If You’re a Souper Freak

You can get wild at The Whale Tea, which now has a DIY ramen bar. The boba shop already had so many drink customizations, adding customized instant ramen to the mix just made sense. “This is ramen like you’ve never had before,” says owner Jessica Lin, who wants customers to sit down and stay a while. The model is set up to be convenient, affordable and like its own little experience.

Customers choose their ramen flavor then select their toppings, from dumplings to char sui pork, shrimp shumai, eggs, mushrooms, Korean rice cakes, bean sprouts, scallions and bamboo shoots. There are four cooking stations and nothing takes longer than five minutes. Add your toppings and you’re set.

She even has cheese ramen in the lineup. She says it was originally popularized in Korea, and that the dairy adds a creamy consistency and balances out heat. We took her word for it.

“Customers really have fun picking out the ramen and toppings and then stirring it all together. After just one or two tries, most people are pros,” says Jessica. You’ll find shelves arranged by not spicy, mildly spicy or very spicy — spicy chicken ramen with dumplings is a customer favorite.