Prior to the trip, Vain Pot and I ate at Tsuta. The only one star Michelin Ramen place in Japan. Tried the Singapore branch at 18 Tai Seng. I've been wanting to try it since they came but managed to suppress the urge in order to avoid the queues. I still ended up queuing for about 15mins when I arrived at 2 plus in the afternoon.
The Ajitama Miso Soba ($17.80) [first pic] is exclusively found in the 18 Tai Seng branch. I found the broth really unique and so different from other ramen bowls I've eaten, I can't pin-point if its a good or bad thing. Just not used to it. I felt after adding the blob of chilli into the broth, the entire experience was much nicer because the spiciness added some familiarity to the dish. The parts that were especially enjoyable about the dish was the tamago egg which in my opinion was done excellently and the sliced char siew that comes with the dish. The char siew was cooked till tender, yet carried with it a degree of chewiness that is very different from other ramen places where the meat simply falls apart.
The Ajitama Shoyu Soba ($16.80) [second pic] is a crowd favourite at this Tsuta branch probably because of its black truffle broth. Just like the Miso Soba bowl, the egg and char siew were clear winners. Both bowls, the soba was very Q and portions were just right.
As a whole, I conclude that Tsuta's broth tend to be lighter in flavour. I've never been to Japan to ascertain if it's this how Japanese ramen should be. The char siew especially is very different from many other popular ramen establishments here. Would I come back? Not really and it's nothing to do with the food quality. It just happens that the location selected isn't at the most convenient of places and I don't crave for it enough to specially make a trip to eat it. I do feel it's worth at least one try because it's really different.
Tsuta
18 Tai Seng Street, #01-01 S539775