Most of us talk about our dreams but how many of us actually set out to realize them? Native Beijinger Shi Xin did just that when he returned from Japan and decided to set up a humble ramen restaurant in the Maizidian area of Beijing. “I knew that I could do anything, open any kind of restaurant, but I wanted to do something genuine, that spoke to who I was as a person.”
Aptly, the name of Shi Xin’s restaurant, Yume Wo Katare, roughly translates as “talk about your dreams.” They servejiro-kei (jiro-style) ramen, the only restaurant in Beijing to do so. According to the website Ramen Tokyo, alljiro-kei ramen stores are descended from the original store in Mita, Tokyo (Mita Honten). Shi Xin, who moved to Japan for elementary school and returned to attend university, apprenticed at Yume Wo Katare, part of the second generation of jiro-keiramen shops, and got permission from the founder to bring the brand to Beijing (there are seven locations of Yume Wo Katare in Japan, as well as a popular one in Boston).
Rather than hiring a ramen chef, Shi Xin decided that he would make everything from the noodles to the broth himself to ensure that his ramen remains true to the original. However, he does have larger-than-life Japanese chef Odajima Kazuhisa working alongside him in the kitchen, cooking up whatever specials come into his head. Odajima-san actually learned to cook Western cuisine before he learned to cooked Japanese cuisine, so you can expect some creative combinations.
Jiro-keiramen has resonances with the more widely known tonkotsu ramen in that it begins with a broth made from slowly boiled (and we mean slowly – more than 17 hours) pork bones, but there the similarities end. The broth is more like a gravy, albeit the richest gravy you have ever tasted, replete with suspended pork fat and a savory note from added shoyu. To the broth are added thick, homemade noodles; slow-braised pork tenderloin; a heaping mound of bean sprouts and cabbage; and a spoon each of minced garlic and rendered fatback. Mixed together, the whole thing is incredibly unctuous and stridently porky, yet at the same time surprisingly balanced thanks to the abundant vegetables.
The jiro-keiramen experience is uniquely interactive. Once you have taken your seat at the noodle bar and placed your order, the chef will ask you “ninnikuiremasuka?” or “do you want to add garlic?” You can choose to customize your ramen with extra garlic or even extra pork fat if you like to play it fast and loose with the condition of your arteries. “Some local customers complain about the bar-style layout, but you can’t servejiro-kei ramen any other way; that communication with the chef is an essential part of the experience. However, we find that once people have tried the ramen they quickly find that they can get used to the layout,” Shi Xin says, laughing modestly.
Yume Wo Katare’s ramen can be ordered in five different sizes: mini (RMB 38), small (RMB 50), standard (RMB 50), medium (RMB 55), and large (RMB 60). If you are a first-time diner, we suggest ordering the small size, to avoid over-facing yourself (you can add extra vegetables for free or an extra portion of pork for RMB 18). Alongside the ramen, they serve a short menu of Japanese-style Chinese dishes (think Japanese takes on mapo tofu and dandan noodles) and the aforementioned regular specials.
“People tell me that with our big portions and unique experience our ramen could become one of those dishes that attracts a lot of attention online but that’s not my goal. I want to stay true to the identity of the dish and make sure that every bowl we serve tastes just as good as the last one, and isn’t just something to take a picture of.”
Yume Wo Katare
Daily noon-11.30pm (call ahead to confirm current opening hours). 2/F, Ichiban Street, 15 Zaoying Beili, Chaoyang District (6773 0650)
朝阳区枣营北里15号一番街2层
This post is paid for by Yume Wo Katare.
Photos: Uni You