EAT > Wajoryomen Sugari, Kyoto

Ramen. You love it, or you don’t. Hot, spicy, full of flavour. The best ramen is something of a work of art (see the quote below from the incredible 1985 movie Tampopo).

Sugari has something of a following in a classic Matcha house, hidden on a narrow lane off a side street, in amongst a couple of Izakaya you will probably find a queue of people waiting to get in. The first door way is small, you need to bend down to fit through. I leads you on in a passageway behind the kitchen, here you start smelling the amazing ramen broth (your stomach starts to growl).

At the end of the passageway you will find a tablet to place your order, it asks do you want more noodles or less, more meat, an egg (beef tendons or pork). But there are few choices. Drinks are only beer or coke. Cold tea is offered with the food.

After ordering you pass from the corridor to the back garden, where you move around in a U shape, finally taking the a position to watch the diners and decide if you made the right ordering decision. (By now the stomach growling has turned into a roar).

The music blasts out from a Transparent speaker (see our interview with the founders of Transparent) on this occasion it was mostly hip hop and the restaurant is full of heads down slurping noodles and sipping the soup.

In a draw there are some additional spices to add but frankly the ramen was perfectly seasoned and exceptionally delicious, the pork was amazing. We had the foresight to also order a bowl of white rice, which was perfect to soak up the soup and extend the meal even further. Sensational.

Student of ramen eating: [voiceover] One fine day… I went out with an old man. He’s studied noodles for 40 years. He was showing me the right way to eat them.
Student of ramen eating: Master… soup first or noodles first?
Old gentleman: First, observe the whole bowl.
Student of ramen eating: Yes, sir.
Old gentleman: Appreciate its gestalt. Savor the aromas. Jewels of fat glittering on the surface. Shinachiku roots shining. Seaweed slowly sinking. Spring onions floating. Concentrate on the three pork slices. They play the key role, but stay modestly hidden. First caress the surface with the chopstick tips.
Student of ramen eating: What for?
Old gentleman: To express affection.
Student of ramen eating: I see.
Old gentleman: Then poke the pork.
Student of ramen eating: Eat the pork first?
Old gentleman: No. Just touch it. Caress it with the chopstick tips. Gently pick it up and dip it into the soup on the right of the bowl. What’s important here is to apologize to the pork by saying “see you soon.” Finally, start eating-the noodles first. Oh, at this time, while slurping the noodles, look at the pork.
Student of ramen eating: Yes.
Old gentleman: Eye it affectionately.
Student of ramen eating: The old man bit some shinachiku root and chewed it awhile. Then he took some noodles. Still chewing noodles, he took some more shinachiku. Then he sipped some soup. Three times. He sat up, sighed, picked up one slice of pork-as if making a major decision in life-and lightly tapped it on the side of the bowl.
Student of ramen eating: What for?
Old gentleman: To drain it. That’s all.

From the movie Tampopo 1985

image credit | Crispy ALMANAK Magazine (click images to expand to lightbox)