Shin Ramen and Kimchi is how we do it in Korea. Now as a father I have learned how to make Ramen with nearly no sound like a ninja. I like to add an egg in it just as the ramen starts to bubble. The kimchi is a perfect complement. Hey it might not be the healthiest but it is my comfort food that goes well with a side of Stranger Things.

I have been told that I am a little noodle obsessed. The problem is that there are so many places to choose from in Korea that you just don't know is worth your time. That is the same case with Japanese Ramen. I have seen them come and go. Back in 2009 , I wrote a roundup of the best places but many of those places have disappeared. Of the 6 I wrote about only Hakata Bunkko is left. Luckily there is still Menya Sandaime over by Hongdae.  Now Menya Sandaime has been around for ages and they do have a chain but my friend Chad swears that this place is the best. I have to agree with him because it is my go to place when I just need a bowl of Japanese-style noodles. My favorite is the Tsukemen which has a bowl of thick, chewy noodles with a side of savory/spicy broth. you dip the noodles into the spicy broth and eat. It has a satisfying chew and an elusive spice. I have also gotten their regular ramen which has a rich broth and high-quality noodles. I usually get their gyo...

Hands down my favorite korean ramen at the moment. It is O'mori Kimchi ramen that is made with aged, sour kimchi (3 years!). It's all about the broth here. My 2nd favorite is Shin Ramen Red,  3rd: Yukgaejang.  4th: Nagasaki Ramen.  5: Bibim guksu. My least favorite is that crazy spicy bokkeum ramen. It's just gross. 

Omori Kimchi Chiggae Ramen Omori Kimchi Chiggae Ramen I love kimchi and I still think the best kimchi chiggae is from Omori Kimchi. I mean they make the kimchi chiggae from 3-year-old kimchi. The kimchi in it makes the stew taste like the Thai soup Tom Yam Gom. I was happy to find that they have made a ramen line using this miraculously pungent and acidic kimchi. So when you open up the packet you get a packet of the kimchi and a flavor packet. The noodles are thin, but I got the instant boil in container so the noodles are always thinner in that. After you add the mix and the hot water, you get a great bowl of kimchi stew. I mean, really super good. It is the best broth that I have had in instant ramen. I mean the broth was so good that I drank it all. The noodles in the ramen were just there as a vehicle for flavor. If you are looking for some amazing ramen, then this is it. It is a refreshing take on a long popular dish.  Stop by a GS25 to pick it up before they ...

Mist: Chabuya My write-up of Mist:Chabuya ramen restaurant in Seoul was met with mixed reviews. Last night I returned to the restaurant to see if it had really gone downhill.  I went with a few friends and place was busy but not packed. I was impressed by the service which was patient and attentive. They had a new manager there that could speak English well and the whole place looked clean and professional.  The menus were laminated and clean- not torn an dirty like one commenter wrote.  I ordered the Mist Shoyu Ramen (10,000 won). The broth was rich and flavorful. It didn't look like there there was a lot in the bowl, but I left quite full. The noodles were silky and held up in the broth and the pork was melt-in-the-mouth tender. The pickles in the soup added a needed crunch. With the Mist Shoyu Ramen there were also a egg that was gently poached so the yolk inside was still creamy. This was a treat to have with the soup.  The only thing amiss was when my frien...

Mist at D-Cube City Seoul Mist MIST is a new ramen shop at D-Cube City near Sindorim Station. It is the first of it's kind in Seoul and it is probably the most popular shop in the entire complex. The style, the broth and the noodles is the perfect combination for a country obsessed with noodles. The broth here is like liquid gold and the pork melts on the tongue. The noodles are slick yet with a firmness that is almost elusive. This is one of the best bowls of ramen I have had outside of Japan and it even tops some of the noodle shops there. I recommend you get their regular noodles with the Shoyu sauce. I had the miso ramen as well. They are good, but the miso covers up the magical broth and you don't want to do that. They also have great gyoza with a bit of star anise on top which is a very nice touch. The noodles here are made in house, so a bowl isn't cheap. I think it started at 8,000 won and some bowls were like 12,000 won. It's well worth it and I ...

Soup for Sluts This is too funny! It's your smile for the day. Thanks Michael Simning for sharing it. Share it with your friends. I just love the caption "Cheap, Fast & Easy." I wonder if it got lost in translation or if the product designer is a devious genius that knew that he could get away with this in a foreign market. Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G Join the Seoul Eats Facebook Group Page to keep to date with the latest events.

