Cocolo Ramen prepares tantan ramen soup
Ramen is not just any noodle soup. Ramen, the name for Japanese noodles made of wheat flour, salt and water, are made from scratch at Yosuke Sumida's Cocolo Ramen restaurant.
Perfectly ramen
Ramen soups are part of everyday life in Japan. Orginally stemming from China, they quickly became popular in Japan. The first ramen restaurant opened up in the harbor city of Yokohama in the 19th century. Nowadays, ramen dishes are served both in small snack shops, as well as in fine restaurants - and the trend is booming at the moment.
Yosuke Sumida has pursued his dreams in Berlin
"I came to Berlin with a lot of confidence and strength to create something new, to redesign my life, and to bring something new to the city. I also had lots of expections." - Yosuke Sumida
The slightly different Berlin soup kitchen
Cocolo Ramen opened up in 2013 in Berlin's Kreuzberg district. It is located directly at the Landwehr Canal. Long tables and benches are part of the restaurant concept, which aims to be sociable and family-like. People cannot make reservations to eat there, but despite being very popular, no one waits longer than 15 minutes - people see to that.
Ramen noodles are difficult to make
"Making ramen noodles is very challenging because they must have a very precise consistency. It all depends on the humidity in the air, the amount of flour and water, which has to be altered to produce the best noodles. The best noodles are those that absorb a certain amount of the soup, but still remain firm to the bite." - Yosuke Sumida
Unusual creations
The unusual thing about Yosuke Sumida's ramen is the pork belly he uses. For tantan ramen soup, a Cocolo creation, the pork belly is marinated in a sake-soy sauce and must simmer for several hours. It is then mixed with spicy, fried ground meat as a topping. The ground meat can be made of beef, pork or chicken.