Eating Around with Em

Zuru Zuru Ramen Gent

Zuru Zuru Ramen is an amazing Japanese restaurant in Ghent. Known for its rich, umami-packed broths and homemade organic noodles, it offers a ramen experience that feels lifted straight from Tokyo’s backstreets, right here in Flanders.

At the heart of Zuru Zuru is Chef Nick Hofman, a passionate Belgian chef who trained in Japan and now brings that deep knowledge to every steaming bowl he serves. What makes him unique? He’s the only chef in Belgium making his own fresh ramen noodles in-house using organic ingredients and traditional Japanese techniques. The noodles are crafted daily in his own atelier with a machine imported from Japan, ensuring the perfect texture and bite every time.

Price category: €

Website Zuru Zuru Ramen

Em’s star rating

I had the pleasure of attending Zuru Zuru’s 6th anniversary celebration (November 2024) in Ghent, a milestone that highlighted just how far this little noodle bar has come. To mark the occasion, Chef Nick teamed up with Tom Verheyden of Koji Coffee Culture, a fellow innovator in the Japanese food and drink scene. The collaboration perfectly captured what makes Zuru Zuru special: it honours tradition while fearlessly experimenting with new flavours and formats.

Fun fact

The word “zuru zuru” in Japanese is an onomatopoeia for the slurping sound made when eating noodles, and in Japan, slurping isn’t just allowed, it’s encouraged! It shows you’re enjoying the meal and actually enhances the flavour by aerating the broth.

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