When you think of ramen, you may immediately think of broths that derive their flavor from pork, chicken, or fish, laden with toppings like melt-in-your-mouth char siu pork and perfectly cooked eggs. For many, this may sound delightful – but if you're vegetarian or vegan it certainly presents some difficulties. Thankfully, there are a number of great destinations which serve entirely vegan ramen options, and one of the newest on Japan's restaurant scene is Vegan Ramen Uzu Tokyo.
The restaurant is located within the TeamLab Planets digital art museum, but it's open to the general public so you don't need to visit the museum to enjoy the food. In saying that, many would argue that the museum is unmissable if you're in the area!
There are several different types of ramen on the menu, but the award for the most photogenic has to go to the cold vegan flower ramen (¥ 1,980). The broth combines umami, sweetness, and acidity in perfect ratios, and the dish comes topped with colorful (and edible!) flowers from Hiroshima's Kajiya Farm. There is also a vegan spicy miso ramen (¥ 1,320), vegan tea ramen (¥ 1,650) which combines the flavors of tea, kelp, and shiitake mushrooms for a rich yet mellow flavor, and vegan shoyu (soy sauce) ramen (¥ 1,320) featuring homemade noodles made using wheat from Aya Town, Miyazaki Prefecture.
Sweet toothed guests won't be disappointed here either, as there are a range of 100% vegan ice cream flavors sourced from Kyoto's Picaro Eis ice cream specialty store. Some of the gourmet flavors include pink rhubarb, pistachio green tea, and white ginger lily, and they are all priced at ¥ 660.
