Mashi No Mashi, a 100% wagyu ramen concept, opens in Singapore at Guoco Midtown — here’s what to expect

Fans of beef ramen, good news — Mashi No Mashi is now in Singapore! 

Mashi No Mashi is a ramen concept from the WagyuMafia collective of restaurants, founded by chef Hisato Hamada. 

WagyuMafia first came to prominence for its wagyu cutlet sandwiches and the collective subsequently launched its ramen concept Mashi No Mashi in 2019. Today, there are Mashi No Mashi outlets in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Jeddah.

Stepping into the outlet, you’ll notice that it’s not quite like the more understated ramen restaurants you might be used to here and in Japan, especially with the neon signs and brightly coloured interior.

The restaurant has a good mix of comfortable booth seats, bar stools to get up-close and personal with all the cooking action and regular communal seating. 

The spot can sit up to 65, but judging by the excitement around Mashi No Mashi’s Singapore opening, we’re sure there’ll still be quite a wait. Thankfully, its service is relatively quick. 

What to order from Mashi No Mashi’s menu

It’s a ramen concept, so you’ll want to dive straight into its ramen — the menu comes with four key choices: Ultra wagyu ramen (S$22), Ultra truffle ramen (S$25), wagyu tsukemen (dipping noodles, S$30) and a Tsukemen Death (spicy tsukemen, S$32).

Since it was our first time trying Mashi No Mashi’s noodles, we were advised to start from the basics — the Ultra wagyu ramen and the wagyu tsukemen — and try the more flavourful versions on our next visit.

The Ultra wagyu ramen was decidedly simple — it is as it states: Thin ramen noodles in a wagyu bone broth, with a few slices of wagyu meat. 

The bone broth was light and didn’t taste in the least bit gamey. While we had no issues with the consistency and the flavour, we think anyone expecting a more robust broth might be a tad disappointed. 

The noodles were also a bit too soft for our liking. We later realised that you can choose how firm you like your noodles — but this was missed out when we were ordering. Remember to mention it if noodle firmness makes or breaks your experience.

The wagyu tsukemen was arguably the star for us. We loved the slight chewiness of the thick ramen noodles used, as well as the viscous consistency of the wagyu dipping sauce.

We even noticed that the dipping sauce came with tiny bits of what appeared to be beef tendon, which went nicely with the noodles and the sauce. According to our friendly server, all its noodles are made with buckwheat, instead of egg.

If you want to try something a little different and have both stomach space and budget to spare, we’d recommend its wagyu bak kut teh (S$30).

It is admittedly pricey, costing at least three times a regular, coffeeshop-style portion of BKT, but the soup was flavourful, the ribs melt-in-your-mouth tender and overall a very hearty dish, so it’s worth a try. 

Chef Hisato, who was also present at the outlet’s launch on April 4, said: “Singapore is a city I hold close to my heart, as I spent three years living here”. 

With Singapore one of his favourite cities, you can be sure that this wagyu bak kut teh won’t be the only Singapore-inspired dish on Mashi No Mashi’s menu, with hokkien mee and laksa in the works. 

If you want more wagyu options on the table, we also enjoyed its wagyu horumon (beef innards, S$15), which came slightly but nicely charred, as well as the saikoro steak (diced wagyu steak, S$28). 

The wagyu gyoza (S$4 a piece) were a bit more forgettable as was the sui gyoza (S$15), a take on the well-loved chilli oil dumplings — though wagyu was used for the dumplings’ filling, it lacked the usual sweetness of the protein and the chilli sauce was also quite one-dimensional. 

All things considered, we think Mashi No Mashi presents a unique take to the otherwise pork-focused local ramen scene and think it’s worth a try if you’re feeling indulgent, or y’know, just love wagyu a lot. And we really mean a lot. 

This was a hosted tasting. 

For more places to explore in the Bugis area, check out our Bugis Junction food guide or read our review of sandwich spot Jack Marzoni’s. 

Do explore the GrabFood Dine-in service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to Mashi No Mashi at Guoco Midtown in Singapore.