On a hot day, nothing beats an ice-cold glass of beer. What I usually don't chase when the weather's scorching, however, is a piping hot bowl of ramen. Sure, ramen is arguably one of the most delicious noodle dishes on the planet, but I'm a sweater by nature and would probably run hot the rest of the day. Cravings be damned.
What if there was something that combined the cooling effect of beer with the flavorsome components of ramen?
Yuu Japanese Tapas, a restaurant located in British Columbia, has decided to put an innovative spin on the traditional Japanese noodle dish.
Served inside of a beer mug, the ramen noodles are added to an ice-cold broth made from bonito flakes. To replicate the aesthetics of beer, the ramen is topped with a foam made from a combination of egg whites and gelatin.
While it may look like a hefty pint, the "beer ramen" has ZERO alcohol inside of it. Sorry, guys.
The concept was inspired by the cold noodles of Asian culture, ones that were typically served during the hot summer seasons. Not the more well-known hot ramen dishes most are used to, but still traditional nonetheless. Dishes like zaru soba (cold buckwheat noodles) and naengmyeon (cold Korean noodles) are fan favorites during the warm months.
Yuu's Beer Ramen was originally intended as a limited time menu item for the summer, but the restaurant is seriously considering keeping the novelty dish around for a few extra months. That gives us some time to plan a trip to Canada.
