Book Review: Kawaii Café Ramen: Classic, Fun, and Delicious Ramen Meals to Make at Home by Amy Kimoto-Kahn

Rating: 5 Stars

When I first laid eyes on Kawaii Café Ramen by Amy Kimoto-Kahn, the cover instantly drew me in with its adorable, anime-inspired design. As someone who appreciates both a good bowl of ramen and charming artwork, this cookbook seemed like the perfect blend. From the moment I flipped through its pages, I was hooked.

This book is a ramen lover's dream come true! It offers over 60 recipes that are as diverse as they are delicious, all beautifully illustrated in an engaging anime style. The instructions are well-organized and easy to follow, making the entire cooking experience a breeze—even for those of us who may not be seasoned chefs. Each recipe comes with difficulty ratings, serving sizes, and prep times, which are incredibly handy for planning meals.

The variety within this cookbook is truly impressive. Whether you're in the mood for classic pork ramen or something a bit more adventurous like Indonesian Pork Ramen with Coconut Curry Soup, this book has you covered. I even found myself intrigued by the California Ramen with Crabmeat, Avocado, and Cucumber, which brings a refreshing twist to traditional ramen bowls.

What I particularly love about Kawaii Café Ramen is its attention to detail. It covers everything you need to know—from soup bases and noodles to sides and toppings—using both traditional and non-traditional ingredients. The illustrations bring each recipe to life, making it fun to explore new flavors and combinations. Plus, there's something truly satisfying about creating a homemade ramen bowl that's on par with what you'd find in a top-notch restaurant, yet affordable and personalized to your taste.

This cookbook would make the perfect gift for any ramen enthusiast. Its delightful design and practical content ensure that it's not just a pretty book to sit on the shelf but a functional guide that encourages culinary creativity. In short, Kawaii Café Ramen has earned a permanent spot in my kitchen and a solid five-star rating from me!

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

I was so happy to get a DRC version of this book. My youngest loves to try new Ramen recipes they find on TikTok or YouTube. So I thought this would be a fun thing to do with them. The recipes were easy to follow and make. She absolutely loved the Anime look and thought the kawaii-style illustrations made the whole thing more interesting. She didn't even care that it wasn't a video. :) We had a lot of doing this, and if we can make it, so can you. There are difficulty ratings that help to narrow down what to try first. Everything sounds fantastic, and it turned out great as well. I highly recommend this for ANYONE who loves Ramen, cooking, Kawaii Stuff, or just trying new things. I plan to buy the Hardcover when it comes out.

Thank You to NetGalley, Amy Kimoto-Kahn, and Quarto Publishing Group - Rock Point for the ARC of this cookbook in exchange for an Honest review.

Recipes from a popular Japanese cafe...

Where anime meets ramen. Yup. The recipes are solid and illustrated in a cute anime style.
Recommend.

Love this Cookbook it's like a warm.hug from a friend! Gorgeous illustrations and i cant wait to try some of the recipes out! I'll definitely be buying a physical copy when I can!

The absolute book for Ramen lovers. This book is super detailed with colourful illustrations, I was amazed to find so many varieties of ramen with side dishes and so much more. A great gift to present and obtain.

This cookbook was broken down well and easy to read. It had very cute graphics throughout and very informative. We tried one of the advertised recipes Spicy Tofu Ramen to test how easy it was to go through the recipe and again easy to follow and quite delicious! Definitely recommend this cookbook to add to your collection :)


Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC.

The book, Kawaii Cafe Ramen by Amy Kimoto-Kahn was difficult to read due to the recipes being complex. Perhaps this book would be better suited for advanced home cooks but for home cooks that are just learning how to make ramen this book might not be a best fit for them. The illustrations featured in the book are stunning.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Kawaii Cafe Ramen" is an absolute delight for both ramen enthusiasts and newcomers to the world of Japanese cuisine. Author Amy Kimoto-Kahn has crafted a fun and accessible cookbook that not only teaches you how to create delicious, authentic ramen dishes, but also does so in a way that is enjoyable and easy to follow.

The book is beautifully illustrated with charming anime-style artwork that adds a touch of whimsy to each recipe. But don't let the cute aesthetic fool you—these recipes are packed with flavor and depth, and Kimoto-Kahn provides a wealth of information on traditional techniques, ingredients, and preparation methods.
What I loved most about "Kawaii Cafe Ramen" is its versatility. With a variety of soup bases, noodle options, and both traditional and non-traditional ingredients, there's something for everyone in this cookbook. Whether you're a meat-lover, vegetarian, or just looking to try something new, you'll find a plethora of tasty ramen options to satisfy your cravings.

