Tinun, Parco Bugis Junction, Singapore

This is another great example of great Japanese localization. This chain, billed as "Tokyo Tom Yam," is basically Thai food from Japan...or at least, bowls of ramen, but with tom yam soup instead. I really like it - they do a good job of keeping the punch of Thai spices, while putting it in a nice bowl of ramen.

Actually, the original store in Singapore was back at Plaza Singapura. But that one has closed down, and that one was a better in that they had a lot more menu items, including not only several kinds of Japanese alcohol, but more importantly, a great chicken rice with a yummy spicy Thai sauce that kicked the pants off of Singapore Chicken Rice. The staff tells me that it's the same owner as before, but I'm not so sure that's true as the menu is obviously different, the portions seem smaller, and even the name now has a peculiar "The Noodle Gallery" byline tagged to it. Don't get me wrong - the new one is still good (get the Tom Yum Ramen), but it's too bad that I can't get the old chicken rice anymore.