Shanghai Restaurant Review: Sumo Cat Ramen Club

By Betty Richardson, August 9, 2017

The Place

With flashing lights and a vermillion-hued corrugated shop front embellished with the jubilantly dancing eponymous Sumo Cat, this new ramen shop does its level best to stick out on the otherwise quiet Julu Lu. It’s the latest installment from the Sumo Cat restaurant group from Taiwan, which also has yakiniku BBQ restaurants and sushi shops that specialize in affordable chirashi-don (sashimi rice bowls).

Sumo Cat Ramen Club Review Shanghai

The Food

Some ramen joints make 12-hour broth or alkaline water noodles their selling point, but Sumo Cat has a different strategy: topping their bowls with comical quantities of meat.

The signature is the ‘Ghost Claw’ ramen (RMB148), alternatively titled tonkotsu (pork bone broth) bridged with a full rack of roasted ribs. Clearly designed for photo opportunities, it arrives with a side plate on which to place the ribs so you can actually get to the ramen underneath. But without its Ghostly paw, the ramen underneath looks strangely underwhelming, like a Henry the Eight portrait with the codpiece removed.

Sumo Cat Ramen Club Review Shanghai

The ribs themselves are tender if not aggressively flavorsome, but are by no means the worst ribs you’ll find in this city. As for the ramen, you could also do a lot worse; it has a decent level of collagen kick but becomes overbearingly creamy after a while. Less impressive is the halved marinated egg, which is squashed, and worse, cooked through.

A better bet is the Sumo Cat ramen (RMB89), which also holds its own in the meat department. Here, thin slices of chashu pork belly (we counted 11) layer the tonkotsu, in what is surely a bowl designed to fare diners through the cold winters of Hokkaido.

Sumo Cat Ramen Club Review Shanghai

Food Verdict: 1.5/3

The Vibe

If we were visiting Sumo Cat Ramen back when chains like Ajisen was average and Ippudo was the arbiter of quality, coming here would offer more than gimmick. But take away the ribs and colorful kitsch décor, and the experience you’re left with doesn’t stand up to what’s on offer at other ramen shops around the city.