Summer Slurping, The Joy of Cold Ramen

I hate cold soup. I’m not a fan of gazpacho, and chilled melon soup is not my thing. I like hot things hot and cold things cold. I’ve seen cold ramen on summer menus for the past few years, but it’s not something I’ve ever been interested in trying. My daughter, much like my eldest son, is now obsessed with ramen. She has become a one-trick pony and will choose to go for ramen nine out of ten times if the choice is up to her.

I wanted to write an article about June gloom and a hot bowl of ramen, but June gloom never really materialized, and the weather has seemed unusually hot this year. So, there we were in a relatively new ramen spot, Baikohken in Hillcrest, and it was eighty-five degrees out. I noticed that they were running a special on a cold bowl of ramen, so I decided to give it a try, not having high expectations.

The menu read as follows: Chilled Chicken Citrus Ramen, cold chicken broth with noodles, tender chicken chashu, cilantro, onion, sprouts, and fresh lime. Light, refreshing, and perfect for summer. It sounded inviting on such a hot day. What happened next was a delightful surprise. All of a sudden, I’ve come to like Green Eggs and Ham. I will eat cold ramen on a boat, I will eat it in a moat, I will eat it here, I will eat it there, I will eat cold ramen everywhere.

The chicken broth was clear and defatted. It was not room temperature but actually cold as if straight from the fridge. The noodles where cooked then blanched in an ice bath. The citrus flavor really stood out and there where tiny droplets of sesame oil that added a distinct pop that made things fun and exciting. The chicken was poached and had a delicate mouth feel. There were chopped red onions and sprouts that added a fun crunch to the delicate mix. I used my spoon to create a perfect bite with a little bit of each topping, while still getting some of that delicate broth. The crowning jewels were the lime wheels and cilantro, which tie everything together. I now squeeze these wheels into my broth for an added citrus pop.

If Baikohken had good cold ramen, there had to be more out there. I quickly went to my ramen list, the list is life. Hiro Nori in Hillcrest is one of my favorite spots, and they did not disappoint. Hiro Nori had a fun, chilled tsukemen ramen. For those unfamiliar with tsukemen, it is a style of ramen where the noodles and broth are served separately. The noodles are meant to be dipped in the sauce before eating. The broth is usually more intensely flavored, leaning more towards a sauce than a broth. Hiro Nori’s version consists of cold noodles served with a side of broth that contains actual ice cubes. The wow factor here was palpable. There were lime wedges to squeeze over your noodles, and the dipping sauce was refreshingly cold and spicy. The menu read as follows: Spicy Cold Dipping Noodle, bonito dashi broth with chili oil, cold noodle with pork chashu, bamboo, bean sprouts, egg, and spinach. The two cold bowls of ramen I had now experienced could not have been more different, so I was glad I didn’t have to pick a favorite.

The quest continued on a recent trip to Ocean Beach, where, once again, my daughter Sasha was requesting ramen on a particularly hot day. We found ourselves at a relatively new spot on Newport Avenue called The Bowl. Sasha loves this spot because the menu is diverse and the many televisions are always playing Japanese cartoons and anime. Lucky for me, The Bowl offered yet another style of cold ramen called hiyashi chuka, which translates to chilled Chinese style. The menu read as follows: Cold Ramen, tangy soy sesame broth, topped with kani kama, kimchee tomato, jalapeno, cilantro, cucumber, kaiware, goma, avocado, and negi. There may be a few ingredients I need to unpack for you. Kani kama is imitation crab meat, kaiware are daikon radish sprouts, goma are sesame seeds, and negi are green onions.

Chef and part-owner of The Bowl, Jeff Shaefer, brought out my cold ramen, and he explained that he had studied cooking in Osaka. We discussed the various versions of cold ramen around San Diego, and I soon realized how special this dish was, as most ramen shops do not offer this refreshing summer take on the traditional dish.

After reviewing my list and making a few phone calls, I estimate that there was only one more spot with a cold ramen offering. There is a funky little restaurant in Normal Heights called Nozaru Ramen Bar. I love this place as it has fun riffs on traditional ramen styles. Nozaru offered yet another take for this cold ramen obsession of mine. They simply served chilled noodles minus the broth. Nozaru called it Soupless Ramen, and the menu read as follows: Garlic Noodle, Pork/Chicken, Bok Choy, Green Onion, Egg. Nozaru embraces the punk rock spirit of ramen, and this dish didn’t disappoint. You want cold noodles? We’ve got those. There you have it. Why mess with an entirely different broth? I loved the pure simplicity of this dish.

Cold ramen has been a staple in Japan since the 1930s, as the country can get extremely hot and humid during the summer months. However, according to my sources at various ramen spots around town, cold ramen is not wildly popular; instead, it has a cult-like following, and here in the local area, it is just starting to gain traction. As soon as the temperature rises, I now begin to crave it; I am now officially a member of the cult. This historical context adds a layer of appreciation to the dish, and it’s fascinating to see how a traditional Japanese summer dish is making its way into the local food scene. It is a new obsession I can’t get enough of. If you find a good cold bowl of noodles somewhere else, I hope you will let me know. Here’s to summer slurping cold noodles.