Ohsho, Cuppage Plaza, Singapore

I still think it's amazing that the Japanese can take all these foreign dishes - Chinese, in this case - and make a completely better version of it (curry being another great example). I remember once being taken to a Chinese place in Tokyo by a Japanese friend, sighing that I didn't go all the way to Japan just to get Chinese food, but having gone home sincerely impressed. It wasn't Chinese food for sure, but rather Japanese food with a Chinese influence that stood very well in its own right.

Wow. While other cultures' localization efforts completely ruin food (think: Taiwan), the Japanese excel at it. (Mos Burger is the only exception of one thing that was clobbered horrendously.) Chahan seriously has to be the best fried rice I've ever had. I don't know what it is that makes the difference, but I suspect that pork lard has a lot to do with it.

This place, conveniently open late, is a chain of ramen shops from Japan. It's got great chahan and gyoza (probably the best in Singapore), but the ramen's broth lacks punch. Today I opted for a cold hiyashi ramen in the hopes of avoiding that, and it was the most crudely prepared hiyashi ramen that I've ever had - pretty disappointing (thick slices, lack of mustard, etc.). If you want ramen, stay away from this place and go to Noodle Shop Ken in the next building. But ironically, that place isn't that great at chahan and gyoza, so come here to Ohsho instead if that's what you want. I suppose you could have the best of both worlds by walking from one place to the next.