The Ramen Diaries– Ramen Festival at Shizusan – Slurrrped! — Reviewed!

What reminds to us when it is pouring outside? Typically a hot cuppa of chai with deep fried bhajiyas? This season make it healthy with a piping hot bowl of ramen. So, basically Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup dish prepared in a healthy way. Delicious broth, noodles, veggies or choice of meat make a bowl full of taste and health.

What can be better than to know that our favourite Shizusan - the hipster mascot has come up with 10 comforting and innovative bowls of ramen to Pune from his recent trip to east Asia. 8 out of 10 bowls have an interesting twist added by Chef Paul Kinny and can be referred to as off beaten path. After the amazing response for special sushi menu, 'Around the World in 9 Sushis', Ramen festival started 27th July is sure a hit.

The menu is bright and colorful where you can see the name, description and the pictures to have a brief idea about your serving.
Vegetarian Menu have...

• Kimchi Ramen
• Tom Yum Ramen
• Shanghai Ramen
• Malaysian Laksa Ramen
• Miso and Shitake Ramen

while, Non-Vegetarians can relish..

• Seafood Ramen
• Shanghai Chilli Chicken Ramen
• Peking Duck Ramen
• Bangkok Ramen
• The Classic Ramen

My favourite being the Kimchi Ramen and Malaysian Laksa. The Kimchi Ramen is made with thin, silky rice noodles in a broth made from red colored gochujang stock and topped with beans, roasted corn chillies, cilantro and kimchi. First slurrp and wow! What soothing and comforting dish! Loved it in cool weather. Highly recommended!

Spice lovers, Tom Yum Ramen has aromatic spices of Thailand and the pop touch to the ramen with a good kick from the bird eye chillies, freshness from lemongrass and tanginess from the kaffir lime. Toppings include tofu, carrots, beans, cherry, tomatoes and cilantro. Recommended!

Shanghai Ramen is a soy based soup, bit garlicky and peppery with lamian noodles and tropped with mini dumplings, enoki and shitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, beans and pokchoy. Shitake mushroom was quite delicious and made a right concoction in the ramen bowl.

From Malaysia comes the Malaysian Laksa Ramen – a bowl of creamy laksa broth with al dente eggless noodles topped with mushrooms, mustard cress, tofu, red radish, crushed peanuts and fried noodles for the crunch. I loved it, especially cream and fried noodles! Totally, highly recommended!

Miso and Shitake Ramen is bit earthy with high on umami from miso, mirin and mushrooms along with udon noodles and topped with shitake, oyster mushrooms, spinach, edamame beans, microgreens to make it rich. Brownish in color the bowl has surely high health quotient. Recommended!

I am a pure vegetarian, so could not try non-veg ramens but for those who enjoy the ‘Chindian’ fare, there’s the Shanghai Chilli Chicken Ramen – a bowlful of your favourite hakka noodles in a spicy garlicky chilli chicken broth topped with cubes of chicken, peppers, pokchoy and cilantro.

Peking Duck Ramen is a ramen version of the famous Peking Duck from China and has a sweet and salty hoisin broth with egg noodles topped with crispy sliced Peking duck (of course), fried wonton noodles and spinach. This was a hit on our table. Loved by all. Also featured on the menu is an unctuous Seafood Ramen with generous portions of squid, prawns, fish and udon noodles.

One can choose to add an ajitsuke tamago or marinated soft boiled egg to their bowl at no additional cost.

The new menu has equal options for vegetarians and non-vegetarians with bowls starting at Rs 445. What are you waiting for? Go and grab your tables as the festival ends on 12th July 2016. Do not forget to order chef's signature Chocolate Mud pie. Here, one more chapter added to the travel diaries of Shizusan, eagerly waiting for whats coming up next!