This home-styled restaurant adjoining Liang Court 's Meida Ya supermarket will surprise you with comforting, tasty pork bone soup ramen and crispy, juicy tonkatsu. One place that you definitely will not regret trying, Tampopo lives up to its ideal of authentic yet trendy Japanese food.

• The Vibe
  Tampopo is an ambitious name. If you name your restaurant after a cult Japanese food movie, you need to live up to it. Tampopo is adjoined to the Meida Ya supermarket and they have a sister restaurant Tom Ton, which is a tonkatsu restaurant that you can order in from. The mood here is slightly casual with the restaurant adorning itself with dark blue Japanese curtains and pinewood furnishings, including slates through which you can spy on what other diners are having. The crowd consists primarily of families with young children on the weekend while weekdays receive young working adults and Japanese expatriates.
• The Food
  The first dish was Mizuna and Sakura Ebi Salad ($7) with Wafu Dressing. This clear, light in taste, crispy salad is ideal for the health conscious. The fresh vegetables, which are delicately green, are well complemented by the slightly citrus Wafu taste and small but crispy prawns. The ingredients for this dish are flown in every day from Japan.

  The signature Black Pig Ramen ($13.90) consists of bamboo shoots, cabbage and lots of red chilli flecks. If you are a fan of spices, give this Ramen dish a try. If not, you would probably prefer the Pork Bone Kyushu ramen ($12.80). Both are made of the same soup base, a broth boiled from pork bones over 2 days until the soup becomes slightly thick and milky. The Pork Bone Kyushu Ramen is made with fatty pork, fungus, a braised egg and a small puddle of spicy cod-roe mentaiko. The last dish was the Black Pig Tonkatsu Cutlet ($19.50), which can be ordered in from Tom Ton . The somewhat expensive price is justified as this dish features the use of Kurabata pork, which imparts a crispy yet sweet and juicy taste to the meat. The cutlet is deep fried with a batter coating and is a great main on its own or a counterpart to the Ramen dishes.

  Try the desserts as Tampopo has a dedicated pastry chef who makes weekly specials. The Scoop Short Cake ($5.50 per piece) will awaken your childhood memories. The sponge cake is fresh, light and sandwiched by layers of strawberry and apricot. The Whole Orange Jelly ($5) is actually presented in an orange. The soft jelly was a bit too murky but there are large chunks of navel orange in it, which keeps the dessert light.

• The Service
  Members of the staff are kind, friendly and well-meaning but usually pretty young. There are times one has to wait a little longer than usual to be served when business is brisk.

The SD Food Advisor's Take on Tampopo Restaurant
Highly recommended, this place is not the cheapest in town but it is indeed quality at a great price and a casual place that you can bring your family and friends. A personal favourite is the Kyushu Ramen, of which a large number of bowls are sold each day, a testament to how soothing and fulfilling the hot rich soup and smooth noodles are.