Baikohken @ North Canal Road

I have always stressed that to me, the soup is the most important when it comes to ramen. Baikohken's shoyu is currently the best I have ever tasted, but their char siew was even more outstanding. 

Shoyu char siew ramen with flavoured egg, $20.50

This is a huge bowl of ramen. Maybe it's not that obvious from the picture, but my gf and I shared one bowl and were quite full after that. While the price may raise some eyebrows, it was really worth it considering that it was enough for two, and it comes with an abundance of char siew. Don't be deceived from the picture again - there are still more pieces of char siew lurking under the soup!

The shoyu soup was not too salty and yet had the natural taste of the shoyu within. The huge chunks of menma (bamboo shoots) were also another differentiating factor from other ramen, but the char siew deserves much more attention.

Firstly, if you look carefully, you will notice that the char siew differs in colour and texture. The left pieces are whiter, while the pieces on top are darker. It is clear that the lighter pieces come from a thinner portion of the pig, while the darker pieces come with more fat. One can tell that Baikohken really focuses on making their char siew good - they use pork shoulder (五花肉), and the texture and taste of the meat differs as you move from one end of the pork shoulder to the other end. 

While the leaner portion was already quite tender, the fatter portion practically melts in your mouth. And no, it is not because of the fat. I removed most of the fat and can confirm that it is the meat's texture that is responsible for making it fall apart so easily. 

This is definitely the best char siew I have come across in ramen stores, though theirs was a bit too salty. The fatter corner was also significantly saltier than the thinner corner.

Having raved so much about the char siew, I must say that I have come here before and the char siew, though good, was never as good as today. I should pay them another visit for a more accurate evaluation.