Ramen

Like sushi, ramen is Japanese food royalty.

Ramen restaurants can be found virtually everywhere across the country, with Tokyo estimated to have over 10,000 alone. It’s not hard to see why – a bowlful is inexpensive, accessible and super tasty. Tick, tick, tick.

In essence, ramen consists of crinkly egg noodles served in broth. While it might appear relatively simple, behold, there is more than meets the eye. Well-executed ramen packs an incredible flavour punch, with time and skill needed to create an authentically rich and delicious bowlful.

Ramen can have regional and vendor-specific variations galore, which impact the dish at all levels. This includes the broth (the most common being soy sauce, salt, miso or pork bones), noodle type (their thickness and ‘doneness’) and toppings (pork, green onion, bean sprouts, egg, seaweed and more).

We ate a lot of ramen in Japan, like our body weight a lot. My favourite was from the veteran Osaka ramen chain Kinryu Ramen, which we dined at on the vibrant Dontonbori. Look for the giant dragon overtop the store!