Keisuke Tonkotsu King

Situated at a corner of the new Orchid Hotel in Tanjong Pagar, this little hole-in-the-wall that sits only 20 has a perpetually long queue snaking outside its doors. And for good reason. The tonkotsu soup base here is clearly one of the best in Singapore. I had the black spicy everything in special with extra chicken oil and the results was outstanding. The broth was thick and fragrant (especially if the sesame seeds were crushed and added). The pork bone taste lingers and one can barely taste the MSG inside, and with the black spice it gave it a tang of peppery, sze chuan like bite to the soup. I had the hard noodles which was very QQ, but perhaps a bit too much for me. The noodles were the traditional Tokyo-thin kind. The everything-in order came with 3 slices of char siew (generic, non-fatty versions), 1 ramen egg (well made, soft, orangey yolk) and 1 large slice of nori; I skipped the spring onions. The size of the portion was adequate, but for a large eater, remember to keep some soup and ask for a top up of noodles: kaedama.

Verdict:  Will definitely come back and try their various combinations of soup bases and noodles QQ-ness.