Ramen boy serves up instant satisfaction
Instant noodles are so much more than a microwaveable meal. It can be gourmet comfort food with some fun ideas behind it — found at Ramen Boy hidden inside Julu Road 758 compound.
Ramen Boy was a delightful find on a rainy day when I walked down Julu Road searching for something to eat for lunch. The cozy space is composed of bar table seating and several tables for more intimate get-togethers.
The cozy interior is decorated with artistic works and fun knickknacks as well as retro objects. It instantly raised my interest in knowing more about the concept.
Flipping through the menu (a book rather than a menu), it details not only the 106 kinds of instant noodles they sell but the whole history, knowledge, manufacturing process and everything you want or need to know about instant noodles.
Ramen Boy only opens during the day as the space doubles as a Taiwan eatery during dinner hours.
You immediately sense Hong Kong owner Chico Ngou’s great passion for instant noodles. He grew up eating them prepared by his mom. During his university time in England, he had more than one bowl of instant noodles every day. When friends asked if he was ever fed up, he replied: “No way, I had different flavored noodles everyday.”
He calls himself Ramen boy and shares his personal passion at this fast noodle concept that opened three months ago.
Ngou sourced a total of 106 kinds of instant noodles from 47 brands and 12 regions, mostly in Asia.
Diners can select their preferred kind from the noodle book and build their own noodle bowl by choosing different toppings. The book also suggests toppings for each flavor of noodle.
I found so many interesting noodles with fun flavors such as cheese mushroom noodle soup, creamy seaweed noodle soup, Bak kut teh noodle soup and Tom yum noodle soup.
Scallion with Sichuan pepper flavor noodle plus Dice steak with onion and black pepper as topping.
There is also a set menu that changes every week so I simply followed their weekly suggestion by picking the sesame oil chicken- flavor noodle with fried egg and spam (38 yuan) and scallion with Sichuan pepper-flavor noodle plus dice steak with onion and black pepper as a topping (78 yuan).
Both were very delicious and the Ramen boy knows how to make instant noodles more appealing, surely better than the ones you make at home. And the presentation is equally innovative and cool to look at. I will definitely come back to try more flavored noodles.
However, Ramen Boy only opens during the day as the space doubles as a Taiwan eatery during dinner hours.
Info
Opening hours: 11am-4:30pm (Sunday closed)
Tel: 13402088496
Address: Unit 106, 758 Julu Rd
Average price: 60 yuan (US$8.95)
