By Ang Yiying and Megan Ching for The Straits Times
Copyright tnp
What do you do when you want a ramen fix but don’t have the time to dine at a restaurant and yet find instant noodles too insubstantial?
You do as they do in South Korea – hit a DIY ramen shop. This is more convenient than a restaurant and fancier than having instant noodles at a convenience store.
DIY ramen shops can be found across Singapore. Mostly self-service, they feature cooking machines for users to simply cook their dry or soup noodles by pushing just a few buttons. Toppings and condiments are available for customers to customise their meals as they wish.
While some shops have closed – including South Korean convenience store chain Emart24 and Slurp Mee, reportedly Singapore’s first DIY instant noodle cafe – more DIY instant noodles spots have opened. Even supermarket chain FairPrice has entered the market.
TL;DR checks out six DIY ramen spots across Singapore. All of them have a similar set-up: You pay first for your noodles and toppings, before heading to the cooking stations.
Midnight Noodle Club
Location and ambience: A short walk from Farrer Park MRT station, this shop is easy to spot with clear signage and a wall of instant noodle packets. Inside, there is plenty of natural light and a game-themed design – a comfortable environment to dine in.
Variety: Of the six places we visited, this appeared to have the widest variety of instant noodles, from different countries such as South Korea, Japan, Thailand and China. The shelf of instant noodles stretched nearly an entire wall and we counted more than 100 shelf slots (though there might have been repeats). Some of the more unusual noodle choices included coriander noodles and vegetarian bak kut teh. Some of the ramen were labelled to indicate if they are dry or soup, spicy or not, and halal or vegetarian. Unfortunately, not all the slots were labelled.
There was a chiller full of toppings, including vegetables, processed meat, eggs and cheese.
Pricing: A choice of ramen with five toppings and a drink costs $8.80 for a standard “orange tier” ramen, or $10.80 for a premium “red tier” ramen. A $5 noodle set includes three regular toppings and a drink. Without these promotions, the noodles cost $3.50 or $5.50, while regular toppings range from $0.60 (member price) to $0.90 (non-member price), and deluxe toppings such as chicken and beef range from $1.50 to $5.00. Condiments are free for members ($18 for a lifetime membership), but non-members have to pay $1.50 each.
Best for: Those who like a wide variety of noodles and a slightly fancier presentation, as this shop uses Korean metal pots, instead of the paper bowls found in the other businesses.
Address and opening hours: Civil Service Club @ Tessensohn, 60 Tessensohn Road, #01-100. Open daily from 11am to midnight.
More info: midnightnoodleclub.sg, @midnightnoodleclub.sg on Instagram
Makan Mee (Citadines Rochor)
Location and ambience: A short walk from three MRT stations (Rochor, Little India and Jalan Besar), this Makan Mee outlet, located next to the hotel lobby of Citadines Rochor, is one of three. The instant ramen space is simple, comprising two vending machines – one for noodles and one for snacks and toppings – and a cooking station. It is entirely unstaffed.
Variety: We counted around 25 types of instant ramen in the vending machine, including popular ones such as Nongshim Shin Ramyun, Ottogi Jin Ramyun, Maggi noodles and Indomie Mi Goreng. The selection also included local brand Irvins’ Salted Egg Mala and Spicy Salted Egg flavours. The vending machine slots were labelled to indicate if the noodles were spicy, recommended or halal. There was no labelling for vegetarian options.
The small selection of toppings included packaged chicken, packet kimchi, braised egg and sausages.
Pricing: The noodles alone cost from $4.50 to $5.90, making this outlet the priciest of the places we visited. Toppings ranged from $2.20 for braised egg to $4 for packaged chicken.
Best for: Introverts who do not want to interact with anyone.
Address and opening hours: Citadines Rochor, 2 Serangoon Road, #03-01. Open 24 hours. Makan Mee’s two other locations are at Oakwood Studios at Mount Elizabeth and D’Hotel at Outram.
More info: @makanmee.sg on instagram
FairPrice Finest (Centrepoint)
Location and ambience: The DIY ramen station is located at one corner of the supermarket in Centrepoint. Customers can eat at some tables within the supermarket.
