish comprises 7 types of toppings—a large prawn, half a flavoured egg, bamboo shoots, minced meat, black fungus, corn and a spicy green chilli sauce.

We liked that this dish encompassed so many flavours, from the sweetness from the prawns and corn to the savouriness of the minced meat and broth.

Overall, we were utterly satisfied with our meal here, and considering the price we paid for such a sizeable portion of ramen, we are certain that we will be back to try their other varieties.

Gonpachi Ramen
212, Hougang Street 21, #01-329
Singapore 530212
Tel: +65 6584 1943
Sun to Thu: 11.45am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 10.30pm
Fri & Sat: 11.45am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 10.45pm
Nearest Station: Kovan

For more recommendations, read our guide to 11 restaurants, cafes and eateries in Kovan that are worth checking out.

Sunshine Plaza is an ulu building with both commercial and residential units that is located near Bras Basah MRT Station. While there is generally nothing much to do there, many who work or study nearby flock to Sunshine Plaza during meal hours as the place is home to a few popular eateries.

If you have not been to Sunshine Plaza, drop by the mall next time when you are hanging out in the Dhoby Ghaut area—the unassuming building may have more dining options than you think!

Here is our guide to 9 Hidden Eateries and Restaurants In Sunshine Plaza even locals never knew about.

#1 DISTRICT SUSHI

District Sushi is a Japanese joint that serves up delicious Japanese fare at wallet-friendly prices. Their stellar Bara Chirashi Don, which is priced at an unbelievable S$13 per bowl (no GST and service charge), is stacked high with generous cubes of fresh marinated fish and is one of their most frequently ordered items.

Besides that, the casual eatery also has a range of sashimi, nigiri sushi and a la carte sides that are mostly below S$15.

91 Bencoolen Street
#01-15, Sunshine Plaza
Singapore 189652
Nearest Station: Bencoolen 

#2 ICHI TEI

This low-key Japanese eatery is where one can find affordable Japanese food in town. If you are on a budget, Ichi Tei serves simple and flavourful meals below S$14. We thoroughly enjoyed the Chicken Teriyaki Rice Set which comes with a small portion of potato salad and miso soup.

Otherwise, Ichi Tei also has other options such as Curry Rice, Udon, Udon Curry and some of the basic side dishes.

91 Bencoolen Street
#01-52 Sunshine Plaza
Singapore 189652
Tel: +65 9139 1746
Mon to Sat: 12pm – 8pm
Sun & PH: Closed
Nearest Station: Bras Basah

#3 MERELY ICE CREAM

A popular hang out for students who are studying in the area, Merely Ice Cream is an inviting place with bright cheerful colours splashed across its door front.

The insides are entirely different, as the owner has made full use of wooden furniture and clean white walls to give off a soothing vibe. Merely’s ice cream are homemade and they use natural ingredients such as nuts and fruits as toppings.

Hachifukumaru Ramen – an offshoot of award-winning Nantsuttei Group – is tucked at the end of OG Orchard Point’s first floor.

The 31-seater ramen shop is renowned for its unique addition of aromatic black garlic oil into the rich ramen broth.

Open daily from 11am till 10.30pm, Hachifukumaru Ramen’s location along prime retail district Orchard Road makes it convenient to pop by when you have a ramen craving to fix. Choose your ramen soup base from Chicken, Miso or Tonkotsu, and complete your meal with their delectable variety of Japanese delicacies such as Mentai Atsuyaki Tamago, Yude Won-Ton and Fried Pork Karaage.

This is surely one underrated ramen shop in Singapore.

For those who are not in the know, Hachifukumaru Ramen is a restaurant concept by the successful Nantsuttei Group. Chef Ichiro Furuya is a popular chef who has made special appearances in many Japanese TV shows and reputable presses. His ramen creations have won numerous accolades – which is unsurprising, given how his dishes are original and one-of-a-kind.

What are the chances where you would actually walk into a Japanese restaurant that is situated at an obscure corner of OG Orchard Point? Discovering Hachifukumaru Ramen by chance is almost impossible and everyone who shows up here for a bowl of piping hot ramen has either heard of its glorious brand name from the media or relied on word-of-mouth recommendations.

Yet, Hachifukumaru Ramen receives patrons daily who are eager to savour their tasty ramen.

And affordability is also one key factor that keeps its patrons loyal. The most basic Nantsuttei Tonkotsu Ramen Rich Creamy Pork Soup is priced affordably at S$10.80++ and S$12++ for a regular size and Japan size respectively.

The robust tonkotsu broth is topped with fragrant black ma-yu. Mind you, the garlic has actually been painstakingly fried over seven phases alongside several condiments – which remains a secret – to achieve that harmonious blend.

The signature Hachifukumaru Ramen (regular size – S$11.80++, Japan size – S$13++) is a nutritious chicken-base soup prepared with chicken bones and chicken feet that have been cooked for approximately 12 hours. The slightly creamy broth contains a myriad of healthy ingredients – bean sprouts, carrots, chives, corn, garlic, ginger and spring onions.

Tori Kaarage Hachifukumaru Rameni (regular size – S$13.80++, Japan size – S$15++) is the bestselling Hachifukumaru Ramen topped with succulent fried chicken chunks. You can select either red or black roasted garlic oil to be added to your chicken soup. We had the former and the bowl of goodness is characterised by a tolerable level of pepperiness.

The Hachifukumaru Ramen’s Spicy Siro Miso Chasumen (regular size – S$17.30++, Japan size – S$18.50++) has a customisable spice level – from level zero to level four. Chicken soup and miso soup have been blended together with dried fruits and fried onions to attain the exquisite taste.

It is worth mentioning that each bowl of ramen noodles are incredibly springy. The chashu used here are created with premium pork loin. You can also top up your bowl with bean sprouts (S$1.50++), eggs (S$1.50++), seaweed (S$1++) and unlimited garlic (free of charge).

Delicious ramen aside, Hachifukumaru Ramen’s menu has a splendid selection of à la carte items. Fried food lovers must not miss out on the Fried Chicken “Karaage” (S$6++). A sweet soy sauce base – merged with Japanese soup – has been smeared over these ultra juicy fried chicken slices and topped with wasabi mayonnaise and egg tartar sauce.

Fuufu Enman Gyoza – also known as Happy Couple Gyozas (S$6++) – are skilfully made from scratch with Nantsuttei’s original gyoza recipe. Each piping hot pan-fried dumpling is filled with garlic and meat stuffings.

Last but not least, a highly recommended sharing dish is the Mentai Atsuya Tamago (S$6++). We were pleasantly surprised by this simple-looking and unassuming omelette. The fluffy atsuyaki egg omelette wraps a rich mentaiko filling and is drizzled with mayonnaise sauce. The pickled cod roe is mildly spiced.

Hachifukumaru Ramen is a non-pretentious Japanese eatery and we certainly will return for their wholesome bowls whenever our ramen craving strikes.

Hachifukumaru Ramen
#01-13, OG Orchard Point
160 Orchard Road
Singapore 238842
Tel: +65 6737 9713
Daily: 11am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

This post is brought to you by Hachifukumara Ramen.