Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King @ Orchid Hotel, Tanjong Pagar

Met up with Drumstick one Friday evening after work and she highly recommended that we go to this newly-opened ramen place. We reached at around 7pm and there was a queue forming, partly because the place was small and could seat only around 20. But more importantly, these people were there for the awesome ramen and soup broth. We waited around 20-30 minutes for our turn, half the time staring into the restaurant and willing the customers inside to finish their meal quickly so that we could savour the noodles as well.

I forgot to snap a photo of the order form, but when you're queuing up, the waitress will hand you an order form, which you are to fill up:

i) Which type of soup base you want: Tonkotsu, Black Spicy Tonkotsu or Red Spicy Tonkotsu (yes, they only have 3 types)
ii) Texture of noodle: Hard, Normal or Soft
iii) Taste of the soup: Light, Normal or Strong
iv) With seaweed, with egg or with both
v) Chicken oil: Less oil, Normal or More 

One of my weird habits is that I like to fill in survey forms so I liked this questionnaire-like form. I chose Red Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen, less oil, normal texture and with all toppings!  

Small place for a quick meal - do not expect to take your time here. You'll be stressed out by the queue outside anyway. Cozy, Japanese-like setting. Chefs and most wait staff were Japanese, and I like the vintage Japanese posters on the wall. 

Free eggs and pickled beansprouts! 

You could also grind your own sesame seeds while waiting for your noodles to arrive. 

 Red Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen with Seaweed and Egg ($15.80) - The broth was flavorful and hearty, the noodles al dente, the chasyuu pieces generous and lean. One reason why the broth was so tasty because besides the chicken oil, pork lard was floating around as well. I tried to be health-conscious but couldn't resist slurping up the soup anyway.
 

Giant piece of seaweed

Their stewed egg is the kind with a runny egg yolk, which I absolutely adore.

I need to have a ramen fix every now and then and this is definitely one of the places I would return to.

How much was spent per pax: Around $18 per pax
Would I come back again? Yes!

Address: 1 Tras Link #01-19
Orchid Hotel
Singapore 078867
Tel: 6636 0855

Opening hours: 1130am-3pm, 6pm-10.30pm

Shots @ Ann Siang Hill

Tucked away on a little street of Ann Siang Hill is a coffee hideout called Shots. Was exploring around the area with Mr. Physics and he recommended that we go to this cafe for a cuppa coffee. I love this kind of cozy little cafes!

 

Very charming and cozy interior with tasteful art pieces hung along the walls, photography magazines on racks for browsing, youngsters playing Monopoly Deal (haha my favourite as well) and chilling out. 

 Besides coffee and desserts they serve main courses like pizza/pasta and sandwiches as well.

Chocolate lava cake $6.50 - Moist on the inside, a decent chocolate cake, though the lava is nowhere to be seen. I'm fussy when it comes to lava cakes, and I still think TCC serves the best one, their Dark Devotion is to die for!! Anyway, the so-called 'lava' in the middle of this cake was just slightly more moist than the other parts of the cake. Every bite we took we were waiting for the chocolate to flow out, when it didn't we thought, ok maybe it's not deep enough, so we kept eating and eating, but there was no chocolate lava at all.

 Cafe Mocha - $5.50

Tiramisu Latte - $6.50  The coffees are very decent, though I am not the most discerning when it comes to coffee.

 

Overall, a nice chill-out place with friends to have a catch-up session, or just to spend a lazy afternoon together. Read a book, play some cards there, no problem at all. Staff are friendly as well.



How much was spent: Around $9 per pax
Would I come back again? Definitely!