Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto: THAT teamLab ramen shop

Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto is sort of understood as a teamLab ramen shop. teamLab is a Japanese company that produces Japan’s most successful immersive art exhibitions such as teamLab Borderless, Teamlab Planets, teamLab Botanical Garden Osaka, and more.

At teamLab Borderless in Tokyo.

At Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto.

Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto is like a gallery where customers savor teamLab’s art work “Black in White / Reversible Rotation – Black in White (反転無分別)” while slurping vegan ramen. To be clear, Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto is a vegan ramen shop. No admission fee is needed: a customer must order one drink to get a seat.

The entrance of At Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto.

Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto’s moody zen facade made my sandal-clad feet hesitate to walk in. But I did. And I was stopped by a college student-ish waiter. He allowed me to skip the line while a grumpy group of three was waiting to get seated together. Most of the customers at the dining room seemed to be couples. I was alone. I understood how it feels to be a straight tetromino (I-shaped bar of Tetris).

Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto’s menu.

Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto’s menu was minimal: oshi sushi (pressed sushi), gyoza, ramen, dessert, and drinks. I had Vegan Pressed Sushi (ヴィーガン押し寿司), Vegan Gyoza (ヴィーガン餃子), and Vegan Ramen (ヴィーガンラーメン深緋醤油).

Vegan Pressed Sushi. 950 yen ($7.30).

Vegan Gyoza. 700yen ($5.40).

Vegan Ramen. 1200 yen ($9.20).

Vegan Pressed Sushi came with layers of lotus root, oba leaf, spinach, and hummus made with edamame and wasabi. With akazu red vinegar (赤酢)-flavored sushi rice, the sushi as a whole was phenomenal. Vegan Gyoza was made with soy meat laden with a bomb of shiitake mushroom flavor. Vegan Ramen was ok. Silky noodles in a rich shiitake mushroom-flavored soup were fine. About the grilled tomato on top of the ramen, I wasn’t ready for English breakfast yet.

Meanwhile, teamLab’s artwork kept moving like space debris. I was slurping a timeless and meatless ramen alone in such a dark room. The whole experience reminded me of slurping midnight instant noodles before my screensaving laptop at home. I needed to be saved at that point. Oh my Siddhartha Gautama, I need some Netflix here.