Kajiken

Kajiken beefs up the Japanese cuisine presence at Orchid Hotel along the East Asian-angled Tanjong Pagar Road. In this tiny hole in the wall, its Japanese expats owners peddle a nascent Nagoya-style mazesoba ramen that they previously dished out as employees of Ramen Matsuri closer to the CBD. The simple menu offers permutations of fried chicken, braised pork, char siew or spicy minced pork ($12.30-$15.80) on base bowls of thick al dente ramen noodles served dry. Each generous portion – with the option for a free noodle upsize – comes with a small cup of warming chicken broth to sip between slurps of vinegar and chilli oil-coated strands.