Variety: We counted a selection of about 24 noodle flavours from Korean brands such as Nongshim, Samyang and Paldo. The noodles shelf had clear labels for spice levels. Some selections were labelled halal, but we did not see labelling for vegetarian options. There was a shelf of different toppings, from packaged kimchi to different types of meatballs and fishballs.
Pricing: The noodles cost from $2 (for flavours such as Paldo Spicy Jjang Ramyun and Spicy Seafood Ramyun) to $4.80 for a special flavour (a collaboration between Nongshim Shin Ramyun and Jay Fai Stir Fry Tom Yum). The generous range of toppings cost from $0.80 for an egg and $0.80 for a slice of cheese to $1.70 for packaged kimchi and $3.70 for a pack of 10 lobster balls or shitake balls.
Best for: Those who like to dress up their ramen with a mix of toppings
Address and opening hours: The Centrepoint, 176 Orchard Road, B1-09/10. FairPrice Finest is open daily from 8am to 10pm, though staff said the cooking machines might close earlier, between 8.45pm and 9pm.
More info: @finestfoodsg on instagram
Seoul Bunsik (Funan Mall)
Location and ambience: Located close to City Hall MRT station, this sit-down eatery also offers Korean street food such as gimbap. The Hallyu vibe is strong in this place, with its bright interiors and a screen playing Korean music videos. You can order and pay at a self-service kiosk, although there is also a staffed counter.
Variety: The variety of noodles here, around 10 types of noodles, was more limited than the other places we visited. The selection comprised mostly Korean favourites such as Nongshim Shin Ramyun and Samyang’s Buldak Hot Chicken Ramyun. There were also few toppings, including egg, cheese, kimchi and Spam. Shelves were not labelled.
Pricing: All noodles cost $4.90, while toppings are priced at $1 each.
Best for: K-wave fans who know what they want.
Address: Funan Mall, 107 North Bridge Road, #02-02. Open daily from 11am to 9pm. Seoul Bunsik has another branch at Far East Plaza.
More info: seoulbunsiksg.com
FairPrice Xtra (VivoCity)
Location and ambience: Located at the Lotte Mart Express corner within the supermarket. Customers can tuck into their noodles at two standing tables that look like giant cup noodles.
Variety: The selection here was wider than at FairPrice Finest at Centrepoint when we visited. We counted more than 30 types of instant noodles, organised by spice levels. Some selections were labelled halal but there was no vegetarian labelling. The topping options were limited, though there were the usual egg, sausages and packaged kimchi.
Pricing: Noodles cost from $2 to $4.80, while the price of toppings range from $0.80 for an egg, $1 for cut mix vegetables to around $2 for cocktail sausages.
Best for: Instagram-worthy moments – the display’s bright colours make photos pop.
Address and opening hours: Lotte Mart Express in FairPrice Xtra VivoCity, 1 HarbourFront Walk, #01-23 & B2-23. Ramyun section opens daily from 10am to 10pm. Check online for other outlets.
More info: @fairpricesg on Instagram
The Noodle Place
Location and ambience: Located on the second floor of a shophouse in Circular Road, a few minutes’ walk from either Raffles Place or Clarke Quay MRT stations, this spot can be easily missed if you are not looking up. The cosy shop also offers games for customers, such as board games, card games and strategy games.
Variety: This shop’s wide range of instant noodles was organised in a manner that made us think of Japanese author and professional organiser Marie Kondo. Multiple see-through organisers across two shelves displayed the different instant noodles, while each organiser slot was clearly labelled with information such as the noodles’ country of origin, whether it’s spicy, and if it’s halal or vegetarian.
Pricing: Noodles cost $5, $6.50 and $8, inclusive of a number of fixed toppings. We were offered shredded carrot and radish, corn, rice cakes, hot dogs and crab sticks. You can ask the staff to exclude some of them if you have dietary restrictions. Additional toppings are charged separately, such as $1 for an egg.
Best for: Value for money and chilling with friends.
Address and opening hours: 15A Circular Road. Open Tuesday to Sunday, various times, according to its Google business listing. For now, it is closed from Tuesdays to Thursdays. Call 8337-0678 to confirm.
More info: @thenoodleplace.sg on Instagram
TL;DR visited the eateries incognito and paid for the meals.
