WHAT WE ATE
- Mixed Cheese Ramen – 90/100, Shizuoka, 24 Oct 2025
- Ebi and Cream Ramen – 75/100, Shizuoka, 24 Oct 2025
Ramen Dining WaiWai (らーめんダイニング ワイワイ) is a tomato-ramen specialist in Shizuoka City’s Aoi Ward, a few steps from Shizutetsu Kosho Station. Billing itself as Shizuoka’s first dedicated tomato ramen shop, WaiWai leans into a lighter, café-like ramen experience that’s become popular with female diners, with a menu built around tomato-based bowls and a neat “finish with rice” risotto-style add-on that regulars swear by. It’s a compact neighborhood stop with practical access and on-site parking—handy if you’re planning a ramen hop around the city.
Behind the concept is an owner-chef who famously disliked raw tomatoes, then turned that bias into a brief: design tomato ramen that even tomato-skeptics can enjoy. The result is a house style that’s health-minded without preaching, grounded in Japanese technique, and distinctly Shizuoka in attitude—quietly original, easy to recommend, and worth bookmarking for your next Aoi-ku ramen loop.
Mixed Cheese Ramen: 90/100
Noodle: 30/35
The noodles here are medium-thin and rounded, with a polished, smooth surface that glides easily through the broth. Texturally, they’re springy yet lean soft — the kind of chew that teeters between al dente and supple. A slightly firmer cook would’ve accentuated that bounce even more. The mouthfeel is distinctly mochi mochi — elastic and satisfying — though the wheat character plays a subtler role under the soup’s rich, dominating layers. It’s the kind of noodle that does its job gracefully without stealing the show.
Soup: 35/35
This is where WaiWai earns its reputation. The soup opens with a puréed tomato head — lush, velvety, and naturally sweet. As it deepens, the body evolves into a fruit-forward richness with measured acidity and savoury umami undertones that keep the palate engaged. The finish brings a gentle, peppery warmth that lingers without overwhelming. Each layer transitions seamlessly, creating an addictive, almost drinkable rhythm. It’s an example of how a tomato base can be executed with finesse rather than novelty — layered, nuanced, and profoundly comforting.
Meat: 15/20
There’s no chashu here — instead, the hero is cheese, and there’s plenty of it. Melted and lightly torched, it carries a rich, creamy umami with pockets of smokiness that punctuate each bite. The texture mirrors mochi at moments — soft, elastic, and deeply satisfying. As the bowl progresses, the cheese takes on a more assertive role, coating the noodles and deepening the broth’s body. It’s unconventional, but it works — the kind of indulgence that sneaks up on you, spoon by spoon.
Toppings: 10/10
Together, the toppings create a multi-textural experience that feels harmonious rather than decorative.
- The diced eggplant, peeled for texture — adds an earthy, woodsy note that grounds the sweetness of the broth. While subtle, its inclusion shows thoughtfulness in composition.
- The generous sweet onion strands lend a mellow crunch, offering both contrast and balance.
- And then there are the leafy greens — lightly bitter, refreshing, and almost cleansing between bites.
Summary
WaiWai’s Mixed Cheese Ramen redefines what tomato ramen can be — a bowl that’s comforting, elegant, and quietly inventive. Its layered complexity and mochi-like textures make it a standout not just for cheese lovers, but for anyone curious how Italian-inspired sensibilities and Japanese precision can meet in perfect equilibrium.
Ebi and Cream Ramen: 75/100
Noodle: 30/35
The same medium-thin, rounded noodles are used here — smooth, lightly elastic, and consistent in quality. They carry that familiar mochi mochi chew, with a spring that feels pleasant though slightly soft. A firmer bite would’ve made them shine brighter against the broth. The wheat flavour remains subtle, again overshadowed by the soup’s richness, but as always, these noodles perform well as the structural backbone of the bowl.
Soup: 25/35
The broth appears noticeably thinner and more yellow-toned than its cheese counterpart, though the brix reading stays roughly identical at 10.2 — a sign that richness and body don’t always correlate. It begins with a light, mellow tomato note before shifting abruptly into prawn-driven brininess. The transition feels less cohesive; the prawn element surfaces briefly, only to be overtaken by lingering spice. Because it’s less sweet and lacking that rounded tomato base, the soup feels flatter and loses interest faster. It’s not bad, just less captivating.
Meat: 10/20
Here the prawns take center stage, though modestly so. Small, shelled, and neatly deveined, they bring a clean, oceanic sweetness and a bouncy, juicy bite. Texturally, they’re well executed, springy and fresh but flavour-wise, they stop short of memorable. It’s quality seafood, but not the kind that commands attention. You find yourself appreciating their presence more for texture than taste.
Toppings: 10/10
The same thoughtful topping combination returns. Their balance remains spot on — precise, deliberate, and essential to the bowl’s rhythm.
- Diced eggplant with most of its skin removed offers that soft, earthy accent WaiWai does so well, though its aroma would benefit from larger cuts.
- Sweet onion strands add crunch and natural sweetness, tying the flavours together
- While the leafy greens contribute a refreshing, slightly bitter lift that cleanses between bites.
Summary
WaiWai’s Ebi and Cream Ramen is a gentler, more restrained take compared to the indulgent Mixed Cheese Ramen. While the noodles and toppings hold steady, the soup doesn’t quite find its footing — thinner, less layered, and missing the harmonic sweetness that made the cheese version addictive. Still, it’s an interesting study in contrast: same base philosophy, different balance of sea and land.
DISCLAIMER
One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Find out more about our palettes and how we evaluate our ramen here. 😉
