This weather makes us especially jonesy for a warm bowl of Ramen, and we were lucky enough to get to pick the brain of George Kao, a pioneer on the Ramen forefront. Read below for more Ramen insights, and why Padma hot is better than spicy hot.
Pants: When is Ramen best, late-night or with a hangover?
George Kao: I like telling my American friend that Ramen is to Japanese what a burger is to us Americans. Everything you want to know about the person who made you that bowl of Ramen or that juicy burger is right there in front of you to devour. It is the absolute truth. Nothing to hide. I welcome a bowl of Ramen any time of day but probably prefer to have it for lunch because my palate is wide awake , I’m totally focused and able to geek out like the food nerd that I am with hours still left in the day to taunt everyone on FB and instagram, LOL.
Pants: How spicy is too spicy?
GK: I’m definitely not a chili head. So, if by the third bite, I can’t taste a damn thing and find myself cursing up a storm cause my tongue and lips are on fire, your Ramen is TOO SPICY!! There is nothing sexy about sucking down multiple glasses of water to cool your mouth off. And if I’m still hungry, that is a double NO NO.
Pants: How are the best Ramen chefs marrying tradition with innovation?
GK: What makes Ramen so great is the amazingly simple concept its built upon. Chefs can approach it like a white canvas. Free in spirit and open to innovation with very little guidelines. Chefs look for Harmony, and often believe the finished product is larger than the sum of the individual ingredients. If you can marry a soup with the right noodle, and have them compliment one another, everything else comes together naturally.
Pants: Give us one shameless plug for anything you want:
GK: If you love Ramen, you need to follow Sun Noodle and RamenLab. RamenLab is the R & D division of Sun Noodle. This is where our chef experiments with new ingredients and shares ideas with his network of chefs from all over the world. If you a chance to try some of our creations, I whole heartedly recommend you do so. www.sunnoodle.com
Pants: If calories and travel were not considerations, tell us about your ideal food day:
GK: If I only had 1 full day to fit in what I would like to eat at any given moment, I’d be eating constantly for the full 24 hours. Here is a timeline with my wish-list:
First breakfast: (7 am): 15 piece Sushi assortment by Chef Yasuda in Japan
Second Breakfast (9 am): Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings) from Ding Tai Fung in Taiwan
FIrst Lunch: (11 am): Peking Duck and Sharks Fin Soup in Hong Kong
Second Lunch: (1pm): Triple Decker Seafood Platter in Normandy, France
Snack (3pm): Shoyu Ramen by Chef Shigetoshi Nakamura at Ramen Lab
Early Dinner: Eleven Madison Park, Chef’s Tasting Menu (Pants note: Our man does not fuck around)
Late Dinner: Pizza at Villa Pizza in Holmdel, NJ
Midnight Snack: Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern
Pants: We can’t decide how we feel about Padma- do you watch Top Chef and care to sway our opinion one way or the other?
GK: In all honesty, I have never watched a single episode of Top Chef. That said, all the promos and commercials for Top Chef that I have seen, she comes across (to me anyway) as being a total bitch. But that puts her high up there on the HOT meter, and I am all for more hotness. And if you asked me if I care what she things about a certain dish, or of anything related to food, I don’t. Well I take that back. She may be the best brand ambassador to burgers since Paris Hilton. Both these byoots show tremendous dexterity handling hot, juicy, mouthwatering burgers from Carl’s Jr. That’s talent you know.
