We meet the Bristol ramen obsessive bringing ‘stamina food’ to the streets and festivals of the southwest
Michelin-trained chefs industriously serving up Asian-inspired street snacks from a truck festooned with magical twinkly lanterns? Surely more than enough reason to make a beeline for Mr Noodle on the festival and alfresco party circuit this summer.
First though, a quick nod to the noodles themselves, which are all handmade the traditional Japanese way with the finest wheat and kansui (lye water). We should also mention the ‘master stocks’, too: nutrient-rich, prepped for up to 14 hours, and paired with the best chicken, pork and beef from local farms.
These big, nourishing bowls of broth, brimming with baby corn, leeks and other fresh veg, take their inspiration from the ‘stamina food’ that dominates Tokyo’s backstreets where the enigmatic Mr Noodle spent hours queuing to find the best-in-class. After more than 30 years on the fine dining scene there, and in New Zealand, London and Bristol, Mr Noodle was inspired during lockdown to pursue a passion project he’d long been dreaming of: beginning a new DIY chapter, making use of Deliveroo.
Passion isn’t quite adequate to describe Mr Noodle’s compulsion to cook this mainstay of Japanese cuisine or his love for the world of ramen, which he has previously described as cult-like. A fully subscribed member himself, Mr Noodle is preoccupied with perfecting the basics of a creation that’s deceptively complex to get right. “Once you start your ramen journey, it can become an obsession; the more you make, the more obsessed you become with understanding the layers of flavour,” he says. “The transition from working in high-end restaurants in London to running a successful street food brand at major festivals has been nothing short of bonkers.”
After hosting successful pub pop-ups, peddling chashu pork miso ramen and vegan teriyaki tofu shoyu ramen among other dishes, and running a permanent outpost on Chandos Road, Mr Noodle has stormed street food spots such as Harbourside Market, Finzels Reach Market and Temple Quay Market, bagging a finalist spot at the 2023 British Street Food Awards along the way. His focus now, though, is fixed on festivals; as well as popping up at East Bristol Brewery trail at Left-Handed Giant’s taproom, his crew will be bringing crispy Korean fried chicken to Love Saves the Day, Bristol Pride and Street Food Circus’s Forest Feastival, set beside the sea in Welsh woodland, with more festival appearances to be announced.
@mr_noodle_bristol
