Ex-French Restaurant Chefs Sometimes Sell 'Less Than 20 Bowls' Of $6.50 Tonkotsu Ramen A Day At New Stall

Known for its bustling lunch crowd from nearby offices, Amoy Street Food Centre is a popular spot for younger, first-time hawkers to set up shop. The latest addition is TempuRamen, a tonkotsu ramen joint that offers a ‘DIY’ concept where customers can choose two toppings – like chashu or various types of tempura – for their noodles, starting at $6.50. The stall also serves tempura don and mazesoba (dry mixed ramen). 

TempuRamen is the first hawker venture for owners Eric Tan, 35, and his wife Foo Sher Loon, 30, both former chefs with a background in Western cuisine, including French cooking. This is also their first foray into Japanese food. Their decision not to specialise in Western food was driven by their desire to stand out in the crowded hawker scene. "We decided to sell ramen because you don’t really see ramen stalls in hawker centres," explains Sher Loon, who developed the concept. "Most of the more affordable ramen in Singapore is usually around $10. We see potential in offering a budget-friendly option."

No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.

Worked at restaurants Farangse & Yellow Pot before opening hawker stall

Eric decided to start his own business after Farangse, a mid-range French-Thai diner at Bukit Timah where he worked as head chef, closed its doors in February. As a minority shareholder, he received a $20K payout, which he invested into TempuRamen.

The chef says he opted for a hawker venture as “‘it’s better to run a business on your own”. “More investors, more headache,” he quips.

While he was planning to open the stall earlier this year, Sher Loon left her position as a breakfast chef at Yellow Pot, a modern Chinese restaurant at Duxton Reserve, due to a shoulder injury. The timing felt right for the couple to embark on a new venture together, who first met when they were working at now-defunct French restaurant Absinthe about a decade ago.

“It was a turning point for both of us,” says Sher Loon. "With Eric moving on from Farangse and me taking a break from my previous job, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to start something of our own.”

Less than 20 bowls sold on their worst days

Despite the strong conviction in their concept, the couple has faced some demoralising moments since opening the stall in June. “It’s hard when I see long queues at other stalls, but there’s nobody at ours,” says Eric. Notably, TempuRamen is located diagonally opposite Han Kee Fish Soup, one of the most popular stalls in the hawker centre. During our visit, there were at least a dozen people lining up at the joint.

Sher Loon speculates that customers at Amoy Street Food Centre may prefer traditional fare like fish soup or nasi lemak over ramen, which could be why their stall hasn’t been as well-received as they’d hoped.

“We thought most of the stalls here are selling more or less the same type of food. By selling ramen, we thought we’re giving patrons more exciting new options, but after two months here, the sales have proved otherwise. Our food is geared towards a younger crowd, but most of the customers we’ve seen are older folks,” adds Eric. This mismatch has been challenging. On their worst days, TempuRamen sells less than 20 bowls, with an average of about 100 bowls sold – far below their initial goal of $800 in sales per day. (Ed’s note: Eric originally stated that his goal was to sell 800 bowls a day. After the story was published, he clarified that he misspoke and meant $800 in daily sales. The article has been updated to reflect this correction.)

Motivated to keep going

For Sher Loon, the slow business has been particularly disappointing. “It’s not so much about the sales. I put a lot of effort into our food. It’s hard to see it not resonate with people,” she shares.

That said, the couple is determined to keep going. Both of them cook daily at the stall, and they haven’t drawn a salary since opening, putting everything back into the business. They’ve also given themselves a timeline of six months to see if business improves. If not, they may consider relocating their stall. “We use our free time after work to check out places for new menu item ideas, or search for ways to improve our recipes and promotion ideas to attract more customers. There aren’t many Japanese ramen hawker stalls around, so we don’t have ‘seniors’ to ask for advice and have to pave our own path one step at a time,” says Eric.

The menu

Currently, TempuRamen serves three types of ramen: Tonkotsu, Black Garlic and Miso. Eric makes the master tonkotsu broth – the foundation for all three soup bases – from a pork bone stock that’s boiled for over four hours before different types of tare (Japanese base seasoning used in ramen) are added.

The stall also offers various tempura options to be added to your bowl of ramen. The signature prawn tempura, along with a rotating selection of fresh vegetables like eggplant and okra, are personally sourced from a wet market. There are also store-bought items like pork and vegetable croquettes to add variety to the menu.

Tonkotsu Ramen, $6.50

While not as rich or creamy as what you’ll get at fancier ramen joints, the tonkotsu base here is milky, medium-bodied and rather comforting – pretty good for a cheaper hawker version. The slurpable broth clings well to the thin noodles, though the texture could be more QQ (after our tasting, the hawkers informed us that they have sourced for better quality noodles).

Every bowl comes with a flavourful, gooey-yolked soy-marinated egg, fish cake, corn and scallions. For sides, we had the pork tempura and a vegetable croquette. The former is hearty and slightly peppery, while the crispy veggie patty offers a touch of sweetness.

Black Garlic Ramen, $6.50 (8 DAYS Pick!)

Compared to the plain tonkotsu base, this version has a smokier tinge and a pleasantly strong garlic flavour. We picked traditional ramen fixings for this order – a large, thick slab of house-made pork shoulder chashu with a lovely smoky char, and crunchy black fungus. For its price, this is a competent and tasty bowl of ramen.

Tempura Tendon, $6.90

Their tendon features a selection of five tempura items chosen by the hawker, typically including prawn, meat, and three vegetables, all served over Japanese pearl rice. The dish comes with a sweet shoyu dipping sauce and a side of tonkotsu soup. While the ingredients, especially the prawn and veggies, are fresh, the tempura batter is slightly too hard, lacking the airy, crunchy texture that would make it easier to chew. The hawkers explain that this is partly due to their tempura being pre-fried in small batches, which may have affected its crispiness. That said, they have taken our feedback into consideration and are working on improving their recipe.

Mazesoba, $6.50

On top of two sides of your choice – we picked asari clam and chicken ‘chashu’ – this brothless version of ramen comes with miso-flavoured minced pork, bonito flakes, nori, scallion and a pasteurised raw yolk. While the variety of toppings adds interest, the dish lacks a coherent dressing to tie the flavours together. Order the soup version ramen instead.

Bottom line

For now, the ramen outshines the tempura offerings – a pity, as we think the stall’s appeal would be greatly boosted if the fried items were equally tasty. However, we wouldn’t mind returning for a wallet-friendly bowl of tonkotsu or black garlic ramen, as the comforting pork-based broth exceeded our expectations for a hawker stall.

TempuRamen is at #02-124 Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Rd, S069111. Open daily 9.30am – 3pm. More info via Facebook & Instagram.

Photos: Aik Chen