Downtown Ramen

28 May 2019

DOWNTOWN RAMEN

103 Harrington Street, Cape Town

Downtown Ramen is the upstairs neighbour of Lefty’s, both of which I’d understood to be uber-hipster hangouts, crowded with  crazed Millennials at night, the kind of  joints where the sedate, slightly older guy should fear to tread. This lunchtime I passed by on a casual recce through my new working precinct, saw the red, lit-up  “open “ sign and was sucked in.

A steep narrow staircase leads into a room that reminds one of the images of old, smoke filled bars where a Chicago blues band is playing in a corner, while men in sharp suits and Fedoras dance belly-to-belly with women in tight fitting dresses, nylons and stilettoes. The floor looks like the original floor boards laid down when the building was built, and there is dark wood panelling on the walls, exposed ceiling beams, a high service and eating counter in front of the kitchen and simple, bare wooden tables (mostly large, some small) and benches for the diners. None more retro, but little chic.

In the harsh glare of daylight and in a room bereft of patrons, the style comes across as dingy, perhaps intentionally so, and a tad sad but I guess the dimmer light of the eventide and a roomful of happy ramen crunchers will mitigate the lack of elegance.

There are three options for lunch bowls: the kimiko (vegetarian), the shoyu (pork) and the miso (beef).  I chose the shoyu, because pork is my default and because I recall eating a  shoyu at Bu Ya Ramen & Sake Bar in Kloof Street earlier this year, not long before it went belly up.

The shoyu at Downtown Ramen costs R60 and is a smaller portion than the Bu Ya  offering but is very tasty with a rich, spicy broth, excellent al dente noodles, one  succulent slice of pork and half a hardboiled egg. The bowl comes with a rather large shallow spoon and the chopsticks are on the table.

It’s a very light lunch yet satisfying and quite filling if you simply want something to take the edge off. There are more expensive, about double the price, versions of these lunch  bowls and I guess they’re more substantial too. One can also order bao buns at R60 a pop, with vegetables, beef, pork and chicken.

If you want to eat a bowl of ramen in the peace and quiet of an empty room with only the staff and some chilled tunes to keep you company, Downtown Ramen seems to be the place for lunch.