Ippudo Ramen, Japan Ippudo Ramen Ippudo Ramen is well known for being one of the top ramen shops in Japan. The noodles are slick and firm, the broth is salty and savory, the vegetables are crunchy and soft- it is simply a harmonious state of being- just one step in any direction could ruin the dish. The chefs know how to tread that line and they put out a consistent product every time.  Actually, I noticed while I was here that there is a ramen shop in Hongdae that I had rated number one. I noticed that that shop basically stole the concept (and the recipe from Ippudo). The one major difference is the noodles- Ippudo's noodles are much more refined. Excellent place. I recommend you check it out if you are in Japan.  www.ippudo.com Ippudo Ramen Japan Ippudo Ramen Japan Ippudo Ramen Japan

I Dream of Noodles Thanks Suji for sharing this.  Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G Join the Seoul Eats Facebook Group Page to keep to date with the latest events.

  Shin Ramen Ramen Health Risks   Ramen ( 라면 )  is a fast food of South Korea, perhaps the fastest food that a Korean can consume.  Within seconds of purchasing your favorite cupped-variety, Ramen can be prepared and slurped by puckered lips and deft chopsticks.  Hoards of young and aged  Koreans can be found polishing off these timely treats as an afternoon snack or overdue dinner.  Ramien qualifies as the epitome of convenient.   There is no such thing as a free lunch, however, and if it is under 1,000 won, it definitely  pays to be wary.   Momofuku Ando, the creator of Nissin Foods, hatched the idea in 1958. Twenty years later, Nissan introduced the Cup Noodles. Japan later introduced South Korea to instant ramen in the 1960s. Ramen found instant success with its minimal preparation and cheap price. Even now, ramen is hailed as the greatest Japanese creation of the 20th century (beating karaoke and headphones by a l...

Tumsae Ramen is a franchise shop that has super spicy ramen. The curly noodles come to the table in a pool of red sauce. I recommend enjoying it with kimbap and a ton of water. It's a sauna in noodle form^^.

Yes! I can finally post about Girl's Generation. They are so much more talented and hotter than the Wondergirls. Recently they did a commercial to promote Samyang Ramen and it's gone viral. It popped up on www.awl.com and on www.seriouseats.com . It already has 20,800 hits and it was recently posted on September 30th. I know, it's hard to keep track of all the girls in the group, but here is a picture with their names. Here's a video of them drinking banana milk And here is a video that shows off their dancing and singing skills along with 2pm.

Here is the Ramen in a Booth at Ichi-men And the magically appearing Ramen from Ichi-men KoKo-Ro Ramen in Sinsadong Raw in Gangnam. Miso Ramen with Corn GROSS. 81 Banya Ramen in Itaewon's Wall of Fame. If you eat the humongoid bowl of Ramen, it's free. 81 Banya Ramen in Itaewon Hakatabunkko (하카타코) in Hongdae Thick and cloudy, the broth gives life to the noodles. They also give you a garlic press so you can put a whole clove of garlic in it. Sure, it's not your traditional shoyu ramen, but it's damn good.

Here is one of the articles I wrote about the best ramen in Seoul. And yes, I know that Tum Sae Ramen is Korean style ramen. I included it because the Japanese tourists I talked to raved about it. Dan The Best Japanese Ramen in Seoul By Dan Gray When I think of Ramen I think of my favorite foodie movie: Tampopo by Juzo Itami . It is a food movie told in vignettes about a group of adventurers seeking to make the perfect bowl of Ramen. It epitomizes the Japanese’s obsession with food in a way that explains the profusion of Ramen shops in Japan. In Japan you will find Ramen shops on every corner and there are many excellent home chefs that make their own. Ramen has several components: the broth, the noodles, the meat, and vegetables. The perfect bowl is a subtle balance of each. The broth gives zip to the noodles, the crunch of vegetables counterbalances the soft noodles, and the savory pork (or other meat) transforms this snack into a meal. Recently, Japanese Style Ramen has started ...

It is Wednesday, May 27th in Korea and tonight is Hockey night. Call me crazy if you will. Actually just call me Koreazy. I'm a huge Pittsburgh Penguins fan and they are playing the Carolina Candy Canes tonight. If they win they could advance to the finals. It is inevitable that they will advance, but I feel that they will do it tonight. I will be at Beer O'Clock in Sinchon (the stop next to Hongdae). A map is below. I will be watching the game and running over to get Japanese Style Ramen at a cool little place near by during the break. The ramen place has many individualized booths where you can sit by yourself or with another person and the ramen comes out of a cutaway slot in the front. You order the ramen by computer before you get in and I don't think you even see the people making it. It's like magic. The game starts at 8pm and it will go on till 11ish. The ramen place is right around the corner. I can't promise that it will be delicious, but I will promise i...