Tucked away in the back of Ian Conway’s Kokoro Bento sushi bar on buzzy South William Street, The Ramen Bar is one of the most impressive casual dining offerings to open in Dublin in recent years. As the name suggests, the menu is dedicated exclusively to ramen – the Japanese noodle soup that has become a global phenomenon in recent years – and the focus is very much on the quality and authenticity of the core details.
The kitchen resists the distraction of offering too much choice but instead concentrates wisely on doing a small range of things very well, and offering lots of variations on those central choices. There are four pork ramen variations, and two each for chicken, salmon and vegetable. There’s also a selection of toppings with which to customise your choice, and five ‘side dishes’ which could double up as starters – from appetisers like steamed edamame beans to more filling extras like steamed buns with chicken or pork chashu or a Pumpkin Korokke croquette with a tonkotsu sauce.
If you’re going to offer such a focused menu, you need to do it right. At The Ramen Bar, they make all their noodles on-site using Ireland's first state-of-the-art ramen noodle-making machine, which the team travelled to the Japanese city of Kagawa to purchase. Ramen noodles are wheat-based and alkalised to help the noodle hold its shape in the soup. The alkaline salts (‘kansui’) lend a unique flavour, colour and ‘al dente’ chewy texture that is accentuated when the noodles are eaten fresh.
The core broth offered here is the rich and creamy pork-based Tonkotsu, which hails from Japan's Kyushu region and is the most famous and celebrated of all ramen broths. It takes 14 hours to produce, and the result here is indeed a broth to be proud of. You can enjoy the broth unadulterated in the ‘Tonkotsu Original’ ramen or flavoured with black garlic (Kokoro Tonkotsu Black), chilli (Tonkotsu Red) or miso, as in the Tsuke-men ramen.
The other core ingredient here – and not to be missed – is a superb rendition of chashu pork, which is slow-cooked pork belly so tender that you could cut them with a spoon.
Also unmissable is the seasoned egg which comes with some of the pork options but should be ordered as an extra if it’s not in your choice of ramen. These have been boiled, marinated in soy sauce and halved to reveal perfectly semi-soft golden yolks. Other ramen must-haves include glistening sheets of dried nori seaweed, seasoned bamboo shoots (menma), spring onions and bean sprouts.
Presentation is excellent, with big steaming bowls full of contrasting colour, flavour and texture. There’s something lovely about seeing all the toppings sitting on top of their base of those al dente noodles and that soothing, delicious broth – a real feast for the eyes and soul as much as for your own belly!
As well as the traditional ramen style of everything in one bowl, they also offer the elements served ‘tsuke-men’, or ‘dipping ramen’ style. Tsuke-men noodles are thinner and more delicate than regular ramen noodles, and are served on the side as opposed to immersed in the hot soup where they would quickly disintegrate. The idea is that you dip mouthfuls of noodles and toppings into the broth as you go, for a more refined noodle experience.
It’s worth remembering when you’re ordering is that they offer some of spicy ramen options as mild, spicy and hot, and they don’t shy away from hot for the latter!
This is filling food, but if you’re extra hungry, they’ll even bring you a second serving of those fresh ramen noodles if you have room for more before you’ve finished your soup. As per the menu’s explanation, just say the words ‘Kae-Dama’ and “your server will quickly bring you a fresh extra portion of noodles” for just €3. A nice touch – as is the small daily complementary starter (ebi furai perhaps, or chicken yakitori) which isn’t too big to spoil your appetite for the feast ahead, but tasty enough to make you feel nicely spoilt.
Given the quality of what they do, The Ramen Bar offers excellent value for money – if you’re looking for a casual and affordable feed to set you up for the rest of the day or evening, this is your spot.
