$15 Sashimi-Grade Fish Ramen By Japanese Fine-Dining Chef At Orchard Plaza Sold Out By 1pm Daily

“Fun experiment” by 3 uncles & former Imamura chef

Behind it are “foodie” Leon Chua, 52, popularly known as @uncle_lim_chiak on Instagram, and finance professional Hoe Lon, 50, previously a co-owner of Sage and also behind an upscale sushi restaurant.

They describe the project as a “fun experiment” aimed at testing whether a lighter, cleaner fish-based ramen can find an audience here.

“When people think of ramen, fish doesn’t immediately come to mind, so we wanted to see if there’s any scope for it in Singapore,” Leon tells 8days.sg.

The idea, he adds, came from a casual gathering among friends.

“There were three uncles and one Japanese friend. We just wanted to eat ramen,” he says. “But we felt that a lot of ramen today, mostly chicken- or pork-based, is quite rich and heavy. We wanted something cleaner, more approachable, but still satisfying.”

That led them to develop a broth using hirame, a flounder, designed to deliver umami without the weight of pork or chicken-based soups. 

The recipe was refined over weeks of testing with input from the group, including Japanese chef Hirofumi Imamura (far right in main picture), former chef-owner of the upmarket kappo restaurant Imamura in Sentosa, which closed in August 2025. He is currently working on new restaurant openings in Bali and Tokyo.

Only one dish on the menu

The menu is deliberately tight, with just one item: fish ramen.

It features a light, shoyu-based fish broth paired with Hakata-style noodles, topped with three thick slices of satiny yuzu-cured, sashimi-grade snapper, along with bamboo shoots and engawa oil (from the fatty fin of the flounder). A distinctive touch comes in the form of a bunch of wasabina (pictured below), a refreshing wasabi leaf grown locally by one of the partners, which adds a gentle heat and fresh bite to the bowl.

The flavour profile, says Leon, is “flavourful yet clean”, with an emphasis on drawing out natural umami from the fish.

Our colleague who attended a preview tasting remarked that the ramen’s clear soup was clean yet flavourful with warm hints of shoyu, and the skinny noodles gratifyingly springy. As for the fresh raw snapper sashimi draped on the noodles — she preferred to let hers semi-cook in the steaming broth till its mouthfeel was meltingly tender. It’s a light yet tasty bowl that won’t leave you with heartburn often induced by slurping up greasy tonkotsu ramen.

A second, richer paitan-style broth, also made using fish and its collagen, is expected to be introduced in two weeks, offering diners with a richer palate a creamier alternative while staying true to the eatery’s concept.

The team is considering add-ons and small variations based on customer feedback, such as different fish topping options or bigger portions.

Premium ingredients, everyday price

Despite the use of sashimi-grade fish and a meticulously developed broth, the team has kept the price at $15, a key part of the concept.

“We started with cost in mind,” says Hoe Lon. “We didn’t want to create something that people would feel is expensive. Eating out should be enjoyable, you should feel happy when you pay.”

To make that work, the team streamlined the offering and sourced ingredients carefully, balancing quality with cost. They also avoided the use of shortcuts such as using MSG.

“It’s easy to make it cheaper,” Hoe Lon adds. “But we still want to stick to our idea of what a good bowl of ramen should be.”

Sold out within hours

The approach appears to be resonating. On its opening week, the pop-up sold out before 1pm on most days.

“We’re encouraged,” says Leon. “It tells us the product is strong. But whether it’s something everyone likes, that’s what we’re trying to find out over these three months.”

Fish ramen, he acknowledges, may not appeal to everyone.

“People associate ramen with meat, and Singaporeans generally like stronger flavours,” he says. “So we challenged ourselves to get that same robustness, but with a cleaner approach.”

Only 50 bowls served a day

For now, just 50 bowls are prepared daily, a limit the team says is necessary to maintain quality and keep operations manageable.

The pop-up runs with a three-man team, with one of Imamura’s former chefs, Adriel, helming the kitchen. You might catch genial Japanese chef Hirofumi Imamura himself there occasionally.

If demand remains strong, they plan to scale up gradually, potentially doubling output to 100 bowls a day.

Queues before opening

The pop-up operates from 11.30am to 6pm, or until sold out, which, so far, has been well before closing time.

Queues have been forming even before doors open, with waits of about 20 minutes. It is strictly walk-in only. 

The team is also considering extending opening hours to include dinner service.

Test run for more permanent concept 

And if the pop-up proves “popular enough”, they hope to extend the concept or develop it into a permanent set-up, though nothing has been confirmed.

“We just want to have fun exploring whether fish ramen can be done this way,” says Hoe Lon.

Affordability, they add, will remain central.

“It wouldn’t be more expensive [even if we were to set up a permanent eatery].”

Yet To Name Ramen is at #01-36, Orchard Plaza, 150 Orchard Rd, S238841. Open Sat – Wed, 11.30am to 6pm, or until sold out. Closed on Thur & Fri. More info via Instagram.

Photos: Florence Fong