António Carvalhão and João Azevedo Ferreira, owners and chefs of Ajitama, really know their ramen. Having lived and worked in China and Japan, they fell in love with the cuisine and made a point of bringing it back to Portugal in the most authentic way possible. And so, what started as a supper club in a private apartment turned into a ramen bar in Saldanha in 2018, and expanded into a full-on ramen temple in the heart of Chiado in late 2022.
The new space is dramatic and gorgeous, with an artwork of 267 sinuous pieces of wood that suggest the curves and fluidity of noodles. Also new in this space is their capacity to make their own noodles (with alkaline water, which they say is the secret to their springiness), something that had been a missing link in the original restaurant, where everything else was proudly made from scratch.
That authenticity continues. The menu describes not only which ingredients go into each (large) warming, deeply satisfying bowl of noodle soup, but also the number of hours that it simmers—sometimes 18 or 20.
The new space gave them a good opportunity to add to the menu, with dishes like Kashunattsu Tantanmen, a spicy ramen based on a complex combination of Pai Tan broth and toasted sesame seeds, mixed with homemade spicy sauce and served with an egg, niku-miso (spicy minced meat), negi (Japanese onion), red onion, and roasted cashews. There’s also new, substantial vegan option, with a creamy broth made from red and white miso and soy, tofu wrapped in red cabbage and soy sprouts, lotus flower, baby carrots, mushrooms, and nori.
For more information, visit the Ajitama website.
Ajitama Noodle Temple
Rua do Alecrim 47A
Lisbon
Phone: +351 965 268 635
Email: slurp@ajitama.pt
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday – 15:30 to 24:00
