Could ramen, Japan's answer to the greasy spoon, go gourmet? It started out simple -- this dish of Chinese-style noodles in soup was conjured up by cooks in Yokohama's Chinatown in the 1920s. Its present association with drab 24-hour diners and poor nutrition gives it a low rank in the food hierarchy: as the underdog's dietary staple.
But in these days of protracted recession, cheap is chic. Ramen, perhaps the best under-1,000 yen restaurant deal, is being served in new variations. MSG-free, spicy or veggie-laden -- take your pick. Leading the trendy trail is Ippudo, Fukuoka's leading nouveau-ramen joint, which is as much an aberration in Kyushu's conservative ramen world as it is a pioneer of today's "chic" ramen eateries.
Generally, Kyushu folk don't bother with ramen that's not of the whitish, garlicky tonkotsu (pork soup) variety. (Tokyo's soy-based ramen is still a rarity here). Ippudo's charismatic owner, Shigemi Kawahara, 49, set out to change that.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.