Tom Parker Bowles and Olly Smith noodle heaven and drinks pairings for chocolate - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Food Tom Parker Bowles and Olly Smith noodle heaven and drinks pairings for chocolate By You Magazine - April 4, 2021 Ramen, soba or udon in a hearty broth? I’m in noodle heaven, says Tom I’ve never met a noodle I didn’t like. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I once suffered some godless ‘calorie-free’ abomination that had all the appeal of rubber snot. But that aside, I love ’em all, from Pot and Cup to rice stick, khanom chin, soba, udon and ramen. ‘Sprightly and subtle’ susuru ramen from Dinings SW3. And it’s the ramen I start off with this week, Chinese in origin, but now a Japanese institution, noisily slurped, often after a long night on the beers. Tori paitan, from Matsudai Ramen in Cardiff (matsudai.co.uk, £22 for two portions, £6.95 delivery), is a close relative of the more famous tonkotsu. But this speciality of Osaka is made from chicken rather than pork bones. Which makes the broth creamy, but rather lighter, managing to be both hearty and elegant, too. The noodles, cooked firm, have joyous bite and bounce, while everything, from the thick slices of braised pork chashu, to the oozing ajitama egg and sharp, umami blast of shio tare seasoning, is top notch. A ramen to remember. As is the modern susuru ramen (£18 per person, plus £5 delivery) from Masaki Sugisaki, executive chef of Dinings SW3. The soup changes every month, along with the noodles, so check diningssw3.co.uk to see what’s available now. My broth is three days in the making, a mixture of Cornish red hen and shiitake mushroom stock, along with white tamari and a good whack of yuzu juice. It’s sprightly and lithe, with a very subtle depth. Taka-siumen noodles are pert, with a natural curl, and there are tender, slightly smoky slices of char sui cornfed chicken, and a soft-boiled nitamago egg, marinated in white soy and yuzu kosho. Very different from anything I’ve ever tried before, but very, very good indeed. The only problem is that the soup can only be delivered in London. There is, though, a rather more expansive Dinings home delivery box set at restokit.co.uk. Finally, omiyage udon noodles: fat, white and chewy, handmade by the ever-reliable Koya (£14 for two portions,koyamail.co.uk). You simmer them for 15 minutes, drown them in a light, limpid fish dashi broth, then simply add a few sliced spring onions. Clean and wonderfully pure, it’s a symphony of glorious simplicity. Drinks Olly s pairings for chocolate Happy Easter! Chocolate and wine can unlock the gates of paradise, yet a mismatch can hurl your palate to the abyss. Stick to wines with rich sweetness, especially fortified styles. Inexpensive port is wonderful with dark chocolate. At the other extreme, white chocolate and chilled Asti is sublime – Asti is ludicrously good value and tastes like bubbly elderflower. And for your all-rounder, PX sherry is the nectar of the gods. WINE OF THE WEEK M&S RUBY PORT (also via Ocado) (20%), £8. Terrific with dark chocolate, this really is liquid forest fruits. ASDA EXTRA SPECIAL SPARKLING ASTI (7%), £7. Frothy fun, light on booze and divine to pair with white chocolate. TORRES FLORALIS MOSCATEL (15%), £8.50, Morrisons. Orangey and elegant, serve chilled for scented splendour. CAMPBELL’S RUTHERGLEN MUSCAT (17.5%), £12.99, Waitrose. Sleek, rich and moreish – a sultana surfing a wave of caramel. TESCO FINEST PX SHERRY (15%), £6. The best all-rounder, sweet enough to tackle chocolate and a rich treat for Easter. RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Kids can eat for free at these restaurants during October half-term How to make the viral negroni sbagliato with prosecco at home 7 Halloween recipes with serious hex factor Popular in Food 6 sunshine-yellow baking recipes with golden grains May 20, 2018 Donna Hay’ s sneaky bolognese June 10, 2018 Louise Thompson’ s lower-fat sticky toffee pudding June 29, 2018 Calling all cocktail lovers – this £12 Co-op vodka is one July 23, 2018 5 delicious new baking trends to try this season August 31, 2018 People are campaigning for the return of this popular Celebrations chocolate September 27, 2018 This is the best turkey to buy for Christmas 2018 October 11, 2018 Chrissy Teigen’ s French toast with whipped honey and ricotta topping November 17, 2018 Snowy angel cake December 23, 2018 Souped up 6 delicious healthy soup recipes with calorie counts January 27, 2019 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved