Ramen, the Japanese soup and noodle dish, has become one of this year’s breakaway food trends. Whether you’ve got a hankering for a traditional steaming bowl of broth and silky noodles or for a build-your-own version, piled high with your choice of umami-rich ingredients, here’s where to get your fix of this comforting dish across SA.

• Johannesburg
• Pretoria
• Durban
• Cape Town

Joburg

Warm & Glad (Craighall Park)
Ramen is the top choice on this heavily Asian-inspired menu. Good luck trying to choose between the pork ramen (with pork bone broth, noodles, crisp pork belly, pulled pork, spring onions, bamboo shoots, pickled chilli, nori and a soy egg) or duck ramen (with duck and chicken broth, noodles, shredded duck, spring onions, bamboo shoots, pickled chilli, nori and a soy egg). It’s best to grab a few friends, order a few bowls and share. The silky, flavourful noodle broth should be washed down with a glass of Soju (Korea’s answer to sake). Or, if you prefer a cold beer, there are a couple of really good Asian beers on offer.

Warm & Glad. Photo supplied.

Japa Express Sushi Bar (Rivonia)
This restaurant makes you think they’re all about sushi, but the team serves up delicious noodles. The cha syu ramen deserves a special mention: the hot pork-based soup broth, with lashings of soya sauce, tender sliced pork and wheat egg noodles, is magic in a bowl. The miso ramen and miso cha syu ramen are equally delicious. A great range of Japanese beers, rice wines and Japanese whisky (So Chu) pair well with the savoury bowls of noodle delight.

Yamato (Illovo)
Yamato has gained a cult following for serving some of the most delicious ramen in the city. Get your ramen game on with shōyu ramen, containing homemade noodles and slices of succulent pork. The shōyu ramen is also available in a miso version – it’s one of the tastiest miso broths around (for R158). Yamato also serves up a delicious cold ramen salad called Hiyashi Chuka. It’s best to call ahead and book – the ramen society of Johannesburg seems to fill up the seats pretty fast. We’re kidding, there isn’t really a ramen society of Johannesburg… yet.

Yamato’s modern interior. Photo supplied.

The Great Eastern Food Bar (Melville)
The ramen dish here changes daily depending on the fresh ingredients available. However, the flavours usually include lemongrass, coconut, ginger and kimchi. All are best served with a shot or two of their lychee-infused sake.

A photo posted by The Great Eastern Food Bar (@gefoodbar) on Jun 23, 2016 at 11:16am PDT

Pretoria

Matsuya (Garsfontein)
At this unassuming Japanese restaurant in Garsfontein, diners can slurp on a range of udon, soba and ramen noodles. Try beautifully prepared tender pork ramen served in a glistening miso broth with spring onions, mushrooms, marrows and a boiled egg for R94.

Durban

Daruma (Snell Parade)
Always buzzing with locals and tourists alike, this classy Japanese restaurant offers two generous ramen options. The shōyu ramen comprises a chicken-based broth topped with tender beef, crabstick and nori seaweed. Alternatively, try the popular miso ramen with a delicious miso sauce base and beef (both dishes cost R108).

Daruma. Photo supplied.

The Green Mango (Morningside and Umhlanga)
This eatery garnered a reputation for fine Thai and Japanese fare back when these cuisines were just beginning to gain popularity. As for the ramen offering, try building your own, with toppings like stir-fried chicken (R84) or prawns (R96); fusion flavours with beef (R86) or veg (R76), and an unusual cold option served on ice with wasabi, spring onions and soba sauce (R78).

Mooki Noodle Bar (Glenwood)
Worshipped by Glenwood locals, this noodle bar serves Asian-inspired cuisine in a funky interior. The menu allows you to build your own bowl with your favourite noodle, protein and sauce. Order the ramen noodle with chicken, pork or prawns and slurp it up with a ginger and red chilli broth (R73), spicy Szechuan with lime and rice vinegar (R78), or yakitori sauce with sweet mirin and sake (R73).

Cape Town

Downtown Ramen (City Bowl)
This hip little gem offers a mouth-watering selection of punchy ramen. Follow a bao starter with their light shōyu ramen with Char Siu pork belly and sprouts. Alternatively, opt for the sweet and thick kimiko ramen with tofu, bok choy and noodle ribbons in a complex broth, finished off with silky-soft eggs (R75 each).

Downtown Ramen’s shōyu ramen. Photo supplied.

Lucky Bao (Hout Bay)
As you might guess from its name, this funky Asian spot (from the owner of Hout Bay favourite, Cheyne’s) is dedicated to baos. Lucky Bao also serves yakitori, though, and recently added ramen to their arsenal. Enjoy options like the sweet and salty roasted pork shio ramen or the rich, dark pulled duck shōyu version – both of which come with a silky boiled egg, spring onions and nori. There’s also the option of enjoying Lucky Bao’s ramen in a bento box, filled with other bites like bao, yakitori and an Asian salad.

2nd up on tasting, Duck Shoyu ramen. Seriously beautiful broth, noodles amazing, finished off with a spring onion and star anise oil . Ramen game on mother fuckers A photo posted by Lucky Bao (@lucky_bao_bar) on Jul 28, 2016 at 1:10pm PDT

 

Obi (City Bowl)
The shōyu ramen at Obi is deeply comforting with a light, softly savoury flavour. A generous portion of silky straight noodles glisten in a soy sauce broth alongside strips of pork cheek, sheets of nori, snipped spring onions and a beautifully done six-minute egg. The ramen is only served during lunchtime and costs R80 per portion.

The shōyu ramen at Obi. Photo by Linda Scarborough.

Three Wise Monkeys (Sea Point)
This new addition to the Sea Point strip is heating up the Atlantic Seaboard with its bowls of steaming ramen. The noodles are perfectly cooked then nestled in a delicately flavoured chicken-based broth. The bowl is also filled with sprouts, pickled cabbage, spring onions, pickled mushrooms, light and dark meat of perfectly cooked, succulent chicken (R95) or beef short rib (R105) and a magnificent five-minute marinated boiled egg for richness. For those wanting a bit more punch, there’s soy sauce and sriracha readily available. There is also a vegetarian shiitake dashi and miso broth ramen, each for R90.

The ramen at Three Wise Monkeys. Photo supplied.