WHAT WE ATE
- Classic Rosu Katsu Abura Soba, 35/100 (22 Nov 2025, Changi City Point)
Tonkatsu ENbiton is a Japanese tonkatsu restaurant chain in Singapore under EN Group (the same folks behind Aburi-EN and Tamago-EN), positioned as a “destination for authentic tonkatsu experiences”. The name itself is a small hint at the concept: “EN” refers to a place of gathering, while “Biton” carries the idea of beauty – essentially a pretty setting to sit down over deep-fried pork and company.
What makes Tonkatsu ENbiton interesting from a ramen-and-katsu geek perspective is how seriously they treat the cutlet as a product. The brand started by spotlighting “Yuzu Pork” from Kagoshima – pigs fed with yuzu as part of their diet – and has since leaned into premium pork like Hokkaido Shirakaba, alongside A4/A5 Miyazaki gyukatsu, all coated in ultra-light panko imported from Saitama. Beyond the classic rosu and hire tonkatsu sets, the menu branches into charcoal black curry, kushikatsu skewers, sandos and bentos, with the usual free-flow rice and cabbage setup you’d expect from a modern tonkatsu specialist in Japan.
Classic Rosu Katsu Abura Soba: 35/100
Noodle: 5/35
The noodles are medium-thin with a squarish, machine-cut profile, the kind you immediately recognise as mass-produced. They hold a firm bite, but the firmness leans into a doughy resistance rather than a clean snap. The mouthfeel is weak, offering little in the way of structure or chew. Flavour-wise, the alkaline note is so dominant it bulldozes through everything else. Any natural wheat aroma is buried, and the pairing becomes fundamentally mismatched. It feels like a stock noodle chosen for convenience rather than suitability, and it shows.
Sauce: 0/35
The sauce, if we can call it that, is extremely thin. There’s no aromatic lift, no initial flavour hook to signal what direction this bowl intends to take. The noodle’s alkaline edge overwhelms the mid-palate, muting even the marinated fried garlic chips, which should have been the loudest element here. There’s no tail, no final flourish, no moment where flavours settle into clarity. Essentially the sauce is pretty much absent. The lack of integration suggests an underdeveloped sauce base, leaving the entire bowl without a centre of gravity.
Meat: 20/20
The saving grace. The rosu katsu arrives as a generous cut, proudly thick and clearly their area of competence. The exterior crunch is satisfying without being abrasive, while the lean interior remains reasonably tender. Flavour is lightly savoury and not overly seasoned, though the cut does run a bit oilier compared to specialists. Still, as a standalone tonkatsu, this is confidently executed and easily the highlight of the dish.
Other Toppings: 10/10
- The black fungus adds textural contrast, although its crunch becomes somewhat redundant next to the katsu.
- The onsen egg struggles to register because the noodles’ alkaline taste drowns out its richness.
- Negi is one of the few components that breaks through, offering piquant sharpness that cuts the monotony.
- Sweet corn is unexpectedly refreshing, acting almost like a palate reset.
- The bamboo shoots are soft, juicy and surprisingly nuanced, carrying mild pungency and a bright, sharp sourness that helps lift the bowl.
- The garlic chips, unfortunately, disappear entirely.
Summary
This bowl makes one thing very clear: the tonkatsu here is legitimately excellent, but the noodle choice is so mismatched that the entire abura soba experience feels compromised from the outset. As a tonkatsu dish, it easily hits around 80/100. As an abura soba, it falls apart. The fundamentals simply don’t align, and the result is closer to a conceptual misfire than a cohesive bowl.
DISCLAIMER
One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Find out more about our palettes and how we evaluate our ramen here. 😉
