Dining with Natalie: Yanagi Ramen

As a native of culinary melting pot Malaysia and the daughter of a restaurateur, UG student Natalie Voo knows her food. Every other week, she reviews Groningen’s student-friendly dining scene. This time: Yanagi Ramen.

As a self-proclaimed foodie, I have a love affair with cuisines of all shapes and sizes. Food has been my lifelong companion, and now that I’m older and hopefully wiser (or at least more seasoned), my childhood crush on Japanese cuisine still reigns supreme. This brings us to today’s culinary escapade at Yanagi Ramen, where I hoped to rekindle that romance.

The food

We decided to spice things up with two ramen contenders: the spicy miso tonkotsu and the chicken shoyu. Spoiler alert: the spicy miso tonkotsu is the clear winner by a landslide—huge portion, rich in flavour and honestly, you can never go wrong with charsiu. Now, let’s talk about the chicken shoyu. If I had to describe it, I’d say it tasted like it had been on a long, hard journey and forgot to pick up some personality along the way. The chicken was drier than the Sahara and tough, the broth tasted off, and we did not finish this bowl of ramen.

The chicken karaage was flavorful but a little overcooked and dry. Thankfully, the lemon and sauce swooped in like culinary superheroes to save the day. But wait! The real star of this show was the takoyaki. It was so good, I’d consider returning just for those little bites of joy. As for service, let’s just say it was efficient but a little awkward. The ambiance? Picture a cozy Japanese nook—small and snug with a lot of wood.

The verdict

As a lifelong devotee of Japanese cuisine (who may be slightly more critical than necessary after visiting Japan multiple times), I must admit that while this ramen doesn’t quite match up to what you’d find in Fukuoka, it still hits the spot on those chilly days. Either way, don’t judge me if you find me there with 20 orders of takoyaki.

Dutch