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Trendsetting new ramen noodle mecca RAMEN CUBISM has launched a new range of specialties at the chic basement venue in Wellington Street, Central.

RAMEN CUBISM has attracted a cult following since Japan’s ‘celebrity’ ramen champion Hayashi Takao expanded to Hong Kong.

Continuing a constant pursuit of creativity, the brand now enhances its menu with a sensational new Instagram-friendly ramen specialty, Greenwood Bird-Mackerel Broth (HK$98) along with dazzling fried chicken appetisers and side snacks.

Greenwood Bird-Mackerel Broth is as picturesque as the seashore that sources its premium ingredients – with shrimps in a clear soup broth of Japanese mackerel, nourished with sliced chilli, leek, Chinese cabbage, needle mushroom and mushrooms, dressed in a bed of prized, dried Japanese seaweed.  It is the brand’s first non-meat ramen version, introduced as a lighter option for the hot summer, withjust 20 servings sold per day, available only after 5.30 p.m.

Familiar fried chicken is meanwhile elevated to a new level among side dishes served after 5:30 p.m. to pair perfectly with after-work Japanese beer. Deep Fried Nagoya Style Chicken Wing (HK$38 / 2 pieces) is a tender, crispy, savoury Nagoya-style snack seasoned with sesame and lemon sauce; and an alternative battered version is Japanese Fried Crispy Chicken (HK$38).

Other snacks on the early-evening menu include Japanese Kansai Style Oden (HK$68), a lighter Osaka alternative to more familiarKanto-style oden, with boiled egg, radish and unusual ingredients like tube-shaped ‘Chikuwa’ fish & egg white, fish cake, jelly-like ‘Konnyaku’ (also known as konjac or devil’s fruit) and ‘Atsuage’ fried tofu in a dashi broth.

Braised Japanese Radish (HK$38) is a mouth-watering snack showpiece of seasonal radish from Kansai, also in dashi broth, andSpinach in Chilled Bonito Stock (HK$28) is another vegetable option.

Eminently Instagrammable ramen creating the biggest buzz on social media are meanwhile currently headlined by Premium Cubism – White Broth (HK$118 / Large), an extra-hearty larger option of a regular HK$88 version, especially renowned for Chef Hayashi’s signature slow-cooked pork belly and a half soft-boiled egg in a ‘secret recipe’ broth.

Another signature favourite is The Sea Bird – Soy Broth (HK$88), an elixir of nine premium soy sauces with shellfish, bonito (skipjack) and a thick 3cm slice of tasty, top quality stewed pork.

For the sundowner crowd, RAMEN CUBISM’s menu of premium Japanese beer is enhanced with Sapporo Premium Beer (HK$58) and Suntory The PREMIUM MALT’S (HK$58) joining a signature range of COEDO brews.

Famed for his soup bases, Chef Hayashi shot to fame in Japan for handcrafting culinary creations from prized, specially-selected ingredients at his flagship restaurant ‘Original Ramen Style Hayashi’ in Osaka – renowned for lengthy daily queues of up to 100 patient customers.

The young chef, 31, is collaborating on his first overseas venture with Hong Kong’s Bird Kingdom Group, renowned for putting Lai Chi Kok’s D2 Place on the dining map.

Hong Kong is earmarked as the springboard to expand RAMEN CUBISM as an international brand with branches across the region – including a newly-opened branch in the chef’s hometown of Osaka, Macau (in Q2, 2019) and mainland China.

“Our creations are unconventional, marrying traditional cooking technology and innovative ideas, bringing a one of a kind ramen ‘comfort food’ experience to Hong Kong,” said Chef Hayashi.

Named after the early 20th century art movement pioneered by Pablo Picasso, RAMEN CUBISM’s Wellington Street venue is immediately recognisable by a graffiti mural on the street wall by Russian artist Sergei Rozhnow.

Merging vivid images of historic ramen masters and the two celebrity chefs with Japanese anime characters, the vibrant mural is inspired by parallels between the influential creativity of cubism art and minimalist simplicity of Japanese culture.

The cosy interior of RAMEN CUBISM features a predominant wood finish, invoking the sense of natural, fresh, and authentic ingredients sourced from environmentally-friendly places. The authentic feel of this place is also amplified by the Japanese pottery specially commissioned for the chefs’ signature noodles.

RAMEN CUBISM is in the basement of Yuen Yick Building, No. 27-29 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong.

Opens from Sunday to Thursday, 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Friday to Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight; payment are accepted by cash, Octopus, Alipay and WeChat Pay.