Yume Ramen, Reitergasse, Zurich

I’ve gotten slightly lazy over the past few months and even publications like Annabelle have beaten me to the punch. Being outdone by a ladies magazine could be taken as a worrisome sign, but it seems that we share a common fascination. Anyway – judging from the invites and emails I receive on an almost daily basis, it seems that more and more restaurateurs are engaging professional PR outlets to do their bidding, so it was interesting too see that the Yume Ramen did no such thing.

And after dining here it’s clear why: the food does their bidding! At first we tried the Gyoza (dumplings), Karaage (fried chicken), Konomono (pickles), Koumiage (eggplant) and Chasu (pork). The Gyoza were hands down the best I’ve ever had! Tasty and aromatic filling with a magnificent dough, which was soft on one side and super crunchy on the other.

If you’ve ever wondered how to show someone in a simple way the difference between industrial food and real handicraft, you could try the following experiment: Grab 6 Chicken McNuggets at McDonalds and hand them to your companions. Most people will think that these taste pretty okayish. Then walk over to Yume Ramen and order one helping of Chicken karaage and watch what happens. Succulent & flavorful pieces of chicken (not some glued together atrocity); covered by a breading with multidimensional crunch and a dollop of yuzu mayonnaise that will make your private parts tingle. Pure bliss, pure heaven and never-ever again will your companions bite into a Chicken McNugget and like it (in a sober state).

The main dish was a creamy and spicy black sesame ramen soup. Once again you could taste the hours this has cooked, the care that went into making this soup and the silky noodles. The most redeeming quality of the ramen soup was the perfect balance of spice, heat and umami.

As you can tell, the Yume Ramen is my new favorite place for a bite to eat. It is fascinating to see, that the purveyors of Sala of Tokyo have taken all their skill to their latest venture. You just can’t beat great worksmanship!