Warming the soul and bringing immediate comfort from the very first slurp is a bowl of hot chewy noodles served in a rich broth, known famously as ramen. Its popularity is nothing new as it is many people’s go-to for a quick filling meal especially with the ease of availability of instant noodles across supermarkets. Along with that, restaurants specializing in the special broth are taking over the region. With winter in full swing, indulging in this bubbling broth can be the perfect way to keep warm. So with that, here’s our very own hand-picked selection for you to try:
Mashi No Mashi (Saudi Arabia)
Combining the most unlikely duo of wagyu and ramen is the funky Japanese eatery known as “Mashi No Mashi” which translates to eat more and more in Japanese. Helmed by Hisato Hamada, chef turned wagyu expert and entrepreneur in 2016, today, Mashi No Mashi joined the fine dining scene of Jeddah’s Yacht Club. Dining there means experiencing their bubbly team dressed in their signature bright yellow tops. It also means indulging in everything from their spicy samurai bomb tsukemen ramen made of 12 spices to their Wagyujiro dry, a no-broth ramen topped off with garlic and an egg yolk.
Don Eatery (Egypt)
Making quite the noise, Don Eatery is Cairo’s ultimate soulful Asian street food joint that has been making a name for itself to the point of opening 3 branches in the capital city. It boasts a small menu yet the variety is insane from steaming bao buns to Korean rice bowls known as donburi. Their ramen selection is also quite special especially their beef miso ramen packed with earthy umami flavors as well as their chicken shoyu ramen that gets served with that extra touch of chili oil for that much needed warm kick.
Reif Japanese Kushiyaki (UAE)
Back in 2019, Inspired by Japanese street food he sampled on his trips to Japan, Reif Othman took all he experienced and ended up opening his eponymous restaurant in Dubai. His main focus was the kushiyaki, what is known in Japanese as skewered and grilled meat and vegetables which he introduced to the Emirates dining scene. His eatery also excels at crafting exceptional and unexpected ramen dishes including his unconventional Japanese black cod ramen.
Tampopo (Kuwait)
Bringing the globally renowned Japanese eatery Tampopo to Kuwait’s eclectic dining scene is its owner and chef Maryam Alnusif aka Mimi. After completing her studies at Le Corden Bleu London, she pooled all she learnt into opening her very own ramen restaurant that boasts innovation and creativity. Bringing something different to the ramen scene, Tampopo boasts a special menu that includes their vegetarian meatless yet mighty miso as well as the Chinese inspired tan tan men known as a spicy sichuan beef ramen.
Ramenara (Bahrain)
What started off as a bustling ramen pop-up back into 2020 turned into a full-fledged ramen shop that sits on the corner of an office tower in Seef. It is a fan favorite among its customers, the pleasure-seeking slurpers who hit up Ramenara to indulge in its ramen served with out-of-the-box ingredients. You can expect everything from their Shoyu broth ramen with pulled beef brisket to their pulled aromatic chicken served with egg noodles, grilled corn, enoki mushrooms, bean sprouts, bok choy, spring onion and a soy marinated egg with a sprinkle of black and white sesame.
Ramen (Qatar)
Fusing two worlds together is Qatar’s Ramen that melds together Korean and Japanese cuisine, serving up bowls of goodness at Msheierb Downtown Doha. Birthed out of that fusion are ramen dishes from Japanese Sapporo ramen to Korean style ramen filled with kimchi. Along with ramen dishes are Korean staples like rice cakes and bibimbap.
Kinoya (UAE)
For three years, Indian chef Neha Mishra ran an underground supper club that was called A Story of Food that ran from her Dubai home. She welcomed fewer than 6000 guests to her table during that time, all coming to get a taste of her ramen. When corona struck, she even continued to send her devoted diners packed ingredients for her famed ramen with detailed instructions on how to prep them at home. Today, born out of all this passion is Kinoya, Mishra’s very own restaurant specialized in the famous ramen. Diners indulge in crowd favourites including shio ramen, Wagyu tsukune skewers dipped in egg yolk and soy sauce, burnt butter scallops and onsen egg on rice with dashi.
Each of these Asian spots offers both conventional and out-of-the-box takes on a classic ramen. If you are craving the warmth that comes with slurping a bowl of the famous broth and noodle combo, then any of these eateries will do the trick.