Cappuccino Ramen becomes super popular in Japan, but is it worth the hype?

An “only in Japan” type of meal is going viral on social media.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from all the weird and wonderful meals that tend to go viral on social media, it’s that sometimes their taste isn’t quite as spectacular as their jaw-dropping looks.

So when we saw that a restaurant in Tokyo called Rahmen & Onigiri Eddie was going viral for its Cappuccino Ramen, we went in with low expectations.

▼ Will Rahmen Eddie have the last laugh?

Rahmen Eddie only recently opened in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Gyoen area, but it’s already drawing customers.

Right after the store opened on a weekday, there were already about four customers in front of us, despite the fact that it was a miserable, rainy day. Still, we couldn’t think of anything better to counteract the weather than a bowl of ramen, or maybe a cup of joe, so in a sense, it wasn’t surprising.

▼ The Cappuccino Ramen is like the best of both worlds, with the look of a frothy coffee but the taste of a bowl of noodles.

Served in an oversized mug, it only took around 10 minutes to receive our Cappuccino Ramen, which cost 1,380 yen (US$9.11). It looked absolutely gorgeous, and adding even more chic sophistication to the meal was the glass on the side, which contained truffle oil.

▼ Served separately, so you can adjust the flavour to your liking.

The first mouthful is a bit of a mind-bender, because the frothy look of the topping deceives your taste buds into expecting a milky flavour, but it’s actually frothed egg whites, which, despite being termed as “meringue” by the restaurant, is neither sweet nor dessert-like.

The frothy topping acts like a vehicle for the spices to gently melt into the broth, which is creamy and packed with the rich, delicious flavour of porcini mushrooms.

The broth tasted so good we’d happily eat it on its own, but when slurped up with the noodles, which were thin and hard-boiled, the deliciously springy texture added even more excitement to the palate.

The combination of broth and noodles was wonderfully rich, and though we’d initially thought the frothy topping may have been just a gimmick, we realised that because it was piping hot, it helped to keep the ramen warm as we ate it.

Though it was delicious, some diners might feel the richness becomes a little monotonous towards the end, so the truffle oil was a nice touch, adding an accent of flavour to keep the taste buds interested.

▼ As the eatery specialises in both ramen and onigiri, we ordered two types of onigiri on the side, for an additional 270 yen each.

The restaurant recommends adding rice balls to your ramen order, and we were glad we did, because not only did they help to fill us up, they were absolutely delicious. The Egg Yolk variety is particularly popular, along with the Green Onion Chashu, and they turned out to be perfect partners for our meal, given that egg and chashu pork are often used as ramen toppings.

So in the end, Rahmen Eddie helped us to “start the day with a good laugh” while having the last laugh as well. It was a chic meal served in equally chic surroundings, and it far exceeded our expectations so we thoroughly recommend visiting. You’ll want to get in early, though, especially on weekends, as the restaurant fills up quickly, which is what you’d expect from a viral meal!

Restaurant information
Rahmen ＆ Onigiri Eddie Shinjuku Gyoen Store / Rahmen ＆ Onigiri Eddie新宿御苑店
Address: Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku 1-11-7, Sansara No. 5 Gyoen Building, Ground Floor
東京都新宿区新宿1-11-7 サンサーラ第5御苑ビル1F
Open 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. (irregular holidays)
Website

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