From the Japanese working man’s food to a hipster obsession — ramen has come a long way.
Originally an import from China, the cheap but filling noodle soup flourished among Japan’s working class after World War II. There, an abundance of regional variations were developed, with different bases for the broth and an assortment of toppings as it received its Japanese name.
Since then, ramen has become one of Japan’s most popular and culturally significant foods: there are museums in some of the country’s most important cities dedicated to the dish. It was exported worldwide in the form of instant noodles — the just-add-boiling-water kind — but, naturally, they did not become part of the restaurant culture worldwide.
But in the 2000s the ramen noodles were embraced by chefs in New York City, in particular the celebrity chef David Chang. A Korean-American who lived in Japan for a long time, Chang said he had to start making his own ramen because he could not get good ramen in New York.
Chang elevated ramen from its common food status by focusing on the quality of the products and authenticity. This launched a trend known as “artisan ramen” in the United States. And now the popular Japanese noodle dish has found its way to Kyiv.
Noodle vs. Marketing
Kyiv’s first restaurant specializing in ramen launched in 2015 with the goal of introducing artisan ramen to the Ukrainian capital.
Noodle vs. Marketing claims its ramen doesn’t taste Japanese, but rather has a taste of Kyiv. Its wheat noodles are made mostly with local ingredients.
The restaurant offers four types of ramen flavors: traditional shio, shoyu, miso and a special, spicy ramen. The customer chooses between two kinds of broth: turkey and duck, or vegetables and seaweed. There are also extra meat toppings: roasted chicken and braised pork.
Shio is the most basic and the lightest type of ramen. Noodle vs. Marketing serves it with a hardboiled egg, mushroom puree, fried garlic, scallions, sesame seeds and roasted nori — a seaweed. For shoyu ramen, the restaurant adds soy sauce, sesame oil and mirin — a kind of rice wine sauce.
For miso ramen, Noodle vs. Marketing adds to the shio base some corn and dark miso, a paste produced from fermented soybeans. The spicy ramen is made with corn, chili sauce and the restaurant’s own kimchi — seasoned and fermented vegetables.
Ramen bowls come in two sizes, baby and standard, but both are enough to feed an adult. The restaurant is located some way from the city center but can be reached from Arsenalna metro station. It takes cash only. But it’s a quest worth embarking on to try Kyiv’s most authentic ramen.
Prices: shio — Hr 55/65, shoyu — Hr 65/75, miso — Hr 90/105, spicy — Hr 85/95, toppings — Hr 5–40.
Noodle vs. Marketing. 8/9 Khrestovyi Ln. (entrance from the courtyard). 12 p. m. — 3:50 p. m., 5:30 p. m. — 9 p. m. +38095 444 5822.
WhaiThai
Another place away from the city center but also serving up good ramen is WhaiTai. The bistro’s greatest strength is its bright and fresh interior design with real and painted vegetation all over the place.
In addition to shoyu, miso and spicy ramen, WhaiTai also offers dashi ramen with Kombu seaweed, and curry-coconut ramen. There are meat or vegetable broths to choose as a base. The customer selects one topping to be included in the price of ramen: chicken, pork, beef, shrimp or tofu with mushrooms. Other ingredients can be added at extra cost. WhaiThai also makes its own wheat noodles, and offers wok noodle dishes. The portions come in three sizes: small, medium and large.
Prices: shio, miso, dashi, curry-coconut, spicy — Hr 109/129/169, toppings — Hr 10–69.
WhaiThai. 5 Mechnykova St. 12 p. m. — 11 p. m. +38068 976 5050.
A customer picks up ramen noodles with chopsticks at the WhaiTai bistro in Kyiv on Feb. 20, 2019. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Mai Satai
A grill and cocktail bar that specializes in satay — Indonesian-style skewers of seasoned and grilled meat — Mai Satai also has ramen on the menu.
Although their ramen is basic, Mai Satai is a place with a fun interior and an atmosphere the owners call “Eastern world madness.”
Since ramen is far from the only item on Mai Satai’s large menu, it’s more generic. There are three kinds of ramen in the bar, different only by the main meat ingredient. MaiTai offers ramen with pork, fried duck and marinated chicken. There is only one size of portion. There are also no vegetarian ramen options at Mai Satai and no add-ons on the menu.
However, the customer can pay more for extra spicy ramen. Mai Satai has good offers for lunch sets on weekdays from 12 to 4 p. m. These include ramen, satay, fried vegetables and teas with a great discount.
Prices: chicken ramen — Hr 138, pork ramen — Hr 148, duck ramen — Hr 179, lunch sets (ramen, satay, veggies, tea) — Hr 149.
Mai Satai. 51 Vozdvyzhenksa St. 12 p. m. — 11 p. m. (12 p. m. — 2 a. m. on Fri. and Sat.) +38098 676 6443.
Menya Musashi
The biggest variety of ramen by far in Kyiv can be found at the city’s eight Menya Musashi restaurants. And it’s no wonder: Menya Musashi is a Japanese ramen shop chain that has “originality” as its motto.
Each Menya Musashi restaurant in Kyiv has seven types of ramen: pork, beef, duck, shrimp, seafood and two kinds of chicken. There is also a vegetarian option with vegetables and coconut milk. Besides the add-ons, at extra cost, the customer can spice up the ramen with squid ink or smoked niboshi, a small fish similar to anchovies.
The restaurants offer three bowl sizes and options for children. On weekdays from 12 to 3 p. m. Menya Musashi offers a free beverage and a side dish to every large ramen. From 3 to 6 there is a 20 percent discount for all large ramen meals.
Prices: chicken, pork — Hr 68/85/135, beef, duck — Hr 76/95/159, shrimp — 92/115/179, seafood — Hr 103/129/189, toppings — Hr 9–59.
Menya Musashi Khreschatyk. 3 Luteranska St. 10 a. m. — 11 p. m. +38098 711 25 25.
Menya Musashi Podil. 19 Kostiantynivska St. 11 a. m. — 11 p. m. +38097 711 25 25.
Menya Musashi Lva Tolstoho. 48 Velyka Vasylkivska St. 11 a. m. — 11 p. m. +38068 927 25 25.