In short, "Kawaii Cafe Ramen" is a fantastic cookbook that offers a unique blend of authenticity and charm. It's a must-have for anyone looking to master the art of ramen-making or simply seeking a fun and engaging culinary adventure.

This book is lighthearted and fun, blending kawaii culture with culinary art. The book contains wonderful illustrations, and emphasizes the importance of cute presentation of food. For readers that ike Japanese culture, this is a gem. The food is tasty and also looks awesome. I would recommend this book, and thank you for the copy.

I'm going to start this off by saying, I love ramen! I've been a huge fan of it since the early 2000's when I'd first moved out and had a little restaurant that made 'real' ramen just down the street. Then I got Celiac Disease and sadly went about with whatever I could make at home by myself with various rice noodles, but it was never the same. This book has upped my game! While I'm still stuck with the rice noodles, now I can bring the good soup bases and toppings home and have something much closer to the real deal! The recipes are clear and the language used around everything is optimistic and very encouraging. The shining star of this book, I think, is the section on side dishes. This is what elevates this book from being a one trick pony to a fantastic resource. The illustrations are very cute, but I would have liked to see a couple of pictures to show what to expect of the actual finished product. I will be using this book a lot in the future. I read this digital advanced copy through NetGalley.

The is the exact recipe book I've been needing! The art is perfect. The recipes I've tried so far have been delicious! :D

This cookbook was so cute!! I liked that it contained recipes for not only the ramen but for the soup bases, noodles, toppings, and sides for the ramen. I enjoyed the design and illustration of the cookbook. The recipes were also easy to follow which is always important. I can’t wait to make more recipes using this book!

Really lovely recipe book with lots of delicious sounding dishes in it. I really like the style and layout of the book. The drawings are nice but I prefer books that have photos of the dishes.

Kawaii cafe Ramen is a comprehensive guide on all the ins and outs of ramen. Kawaii cafe ramen includes everything from how to make the broth and noodles to perfect accompaniments for your ramen.

The Sections are
ramen soup bases and noodles
ramen toppings
pork, chicken, and beef ramen
seafood ramen
vegetable ramen
spicy and cold ramen
sides

Each recipe has a recipe blurb, level of difficulty, servings, prep time, ingredients, and clear directions. The style and graphics of the cookbook are very pleasing.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute and fun read, the photos are so kawaii and sweet so i would say the artist is very talented and the writer is very knowledgeful especially with little tips and tricks as i thought that the book was intreasting and i would 100% reccommend for anyone who likes cute reads about food and ramen tips for the future.

I believe that given the blog's purpose, it's no surprise that I also really enjoy cookbooks.

And after our time in Canada, where my son started eating (and loving) ramen frequently, I ended up having to improvise some homemade recipes. So, when I found this book available for reading, I had no doubt that it would be a great opportunity to learn a little more about how to prepare this delicious dish. And I was surprised to find much more in it than just recipes.

As I am of Japanese descent, I also identified a lot (both the author and I are "yonsei", that is, fourth-generation descendants - our great-grandparents came from Japan). Even though the Japanese immigration process here in Brazil was a little different from the US, there are many points in common, and the author's initial contextualization, albeit brief, was very interesting.

The book is also beautifully illustrated, giving it the style suggested by the title: kawaii (something like "cute"), but without leaving out more practical information, since the recipes are marked with the level of difficulty, how many people it serves, and the preparation time. In addition to the more traditional ramen recipes, there are also some created by the author herself, according to her reality, but following traditional principles of Japanese cuisine, learned during her graduation at the Miyajima Ramen School, in Osaka, Japan.

For those who, like me, enjoy trying out new recipes, like to have good books for that, and also enjoy Japanese cuisine, I highly recommend the book, which will be released on January 14th of this year (2025), including in e-book format.

Making some of these ramen for my mum sometime this month, they all look so tasty, thank you so much for letting me review this 🩷

Very cute and useful cookbook!

I love how the each chapter focuses on a different component (broth base, noodles, additions etc) and then you learn how to put them together into different combinations.

Can't wait to try these!

I loved this little cookbook. I cant wait to make some of these recipes. Will definitely be buying a copy for my husband who is a ramen lover.

This was such a cute cookbook! I’m obsessed with ramen, so I was super excited to check this out. The broth seems like the most complicated thing to make, so I’d definitely make that in a big batch when I have a spurt of productivity, and then freeze the portions for when I’m too tired to cook. Most of the recipes seem really straightforward and all use similar ingredients that you can get from your local Asian grocery stores. There’s such a variety of toppings, and I appreciate the section for side dishes as well. I can’t wait to try these recipes out! I really need to buy some mirin and dashi first 😅

4.5/5 Stars