Japanese Ramen @ Domon Noodles 味幌拉面

Tucked in a corner in the basement of Diwang Building, there is a tiny Japanese restaurant specializing in Japanese noodles. The decor and setting is that of a small traditional diner and the staff speak fluent Japanese. Observing the other customers around me, I noted that most of the tables appear to be occupied by Japanese men coming down from the offices upstairs and judging by the way they converse casually with the staff, they appear to be regulars too. So it seems a very promising prospect that I would find good Japanese food here.

A scan through the menu revealed that their specialty is noodles and for every bowl of noodles you had the choice of regular ramen that are made in China, or for an additional 10 RMB, noodles imported from Sapporo, Japan. They also claim their miso is directly imported from Hokkaido as well. If it lives up to the claims, this could serve up an authentic flavour that is only found in the best Japanese restaurants, and cost loads more for that same bowl of noodles.

I ordered a bowl of roast pork ramen (叉烧拉面) and naturally opted for the noodles imported from Japan. That came to a total of 48 RMB. A princely sum for a bowl of noodles but the damage could be far worse in a top Japanese restaurant. It was instantly apparent that the noodles were worth the extra 10 RMB. Appearance-wise they were a deeper yellow and they taste some how richer, smoother and a lot more springy. Compared with the normal noodles served here, these were night and day if you appreciate good noodles. The soup showed off the restaurant chef's class in that it was fragrant and captured the essence of the sea without the need to sully the soup with the addition of salt or other seasonings. While the roast meat slices or chashao (叉烧) were reasonably portioned, it did feel a tad bit over-cooked, resulting in a meat that was too soft and lacking in texture. Other than that, it was the best bowl of Japanese ramen I have tried in Shenzhen thus far.



Well worth a visit if you love a good bowl of Japanese ramen and are prepared to pay a little more for the pleasure.

The address:
Domon Noodles, Shennan Road, Diwang Building Basement 1, Luohu District, Shenzhen 味幌拉面 深圳罗湖深南路地王大厦负一楼
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