Rainy day Ramen fix: OKO's festival brings the best of Asia's flavors to one table

As monsoon broods over the skies, OKO at The LaLiT New Delhi, known for its authentic Chinese, Japanese, and Thai offerings, is now tapping into the rainy mood with a dedicated Ramen Festival, thoughtfully curated by chef de cuisine Manish Prasad Sharma. “We’ve gone for a fusion style,” says chef Sharma about the inspirations behind the curation. “China has seven different ramen styles. The Cantonese ramen, for example, is mildly spicy. Beijing’s is spicier. Hong Kong has its own version — it changes from region to region.”

Here's what you shouldn't miss at the OKO, The LaLiT New Delhi's Ramen Festival

We sit under warm lights, antique statues lining the walls — from chairperson Jyotsna Suri’s art collection from her travels in the ’80s — as the slow guzheng tune hums in the background. A warm cup of jasmine tea welcomes us. Our meal begins with a tarty pomelo salad tossed with crunchy peanuts and cashews, and a tangy dressing of tamarind and chilli paste — a perfect start, balancing texture and citrusy zing.

Chef Sharma, who has 18 years of experience cooking Asian cuisines across India and West Asia, says he wanted the ramen menu to reflect both authenticity and cater to a local palate. “We’ve tried to stay authentic to the ramen, without losing the soul of the dish,” he says.

We start with the chef-recommended Chicken Gyoza Ramen, which lands with a mildly tempered chicken broth that isn’t overly salty or oily. The gyoza — plump, grilled dumplings — float with shimeji mushrooms, purple cabbage, broccoli, and a soft-boiled egg. The thin-cut noodles are springy in the warm flavour of the broth. “This is an Osaka-style ramen. The city is famous for its cold winter; people enjoy hot bowls of ramen then,” says Sharma.

Next up, the Chinese-style Pork Belly Soy Ramen offers a lighter take on the traditional, with broth slow-simmered for eight hours in a house-made soy stock infused with star anise, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and tingling Sichuan peppercorns. It’s topped with a generous amount of bamboo shoots, mushrooms, spring onions, and bell peppers, inspired by Shanghai’s street food stalls. “The stock resembles the homemade style — very light and a little spicy,” says the chef. “It’s different from the thick Japanese broths people expect — it’s more like something you’d find in Hong Kong or China.”

The chef also swears by the Seafood Ramen, served in a delicate seafood broth. With thin-cut noodles laid over kani (crab sticks), grilled fish, and a miso base, this bowl evokes the refined seafood flavours of Tokyo. For vegetarians, there’s a Pad Thai-style ramen made with flat rice noodles, tofu, and veggies in an umami broth. It stays authentic to its Thai roots with flat rice noodles, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, and corn. Mildly tempered with spices, the bowl was filling and satisfying.

The Spicy Tofu Ramen, a vegan-friendly option, offers a generous helping of soy-marinated silken tofu in a spicy miso paste broth; the hot noodles float alongside veggies like broccoli, cabbage, and corn.

Designed for Delhi’s rainy season, OKO’s ramen festival is a good fit. “We considered what people want in the monsoon — something warm, flavourful, and comforting,” the chef says. “Ramen is perfect for that.” Whether you’re a broth purist or someone who just wants a cosy bowl by the window as the rain pours down, this one’s for you.

Available at OKO, The LaLiT New Delhi till July 27, 12pm to 3pm and 7pm to 11pm, from ₹1,195 onwards

This article is written by Adithi Reena Ajith