My very first Ajisen Ramen meals were in Melbourne. My last Ajisen Ramen meal was consumed when my brother visited us. I have always liked Ajisen Ramen in Melbourne. They have fantastic sides to pair up with their ramen sets and I do love their infamous Volcano Ramen!
As we waited in line at the Ajisen Ramen Singapore’s Tampines outlet, I told Valerie I was reminded of the ambrosial meal times in Ajisen Ramen Melbourne. The side dishes were standard whenever we order: Tofu Dengaku, Soft Shell Crabs, Tori Karaage and Salmon Sashimi. Oh, how I missed the buttery Gyutan Don!
I peered through the glass wall to see what the diners ate as I shuffled along the moving queue.
“Are those Thai fish cakes?” pointing at the orange patties.
Valerie: “Yes, I’m going to have Volcano Ramen set with the Fish Cakes as a side.”
“Weird! Thai food in Japanese eatery.”
As we reached near the entrance, I told Valerie that my friend *Philip produces plastic food models and wondered if those on display here were his works.
Plastic models of menu displayed at Ajisen Ramen Singapore outlets.
You place your orders electronically.
This helps to tackle the labour shortage in Singapore, faced by many F&B establishments.
Once you are satisfied with your order placement, click “SEND”.
Otherwise, go back to “MENU” and redo your ordering.
Volcano Ramen.
Standard Gyoza.
There’s a crispy version also.
Thai Fish Cakes.
Tori Karaage (Fried Chicken).
Ryan had extra noodles for S$3.
It is not unusual to see Singapore’s F&B outlets running full houses especially during the weekends. And in the past, seeing a long queue automatically served as a testament to the fine food of that establishment. These days, long queues, in my opinion, are due to lack of seats (high rental), not enough service staff (or well trained staff) to handle the situation, the influx of foreigners living and working here (more spending power), etc… etc… In short, long queues do not guarantee good food.
In the Ajisen Ramen Melbourne’s 1000 Tastes In A Bowl post, I proclaimed, “Affordable fast food meal that will not disappoint.” Sadly, this was not applicable to Singapore.
From the above 2 paragraphs, you may have already guessed correctly that I was not impressed with Ajisen Ramen Singapore.
There are a variety of ramen flavours and rice dishes. I am not sure if Volcano Ramen (VR) is the best selling ramen dish here but since Ryan and Valerie were having VR Set, I had that, too.
Regular Ramen Sets are S$16.90. You pick out one ramen, one standard side dish and a drink. You can pay more and opt for premium sides, upsize noodles and certain drinks like Pepsi.
Our 3 sets were:
Ryan – VR set with Gyoza ($16.90), upsize noodles (extra $3) and Pepsi (extra $1.90).
Valerie – VR set with Thai Fish Cake and Houji Tea ($16.90). They had cleverly taken out the word Thai but a rose by any other name is a rose. There is no mistaking that those were Thai fish cakes in my opinion.
Originally, my order was VR set with soft shell crab. Valerie wasn’t sure if that was offered in the sets until she scrolled down the electronic menu and found it under premium sides and would cost an extra $4. While she was keying the order, I peeked at other diners meal and changed my side to Tori Karaage. That change would require some help since we weren’t familiar with the electronic gadget. I am not sure if this outlet was short of staff but we struggled to get some attention. The sides came first, then the ramen.
No doubt the Volcano Ramen was edible. Anything that’s spicy works for me! The plus point was the porky tonkotsu soup was not too salty like most places, the noodles were toothsome as promised but they were no where near the more refined VR I had in Melbourne. The sides were deemed ultra ordinary. I was very disappointed with the dry fried chicken.
The culprit could be my expectation for it to fare better than Ajisen Ramen Melbourne but Ajisen Ramen Singapore – What Happened To The 1000 Tastes?
Maybe I shouldn’t be so quick as to write them off. There are other outlets with different chefs at helm. Until then…
Happy eating and bonding :)
Ajisen Ramen 味千拉面
There are many outlets in Singapore and around the world (more than 400 chain). You can google for an outlet near you.
Click to see post on Ajisen Ramen Melbourne.
Other ramen posts:
MARUTAMA RAMEN @ THE CENTRAL
KESUKE TAKEDA – THE TONKOTSU KING
SHIN TOKYO SUSHI – SHODDY AT BEST
In Melbourne:
1000 TASTES IN A BOWL
KENZAN@GPO IS NOW GEKKAZAN
*Food I shared with Philip:
TWE KEE HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE – UNTWEAKED TRADITION
LEK KEE AUTHENTIC TEOCHEW BRAISED DUCK 陆记正宗潮州卤鸭 @ PEOPLE’S PARK FOOD CENTRE
CONPOY CHICKEN @ CAFE DE HONG KONG 新天地小厨
GOOD MORNING NANYANG CAFE 早安南洋 – MORE THAN JUST A JAM!
KUN SHU FOOD STALL 根叔美食世家 – UPMARKET FOOD AT HAWKER PRICES
ZHEN MING PORK RIBS PRAWN NOODLE 真鸣肉骨虾面 @ MAYFLOWER
ROKEBY – AUSTRALIAN INSPIRED CAFE & NIGHT BISTRO BAR
Other posts with Philip:
CROSS WAY BAY HONG KONG ROASTED MEAT 尖沙嘴港式烧臘 @ TAMPINES, SINGAPORE (moved to Johor Bahru)
INDONESIAN DELIGHTS BY RITA LIM @ TAMPINES ST 42 (stall is NO LONGER OPERATING)
ROMANCING THE DISH @ IVY’S HANINANESE MUTTON SOUP 海南药材羊肉汤 (stall is NO LONGER OPERATING)
Filed under: Braise, Casserole, Simmer & Stew, Cuisine, Dinner, Fish, Food Reviews, Japanese, Meat, Noodle & Pasta, Pork, Restaurants & Food Reviews, Seafood, Simmer & Stew, Snacks & Miscellaneous Foods, The Bonding Tool Blog, Uncategorized Tagged: Ajisen Ramen, ajisen ramen melbourne, Ajisen Ramen Singapore, Gyoza, Japanese Cuisine, Japanese noodle, Ramen, Thai Fish Cakes, tonkotsu ramen, 味千拉面
