Shio ramen is considered by some to encapsulate everything that’s great about ramen. For the obsessives, there’s a good recipe out there. It’s 43 pages long, and written by Ivan Orkin, the New York chef who is acclaimed as one of the best ramen makers on the planet.
Once you’ve mastered Orkin’s double broth shio ramen, the key to good ramen is cooking the noodles to the right level. This may be for as little as 50 seconds. They should be served immediately so that the diner can dive in and slurp mouthfuls of scalding fat, broth and bouncy noodles before the noodles expand with the heat of the soup. Depending on who you talk to, ramen noodles have 10 minutes of life. In Tokyo, a bowl of ramen is likely to be demolished in under five.
This is not the case in Soup 2, the sister restaurant to Soup Ramen in Dún Laoghaire, and I'm absolutely fine with that.
The former old-school pub on the corner of King Street in Smithfield now has a blast of colour and light injected into its interconnecting rooms, nooks and crannies. There’s an impressive bar, mismatched furniture, tables that look like they’re made from felled trees, and leafy plants. Divide my age by two, and I would likely describe the music as bangin’; great tunes to muffle the sound of happy slurping.
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Chopsticks are in a small wooden jar on the table – there are knives and forks for those who will secretly be judged – but there's no sense that this is an all out Japanese restaurant. It is, according to the owners, Will Shannon, Conor Hughes and Jamie Hynes, Asian inspired.
With just a few new additions, the menu is along the lines of the original restaurant, although the ante has been upped with the arrival of a custom-made noodle machine from Guangzhou. The ramen are now made in-house in Smithfield, which has become the production centre, with kimchi, sourdough and kombucha also on the go.
The number of wines on offer has also increased, and all of the bottles are reasonably priced and from small scale producers. Filtered water is complimentary, and among the impressive list of beers and drinks, there are some lower abv cocktail options with a Prosecco base. The lavender spritz, €9, is subtly floral with a refreshing citrus sharpness.
No one has any business coming here without ordering the deep fried kimchi, €7, which packs the crunch of panko crumbs with fermented spiciness and a kick of heat. It really is a dish for sharing. So too is the umami salad, €12, which has us realising that, in the name of research, we have completely over-ordered. A selection of good quality leaves are layered with toasted Parmesan, pickled shimeji mushrooms, cannellini beans and a seasoned free-range egg tossed in a shoyu dressing which brings balance and acidity.
The tonkotsu ramen, €16, a bowl of milky-coloured pork broth which has been simmered for hours, is loaded with house-made ramen and topped with a seasoned egg and a slow cooked piece of pork belly which has been charred on the grill. I attempt to slurp the noodles when they are scalding but settle for slowly working my way through the dish. It has a good flavour but I’m conscious of the fact that the pork is not free-range, an important detail that should be fixed.
Prawn laksa, €16, one of the newer dishes on the menu, is a delicious bowl of fine rice noodles, topped with charred prawns, broccoli, roasted cashew nuts, chilli and greens. It has a floral note and a slow build of heat in a coconut broth. And the bhan mi, €12, the dish we clearly didn’t need, is a substantial sandwich on their own sourdough baguette, packed with sliced duck, lettuce, pickled carrots, red onion and coriander.
For dessert the Japanese soufflé cheesecake with berry compote and avocado and miso ice-cream, €6.50, is a bit underwhelming; somehow, I was expecting it to have the lightness of fluffy Japanese pancakes. A zippy ice-cream would be a better finish to our meal.
There are many reasons I can think of to visit Soup 2. For a bowl of ramen on my own, to catch up with some friends in some of the quieter areas within the space, or to go all out and enjoy the vibe with affordable, tasty food. It really is a fun place to be.
Dinner for two with a cocktail and beer was €84.75
- The verdict A fun place for tasty, affordable food
- Facilities Perfunctory
- Music Loud and wonderful, a party atmosphere
- Food provenance Could be improved, but includes Silverhill Farm, O'Mahony's Meats, Annalitten free range eggs
- Vegetarian options Yes, and plenty for vegans too
- Wheelchair access Room fully accessible, with accessible toilet
