I’m a fan of Ramen, traveling the world for this bowl. After trying it in France, Dubai and New York, it was time to indulge in a hefty ramen bowl in Beirut. Let me tell you the story as it happened...
Craving a Ramen bowl, I called Ramen-Ya! Ramen-Ya doesn’t deliver and doesn’t have takeaway... I was dying for some Ramen! So I sent someone to the supermarket buy four taper-wares and drive straight down to Mar Mikhael. The experience was awesome! Despite the delivery time and way of presentation, the Ramen bowls were amazing.
Sneaking out from work, I went down to Gemmayze. Ramen-Ya is a Japanese restaurant serving a selection of eight ramen noodles. Five appetizers, five plates of rice and toppings. Occupying an old space, one wall is left as is with the old stones; one is painted in colors and the kitchen occupying the end of the restaurant.
My favorite thing about Ramen-Ya is that the restaurant doesn’t use garlic in all the plates: I couldn’t eat Ramen in Dubai because the sauce contains garlic, but not in Lebanon.
Vegetarian ramen, shoyu ramen, spicy miso, sweet miso, yakiso cha-shu, beef tantanmen, seafood tanmen, yakisoba seafood: the choice was hard.
- Shrimp wontons to start: wantons pockets filled with shrimp and ginger and floating in the Ramen-Ya sauce. A kick of spiciness, a tender chewiness, an interesting saltiness; a tasty finish. Five pieces I enjoyed.
- Rice: Steamed rice, furikake, nori, spicy codfish eggs, and takuan. Sticky like it should be and topped with fish eggs, that simple bowl of rice is as good as a gourmet preparation. I loved the texture, the spiciness, and the flavors.
- Yakisoba noodles: fried noodles with shrimp, scallops, squid, mixed vegetables. Top quality and taste! Yummy noodles the way I like them. No water for this plate, if you don’t like Ramen bowls. Amazing on all fronts!
Now the Ramen! Exceptional Ramen! Ramen the way they should be! The flavors, ingredients, and colors are breathtaking! I enjoyed my food so much!!!! Bravo all the way! Reminding me of all the Ramen experiences I’ve previously had, Ramen-Ya drew a smile on my face. I wish there are more parking spaces in front of the restaurant.
PS: the waiter deserves recognition. Thank you for being professional and attentive.
