First Taste | Ramenhead

The team behind the internationally renowned Fyn restaurant has opened an epic new ramen bar, and slurping is naturally encouraged.

Chefs Peter Tempelhoff and Ashley Moss together with sommelier extraordinaire Jennifer Hugé, will be opening the doors of their latest venture, Ramenhead, on Tuesday next week, at Speaker’s Corner.

Situated on the corner store within the same inner-city heritage building that house’s Fyn — recently awarded number 37 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list  — is where you’ll find Ramenhead. The space, designed by Tristan du Plessis’s Studio A, merges the industrial meets heritage look of the property with minimalist Japanese design and a whole lot of quirk.

There’s the contrasting cladding of natural oak and shou-sugi-ban (the Japanese technique of treating wood by charring it) which covers most of the interior — a constant contrast of light and dark which carries through to the kitchen bulkhead and furnishings.

A neon red sign of a cartoon character slurping from a bowl of ramen, adds a pop of colour to the otherwise neutral space, while aged mirrors reflect the heritage of the building. Greenery too, is used to great effect, bringing life into the urban space — which includes an outdoor seating area overlooking Church Square.

Also worth mentioning are the assortment of ramen bowls which are displayed a long the bulkhead — which feature over 50 ramen bowls specially created by eleven local potters and ceramicists. A testament to the team’s dedication to merging their love of local with their passion for Japanese cuisine.

The main event though is obviously the ramen — the team having extensively travelled Japan and tasted more than their fair share aim at keeping it as authentic as possible. The pride and joy is undoubtedly the Japanese Yamato Richter noodle machine with which they make all their noodles from scratch, and which can be viewed from within the restaurant.

The menu is concise and features five ramen dishes ranging from those with no broth (maze), a clear thin broth (chintan) and the thicker, creamier broth (paitan) — each of the soups taking a multi-hour process to create and each served with a specific noodle — the decision made on thickness, hydration, and propensity to hold or not hold the broth. I quickly learn there’s a science to ramen, and here they have it figured out.

A ramen bowl generally includes a soup, tare (a soy-sauce based sauce) noodles and aroma oils, which is then topped with negi (spring onion), ajitamago (marinated soft boiled egg), menma (lacto-fermented bamboo shoots), nori (seaweed), chushu (shoyu roast pork slices — though a vegetarian, Wagyu and chicken options are available) and kikurage mushrooms.

It’s a dish that is served hot and is to be eaten fast — slurping up the noodles is not only acceptable but encouraged. The delicate strands carry the deep, bold and flavourful broth with every mouthful (though feel free to drink from the bowl towards the end). It’s an insanely delicious dish, the tender pork, the textures of veg, shoots, fungi, oils and seaweed adding layer upon layer of taste and texture to the complex, rich and filling soup.

Served the traditional way, a trio of accoutrements called ajihen — chilli, garlic and onion — are available to tailor the bowl to your taste as you eat. If you’re feeling extra indulgent add the nekomama to your order — which is a small serving of warm rice, to be added to the last of the soup for the last spoonful or two.

In addition to the ramen a small selection of sides and bites are available too, including in-house made gyoza — filled with springbok for a local twist, karaage — traditional Tokyo fried chicken and donburi bowls. The shredded kale salad is not to be missed either, the crunchy leaves dressed with ponzu, crispy garlic, spring onion, smoked chilli and fried prawns.

Complimenting the street food staples is a small yet well curated selection of local wines — including a pretty special sauvignon blanc fermented under flor — and a host of Hugé’s exceptional cocktails: she’s gone all out with an interesting and exciting array of Japanese ingredient infusions, butter washes and Japanese spirits.

For all the fine-dining and posh nosh I have been lucky enough to have had this year, something about Ramenhead just hit the spot. It is most certainly competing for not only the most enjoyable experience but perhaps most delicious of dishes too. Sometimes all it takes is a well-made bowl of noodles and a great soup. I am officially a ramenhead — give it a visit, you might just be one too.

Ramenhead opens December 13

• 1st Floor, Speaker’s Corner, 37 Parliament Street, Cape Town
• Tuesday-Saturday
• Lunch 12pm to 3pm
• Dinner 6pm to 10pm
• No reservations