Authentic Ramen in Delhi NCR

Look No Further Than Ramen Donn

I’m not quite sure when it started, but lately ramen has become my go-to comfort food. It’s the perfect pick me up- a rich broth, some noodles, great toppings and that umami flavour that just makes you go mmmm! Now we all have witnessed a rapid increase in the pan-Asian aspect of the hospitality industry, with almost all of them offering up their own take on ramen. While some do a decent job, the honest truth is noodles in a soup, do not a good ramen make.

A Chinese creation, this tasty dish may have been made in China, but was made trendy by the Japanese. Known for its quick prep time, this noodle dish has seen many iterations from the original umami rich flavours to instant ramen to Indianized versions you can find in most of your popular local restaurants.

There are several types of authentic ramen, categorized by the soup/broth base.  Shoyu ramen has a clear broth flavoured with soy sauce, and is the most common variant.  Shio ramen has a light broth, flavoured with salt. Miso ramen is flavoured with soybean paste which makes it a hearty option, great for winter noms. Tonkatsu is made from boiled down pork bones which creates a rich and creamy broth.

Typical ramen noodles are long and elastic, usually made from wheat, but with time, different types and shapes have been used. But what really makes a good ramen stand out (for me at least) are the toppings. And the place I’ve eaten the most authentic ramen in Delhi NCR has to be when I ordered from @ramen_donn. The toppings he uses are truly made with care and you can feel his love for the dish by just taking one bite of his ramens.

I stumbled across his business the way I discover most things- by just going down an Instagram rabbit hole. Available only by messaging him, Kunal (ramen_donn) takes limited orders for dinner every week, and his menu changes every week. I ordered from him twice, and both times it was a great experience.

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My first order was the Light Miso and Chicken Paitan which came packaged well with each individual ingredient segregated. Kunal is also kind enough to share preparation instructions so you know how to get the best results. This ramen came with:

• Pork and chicken broth (miso tare infused)
• Ramen noodles
• Soy and garlic chicken slices
• Chashu pork belly slices
• Scallions
• Ajitama egg
• Porcini garlic oil
• Chilli oil
• Radish micro greens
• Nori (seaweed)
• Menma

More recently I ordered the Prawn Ramen with Chashu which came with:

• Prawn ramen soup (spicy shoyu mushroom tare infused)
• Thin ramen noodles
• Chashu
• Prawn and pork meatballs
• Scallions
• Garlic scallion pepper oil
• Nori square
• Ajitama egg
• Chilli menma
• Wakame

Both orders came with a complimentary soft drink and some Yakult (which helps you digest all the yumminess!)

The good- Everything came packed super well. The toppings like the Ajitama egg (a marinated egg) & the menma (lacto-fermented bamboo shoot) were super authentic and enhanced the ramen broth. The ingredients were of a good quality, and the preparation instructions super handy.

The bad- Since he is based out of Noida, and I am in Gurgaon the delivery took two hours to come to me each time (which meant a late 9 PM dinner). The price point is also quite steep at approx. 1300 for a bowl + INR 100 for delivery

Verdict: I would definitely order from him again (and have recommended him to friends who tried it and loved it too!) – I wish he sent more chili oil because his recipe is bomb.com

Meetali (and Lola) give it: 4 / 5 Noms

Check him out – @ramen_donn