A good bowl of ramen can turn your whole day around.
In Oxford there is one ramen joint that has a queue outside the entrance every night – a sure sign that good things await through its doors. Ramen Kulture has been an Oxford noodle hotspot, with people flocking to the hole-in-the-wall restaurant for their soupy fix. With queues forming even on the coldest evenings, it was only a matter of time that this Japanese eatery expanded and opened up a sister restaurant.
On the corner on Longwall Street, facing the iconic Magdalen College, sits Ramen Korner, Ramen Kulture’s second noodle bar with, what I think is, a fun play on the name. Large windows let plenty of sun in, allowing you almost to forget that you are on the corner of a busy intersection with cars and bikes zooming past.
In contrast to its original restaurant, Ramen Korner uses chicken broth in all of its dishes (except the vegetarian one), opening up to the clientele who maybe cannot consume pork products.
I ordered the Chicken Paitan Ramen which was a creamy broth, topped with chicken breasts, nitamago egg, beansprouts, sweetcorn, spring onions, wood ear fungus, crispy shallots, benishoga and sesame. Though I would usually also choose pork over chicken because I like the richness, the chicken broth at Ramen Korner is cooked over 10-hours, leaving it with a great depth of flavour. I struggled to decide between a creamy or clear broth for my ramen and opted for the creamy version since I worried the clear one would taste too watery, but after having the Paitan Ramen and being so impressed with the richness, I am very eager to return and try the clear-broth version.
Though there is only one veggie/vegan ramen on the menu, it does not disappoint.
With a deep miso broth and many toppings including fried tofu, tender-stem broccoli, wood ear fungus, beansprouts and shimenji mushroom, it will stratify your noodle cravings. If you wanted to have any extras on your ramen, you can add them at a cost.
Given its airy interior and fast service, Ramen Korner is the perfect lunch-time spot.
With their ramen’s ranging from £13.50 to £14.90, it is not necessarily going to break the bank if you want to treat yourself to a lunch out every now and again. They are open every day from 11am to 9:30pm (Sundays they open at midday), but they are closed on Tuesdays. Don’t let this catch you out like it did me! You will have to find your Tuesday treats somewhere else.
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