Ramen noodles lure India's curry lovers

Driven by Japan's soft power, culinary import is an improbable hit with young people

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Kavan Kuttapa, founder of Naru Noodle Bar in Bengaluru, and the restaurant's Sapporo-style miso ramen. He likens the dish to "a warm hug on a cold day." (Courtesy of Naru Noodle Bar)

BINDU GOPAL RAO, Contributing writer

BENGALURU -- To gauge the soaring popularity of Japanese ramen soup noodles in India, look no further than Naru Noodle Bar in Bengaluru, a popular ramen restaurant whose 20 covers have regularly sold out in less than a minute since it launched in August 2022.

Kavan Kuttapa, the restaurant's chef and founder, says demand was equally high in the pop-up restaurants and takeaway stations he ran in the city before opening Naru Noodle Bar. Kuttapa's ramen triumph has been attracting national attention -- he was recently named India's 24th-best chef in the third edition of FoodSuperstars, a list of India's top 30 chefs produced by online food specialist, Culinary Culture

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