Uma Uma Ramen

On a recent business trip to Singapore, I did an informal tour of area ramen restaurants around Orchard and Scots. This place was the winner for me! The ramen broth was magic elixir and made me want to dive in and drink my way out. The noodles, egg, and meat were near perfection. I think I slurped the whole thing down in about 10 minutes. Service was enough – invisible but helpful. But the ramen is the star. Now I’m back home and wishing I had some as I write this.

This place is the real deal. Have been coming here for ages, and have yet to be disappointed. I’ve tried Japanese ramen all over the world, from Tokyo to London. This place stands with the best of them.
The ramen broth is rich, flavourful, and sticky with umami goodness. Noodles offer a consistently springy bite. Shoyu eggs are properly done — firm whites and barely-​cooked-​creamy soft yolk. Chasiu is soft and delightfully fatty, and rounded off with a tasty char-​grill flavour.
The bushi tonkotsu ramen deserves special mention. The lovely rich ramen broth is made more fragrant with the addition of white onion. A hit of lime and ginger helps lift the broth and keeps it refreshing.
Service is usually friendly and unobtrusive. Have come often enough that the senior staff recognise us.
Suffice it to say that I highly recommend this place.
Special tip — there’s a cocktail bar in the basement! It’s called Horse’s Mouth. The entrance is right next to the cashier, and the place is pretty spacious. You get the exact same menu, plus some additional Japanese bar food like ei hire (grilled stingray fin). Cocktails are absolutely solid, from seasonal concoctions to old standbys. Bartenders are knowledgeable (a rarity here) and will go the extra mile to whip up something that matches your mood and palate. The selection of Japanese whiskies is also quite decent, and well width checking out.

Was looking to try a different Ramen restaurant near my hotel.
Already tried another restaurant the other day so decided to try Uma Uma.
Location is convenient, but has very limited seating capacity.
Food was good, but was rather bland compared to other ramen’s I have had.
Ordered the Uma Uma which was supposed to be spicy, any spice or heat did not register for me.
Also portions (mostly noodles) could have been better, the chasu pork was tender and buttery.
Not very impressed and found the food to be rather spending in comparison to what you receive (S$ 20 for ramen & can of iced tea).
Other than the hostess, the rest of the wait staff were not very friendly.

After seeing the 9 342 390 check-​ins by Natalie H and the accompanying photos, there was only one thing in my mind: TO TRY THEIR TRUFFLE RAMEN.
And that was exactly what I did, after my Japanese lessons across the road. After spending the whole 3 hours with RAMEN RAMEN RAMEN on my mind, I dashed across the road (okay, actually, I crossed it via the underground link– not planning to make it literally to-​die-​for) and STORMED towards the Forum Shopping Centre. Note: the shop is actually on the outside of the shopping centre, facing Orchard road. Don’t make the same mistake as I did, which was to enter the complex immediately, texting Natalie frantically while my stomach growled more and more ferociously with each passing moment.
Finally found the shop and dashed in. It’s a small, casual joint, probably seating 25 at most. I ordered the Truffle Ramen (my heart ached a bit when I saw that it was $ 38 before tax), then looked through the rest of their offerings. The rest of the menu was more moderately-​priced (about $ 20 or less for a bowl, with very affordable (~$ 15) lunch sets).
The blessed bowl arrived swiftly. Managed to resist the temptation to wolf it down immediately, and practiced enough restraint to first take a photo (which you can admire at the bottom of this post). Okay, the bowl looks tiny and probably won’t fill a grown man up very well and it’s a dry ramen with no soup broth to rave about but mygod was it divine or was it DIVINE? Perfectly springy al-​dente yellow noodles covered with bits of garlic and loads of white truffle abundantly sprinkled over the bowl. And a nicely-​cooked (albeit cold) half-​boiled egg which I poked like a barbarian. Mixed the whole lot together and it was heaven.
At the end I wiped my tears of gratitude and thanked the Ramen Gods for coming up with such a delicious treat. GOCHISOSAMA DESHITA! ARIGATOU RAMEN GODS (and Natalie-​san for the recommendation)!

Somehow my recent visits haven’t been as inspiring. I don’t think the standard had dropped, but perhaps my taste has changed. With all the ramen-​yas that have opened in recent years, I don’t think Uma Uma’s in the top bracket anymore.

Had this on my bookmark so I decided to try it out on a Thursday lunch time. Ordered the lunch ramen set special as I have more varieties for a cheaper price.
For the ramen, I tried garlic ramen. Yummy! Love the eggs the most :) the soup base doesn’t have much seasonings but somehow the chasiu actually added to the taste.
Additional topping: everything looks normal besides kikurage (black fungus) so I ordered that.
Location: forum shopping mall but the entrance is on the front between coffee bean and California pizza kitchen. Small restaurant but cozy.
For the side karaage (chicken) looks appetizing and chasiu, gyoza looks normal. It taste like Japanese popcorn chicken that you can get at boba places in California :) It will be much better if it is warmer.
Drink: tropical juice looks appetising but I felt cheated cause it’s actually minute maid’s tropical mixed fruit drink.
Overall, will be back :)

Price is typical of ramen in Singapore but expensive by Japanese standard (50−100% more). Had the Uma Uma ramen ($ 13 iirc), the char Siew and soft boil egg were satisfying. Can’t say the same for the broth, it just lacked a soul. Granted it’s not tonkotsu, but something is missing. The lunch set add on of $ 4 for a drink and free side is well worth it I guess.
Verdict: Ok, but not compelling for me to come back again. Good enough for tourist or hotel guests staying in the area who are too lazy to wander further down orchard road.

Prices were quite high for what you get, but the taste was good enough. Had the spicy ramen with the gyoza as a side dish.
Atmosphere is average so not ideal for a romantic date.

Not bad. Mazesoba was different. Otherwise I thought the ramen was «standard» fare. The restaurant charges for drinks — including the tea. This tends to push up the total bill. Service was fair by ramen restaurant standards. Given the hype, I would have expected better but maybe I am a little spoiled for choice!

This place sucked. Simple. I love me some good ramen, and while I mainly eat vegetarian now, I do like to have a treat once in a while (but I still don’t eat the pork), so I went to this place because it was near me. Not a good idea.
I had the Uma Uma ramen and the broth was bland. It had no depth and hardly any distinct flavor. Usually, ramen will fill me up to the brim, but I actually left there still hungry and down $ 20 for lunch! Not worth it at all!
I gave it 2 stars only because the ramen came out fast and there was no line. I know why now.

back with hunger vengeance! tried two more dishes today :)
1. tonkatsu ramen. came with cha siu, spring onions and sesame seeds. i added egg as ramen is not complete without egg for me.
.eggie. compared to what i had before, i prefer the uma ramen, e soup base just suited my taste buds better. e noodle is still a winner so despite e soup base, i still walloped up e whole bowl.
2. mazesoba. came with bamboo shoots, spring onions, leek and egg. this is a dry noodle dish. e sauce is tasty and e egg that came with it is soft boiled and cracked into e bow, unlike e ones served on ramen. e soba is not e usual white thick soba one usually has, this one is yellow and chewy. unique but i prefer e white udon.
argh! i have yet to try e karaage! i need to come back again.

Best ramen I’ve ever had (although that’s not to say I’ve had a lot).
For some reason, this place exudes a very authentic air, I almost felt like I was back in Tokyo. Service is also great, and the staff is friendly and approachable.
The menu is a simple one-​sheet affair, just the way I like it. Order a ramen, a side if you so desire, a drink, and you’re done.
There are two types of noodles, depending on which ramen you order: the curly springy type and the thin straight kind. Both are very good.
Of course, the star of the show is the chasiu — equal parts lean and fatty meat that just melts in your mouth. Simply heavenly.
The chilli oil in the spicy chasiu ramen is a little too much, though.
And there’s no way you should come to this place without ordering the Suntory Premium Malt beer. Pairing it with the ramen is a dream!

Came to Uma Uma today, as it was close to the hotel I was staying at.
I had the Uma Uma Ramen, while my vegetarian colleague had the Mazesoba. We also split an order of Tamago side/​appetizer.
A decomposition of the Uma Uma ramen:
— Uma Uma’s ramen style is Hakata-​style ramen (thinner, straighter noodles). I had not tried this style before. While the noodles were good, I think my personal preference is for a curlier, thicker, chewier noodle.
— The broth was good, a little higher on the lard, but contributed to a rich broth
— The cha-​siu was good, slightly fatty, not too much
I couldn’t be sold on the noodles — it is just a personal preference. This place is worth trying though.

Love the chasiu rice. Period. Lovely torched flavor, nicely fat-​lined.
Ramen is a lot thinner than the usual ramen, and still retains a good bite. The uma uma broth is however, not quite my palate. I still prefer my regular pork bone broth.

This could be my new favorite ramen place in Singapore, alongside Santouka. I found out that it was started by the same group that runs Iggy’s, supposedly Singapore’s best restaurant, so we decided to give it a try.
The highlight of the meal is the noodles. They are very thin and springy, just the way I like it.
I had the tonkotsu broth and it was creamy milky good. Might be too salty though.
The chashu was a huge let down. It was way too dry and needed more fat to it.

Disappointed! The soup was bland and the topping portions left much to be desired. For the same style and price, Yoshimaru is better!

best time to come is when they open at 11.30am!
else you might need to get in the queue.
small menu but everything done well.
portions are smaller than other ramen joints but still enough to fill you up.
al dente noodles in rich, thick stock without being over bearing.
tender juicy pork slices leave you wanting more, always.
mr. iggys himself was here taking my order as they, like the whole service industry, are unable to hire enough help.
i detracted 1 star as they charge $ 3 for green tea.
i simply find that too ex.
when i gave my feedback about it, i was told it’s because it is free flow.
SO? do people really come sit in your ramen shop to drink free flow green tea?
how much can one drink???

It wasn’t a good day to have gone into try for the first time, since i wasn’t feeling good. BUT HERE’S THE CATCH: In spite of having little appetite, the ramen here did loads for me since I downed my bowl of char siu rice and had a couple bites from the boyfriend’s ramen. The egg is phenomenal. Runny and perfectly textured as a soft boiled should be. The ramen stock may be a tad too oily for my liking but the flavour is complex and truly Japanese.
The rice option was not at all bad if you’re not up for a bowl. I like the simplicity of the menu — just ramen or rice. Go try if you haven’t but be warned, it’s really packed during dinnertime!

First time means trying to standard bowl, and the Uma Uma ramen had some really thick broth — a little too goopy for my liking, and the concentration meant it was a little salty for me.
But that Chasyu. Oh, my drooling Gods of roast meat… that chasyu rocked my socks. Eat the half portion, then finish it off with a small chasyu rice. Yeah, Chasyu.