Top Ramen’s been the go-to dorm staple for decades, but this weekend, it’s a go-to for culinary glory. Deco’s chief ramen reporter Alex Miranda is warming up the water and has more.
Burger and chicken wing reporter yesterday, today it’s ramen. I love this job!
Ramen, as you know, is oodles of noodles, usually in a tasty broth. Now this Japanese meal is getting its chance to shine in South Florida, thanks to a ramen competition.
Ramen will reign supreme this weekend — because PopRamen, Miami’s first ramen battle, is bringing this Japanese favorite to the Palm Court at the St. Roch Market in the Design District.
Jeremiah Bullfrog, chef: “PopRamen is going to display Miami and South Florida’s best ramen. It’s a ramen battle.”
PopRamen isn’t serving up that instant version you had in college, though. This is gourmet stuff.
Jeremiah Bullfrog: “If you break down ramen, you have broth, you have the noodles, and you have garnish. There’s, traditionally, different styles of ramen, so it’s all about the chef and his sort of spin on it.”
Ashley Calzadilla, patron: “I think PopRamen is a good idea because we don’t have enough ramen in Miami, actually.”
Five chefs will go bowl to bowl with the most unique and tastiest versions of ramen they can create.
Jeremiah Bullfrog: “We have Temple Street coming all the way from West Palm, and they’re gonna put their bowl to the test. We have Ramen-Ya coming from South Miami. We have Andrew Zarzoa from Yuzu putting together his delicious version. It’s a little more traditional.”
Ashley Calzadilla: “Honestly, this ramen is amazing. I’m loving it. It’s definitely different, nothing that I’ve ever had before in my life.”
PopRamen will also feature special treats inspired by Japanese food and drinks.
Jeremiah Bullfrog: “Zee from Kyro basically take these little Japanese elements and mix it into a traditionally Spanish cocktail. It’s a paloma. It’s grapefruit and tequila, but just blessing it with small little touches of Japanese. It’s a creative spin on it. We’ve got Brad Kilgore coming through with a Yakitori bar. He’s gonna grill all his delicious chicken skewers over charcoal live.”
The judges aren’t competing, but some are getting into the cooking game, too.
Jeremiah Bullfrog: “Chef Hiro from Yakko-San is actually our guest judge. He’s straight from Japan, you know. This guy is the real deal. He’s going to bless us with something that you don’t get in South Florida: a chilled ramen.”
You know, aside from ramen being cheap, what I loved most about it in college was that it took three minutes to make!
Tickets to the event cost $50.
FOR MORE INFO:
PopRamen
www.eventbrite.com/e/popramen-tickets-61705022383
St. Roch Market Miami
140 NE 39th St., Suite 241
Miami, FL 33137
786-542-8977
www.strochmarket.com/
Temple Street Eatery
416 N. Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
754-701-0976
www.templestreeteatery.com/
Lan Ramen-Ya
357 Alcazar Ave.
Coral Gables, FL 33134
305-442-8600
www.lanramenya.com/
Yuzu
140 NE 39th St.
Miami, FL 33137
305-333-1587
miami.strochmarket.com/yuzu
Yakko-San
3881 NE 163rd St.
North Miami Beach, FL 33160
305-947-0064
www.yakko-san.com/
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.