Ichikokudo Ramen

Dining at Ichikokudo Ramen, located at their Northpoint Mall branch in Singapore, offers visitors a taste of value-packed ramen in the heartlands of this bustling city. In a market already crowded with ramen options, this restaurant stands out with its variety of ramen cooked in a range of soup broths. The highlights of their menu include Shoyu and Miso Ramen broths.

Try their Shoyu Ramen

Moreover, one of the standout dishes at Ichikokudo is their trademarked Ichikokudo Ramen, an original authentic soy sauce ramen. Customers can choose from three different broth types, with the soy broth being a favorite among patrons. Your dish comes with a hearty assortment of toppings paired into your brothy meal. Toppings includes chicken chashu, marinated egg, seasoned bamboo shoots, wood ear mushroom, aosa seaweed, and chopped green onion. Also, while the ramen is flavorful, I noticed it is not be as rich and tasty as some other options available in the market.

For those with a preference for a richer and saltier broth, an Extra Rich Ramen option is available for an additional $3 per bowl. It’s interesting to note that some other ramen places offer thicker broths as a standard cooking style option without an additional cost, such as the one we had at Ramen Hitoyoshi at Harbourfront Center.

Furthermore, their Shoyu Ramen is another crowd-pleaser and is considered the signature dish at Ichikokudo. A great choice for first-timers is the basic Ichikokudo Ramen, priced at $10.90.

Seafood enthusiasts can opt for the Hokkai Ramen, a seafood-focused dish with different options like prawns or clams. Their seafood offerings are priced between $11.90 and $16.90 per bowl. Also, the addition of natural salts enhances the umami of the seafood in the soup, and it’s topped with garlic for a simple yet refreshing taste.

Also, the ramen captures the essence of the Northern Sea with its variety of fish and seafood, highlighting their unparalleled freshness. The trademark premium offering in this category is the Hokkai-Ramen Gifts From The Sea, priced at $19.90, featuring crab legs, shell-on scallops, shrimps, corn, seasoned bamboo shoots, aosa seaweed, and shredded white leek.

A flavourful broth

Moreover, Ichikokudo touts on creating an intensely flavored broth, often considering it the “body and soul” of the dish. Chef Tatsu at Ichikokudo takes nearly three full days to perfect their broth. The restaurant claims to spend hours slowly simmering chicken bones to create a rich and flavorful soup. Also, to enhance the umami, they use a blend of bonito and mackerel, combined with 100% Hokkaido kelp. A generous helping of aosa seaweed adds an aromatic touch to the dish, reminiscent of the Hokkaido sea.

Apart from the signature ramen offerings, Ichikokudo also serves other variations like Hokkai and Jigoku Ramen. The latter is the same as Hokkai Ramen but served “red ramen style” in a rich, red soup. Also, for those craving beef, there’s the Ichikokudo Beef Ramen priced at $13.90, which comes with Sukiyaki-style beef slices, marinated egg, wood ear mushrooms, seasoned bamboo shoots, and chopped green onion. The more premium option is the Beef ORÜCHON Ramen, priced at $16.90.

In terms of food quality, Ichikokudo Ramen is a cut above some more wallet-friendly and mainstream alternatives like Super Kaki Ramen or Ajisen. Though I find Ichikokudo Ramen lacking in value offerings and quantity when compared to cheaper alternates like the more affordable than Takagi Ramen.

Not just Ramen

Moreover, if you’re not in the mood for ramen, Ichikokudo also offers a selection of rice Donburi dishes. These dishes feature ingredients served on a bed of sticky Japanese rice. One of the options is the Cheese Cha-han priced at $12.90.

Ichikokudo also offers a reasonably priced teriyaki unagi don for $16.90, which is comparable to or even better than other establishments where such dishes are typically priced above $20. The dish includes teriyaki unagi, shredded dried seaweed, shredded white leek, miso soup, and pickled vegetables.

Additionally, to complete your meal, Ichikokudo offers set meal add-ons for an additional $4.50. The options include a set with 3 pieces of grilled gyoza and 2 slices of watermelon. Also, their Grilled Chicken Gyoza Set is a hearty choice to complement your meal. The gyoza set includes a choice of grilled gyoza or 3 pieces of fried chicken karaage, served with 2 slices of watermelon.

Grilled Chicken Gyoza Set with watermelon.

Mixing in

Booth seats

Speaking of sides, apart from ramen you can find a range of appetizers and side dishes. The selections worth trying includes Ichikokudo’s salmon sashimi, tempura, karage, and gyoza. These sides are all priced between $6.90 and $7.90 per plate. However, it’s worth noting that while some other ramen restaurants provide free-flow hard-boiled eggs or corn to go with your ramen, which is disappointingly not a standard offering at Ichikokudo. ALso, I would recommend their Matcha Lemonade priced at $3.90.

Wrapping up with sides

Wrapping up, the restaurant’s ambiance is casual, with a mix of table and booth seating. The booth seating is especially unique, as it mimics Japanese tatami seating, albeit with a more comfortable design tailored to Singaporean tastes.

Diners seated in booth tables are required to remove their shoes, making it a suitable option for larger groups of 4 to 6 people. Ordering is made convenient through a QR code-based system, ensuring quick service.

In summary, dining at Ichikokudo Ramen at the Northpoint Mall branch in Singapore provides a delightful experience for ramen enthusiasts and those looking for delicious Japanese cuisine.

Notably, the establishment has 8 branches all over Singapore. The menu offers a wide variety of ramen and donburi dishes, with some unique and flavorful options. While the restaurant may not provide certain free-flow offerings, it stands out with its value-for-money dishes and cozy ambience. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a regular customer, Ichikokudo Ramen is a noteworthy addition to the local dining scene.

This review is not sponsored by the establishment nor did they provide any editorial input or reimbursements into the content and outcome of this review. All meals were paid for in full out of my own pocket as a regular and anonymous patron.