Beppu Menkan Japanese Noodle Restaurant at Far East Square

SPECIAL MENTION: There is also an outlet which is more conveniently located at Suntec City #B1-043/044.

SUGGESTIONS: 1) Instead of serving the Hirashi ramen with ice in the bowl, just make sure the noodles are chilled enough and remove the ice before serving because the melted ice dilutes the sesame sauce a little. 2) I ordered iced green tea and it was a little bitter. Do not let the green tea leaves sit in the water for too long. An over-infused taste can end up rather bitter.

PRICE: Average (S$15+ per person)

FOOD: I will be back again!

This little restaurant didn't attract me at first sight. The entire outlook of the outfit was extremely bright and loud. At first look, I thought the restaurant could have been a little gimmicky. That's the result of the obstrusively bright colours I guess. But, I decided to give it a shot after much of the initial apprehension and largely because my sister was being a whiny whiner because of her hunger. The staff were polite, fast and efficient but were yakking a bit too much among themselves.


Above: Hirashi ramen

I ordered a Hirashi ramen that was cold noodles with sesame sauce and wakame, a little bit of char siew and bamboo shoots. It was really very delicious. I was taken aback. The noodles were extremely smooth, fantastic for slurping if you want to do that. The char siew was kinda crunchy, providing another dimension to the texture of the dish.



Some dishes, especially those served in hot soup have the option of varying spiciness. 1 chilli is slightly spicy and 6 chillis send you to hell and back. My sister asked for 1 chilli and it was already near limits. I don't really suggest anything more than 2 chillis if you do not want to spoil your throat and/or taste buds.


Above: Okonomiyaki

The okonomiyaki was the highlight of the meal for me. I have always loved this poor person's dish since tasting it few years back in a Japanese home. I have since tried many of the available okonomiyaki in Singapore but nothing measured up. It used to be a dish for poor families because it used to be made up of a mish-mash of leftovers. The okonomiyaki at Beppu Menkan was crispy on the surface and warm and soft on the inside. It was served on wooden skewers, making it easy to eat.

This is a restaurant I would definitely want to visit again for the price is right and the food is very right. :)