Is it still ramen if it’s cold, fruity, and made of gelatin? One restaurant says yes!

Japan is usually the king when it comes to crazy food. Even just recently we’ve seen cuddly, adorable panda bread for sale and fake-food accessories that you can wear on your head.

But now it seems like Japan may have some stiff competition in the bizarre food department. One item that has been popping up online recently puts a (literally!) cool new spin on a Japanese favorite: ice cream ramen put out by the New York City shop The Dessert Kitchen.

▼ It may not have noodles, broth, meat or vegetables in it…
but hey, it kind of looks like ramen when you use chopsticks!

“Now wait a minute,” you might say if you are a learned scholar of Japanese desserts. “That’s not ice cream ramen, that’s just kanten!”

And yes, you would be right. The Dessert Kitchen hasn’t actually done the unthinkable and tossed a couple of scoops of ice cream into a steaming bowl of ramen. Instead they cut noodle shapes out of kanten – a gelatin-like substance used in many Japanese desserts – and put it on top of a bowl of chilled fruits, similar to how soba noodles are sometimes served cold with ice.

▼ We’d say the name would be more accurate if it was “cold gelatin
served like soba on cold stuff” but that’s not nearly as catchy.

One bowl of ice cream ramen goes for US$8. Along with the kanten “noodles” you get fruit, scoops of whatever ice cream you want, shaved coconut, and your choice of dipping sauce flavors: brown sugar, peach, grape, honey, or green tea milk.

▼ Just like real ramen, there are so many options you
have to go back several times. And that’s not really a problem.

▼ And for anyone doubting the awe-inspiring power of
dessert ramen, check out the reactions in this short clip.

Of course The Dessert Kitchen isn’t just all about that ice cream ramen. Living up to their name, they have plenty of other interesting and unexpected desserts.

▼ There’s a very crunchy-looking dessert burrito…

▼ …and for those looking for something authentically Japanese,
there’s mizu shingen mochi – water droplet mochi (a.k.a. water cake).

If you’re in the New York City area and suddenly find yourself craving something cold, noodly and sweet, now you know where to go. Be sure to check out The Dessert Kitchen’s website and let us know what this ice cream ramen craziness tastes like if you get some!

Restaurant Information
The Dessert Kitchen
Address: 192 Bleeker Street, New York, NY 10012
Phone: 646-992 8579
Hours: 11:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. (Mon – Thur); 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. (Fri); 2:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. (Sat); 2:00 p.m. – 10:00p.m. (Sun)
Website

Featured image: Instagram/wherewhatwow
[ Read in Japanese ]