TAKE a dance music DJ with a love of Japanese food and culture, add a good measure of fun, a shot of passion, season with humour and serve in the heart of Oxford’s hippest neighbourhood.

Hyper Ramen is a most unusual beast. While the fare is almost entirely authentically Japanese, it is the brainchild of music producer and breakbeat enthusiast Guy Hatfield, who is about as British as they come.

While touring the Far East under the moniker DJ Hyper, he acquired a love of Tokyo’s ubiquitous ramen shops – with their unique broths prepared over many hours of cooking.

So when he decided to swap the decks for kitchen hobs, he turned to his love of oriental noodles, setting up a pop-up restaurant and calling it, reasonably enough, Hyper Ramen.

The Magdalen Road restaurant occupies the former premises of Oxfork and the very short-lived Gaf, next to the perennially popular Oli’s Thai. And, judging by the crowds lustily slurping up steaming bowls of noodles when I visited, some of Oli's magic seems to have finally rubbed off on its neighbour, with diners making the most of the chance to join the party before its unfortunate closure this Saturday.

Despite being busy, its sole waiter was doing a sterling job of taking orders, racing up and down the stairs to the rear of the oddly laid-out restaurant and whizzing to and from the kitchen balancing enormous bowls of noodly loveliness.

Don’t do as I did and ask for a menu. You’ll receive a curious look and a nod at the table, where large paper place mats list the handful of dishes on offer.

Hyper Ramen’s tag line is “minimal menu = maximal satisfaction” and that indeed seems to be the case.

We chose as starters a bowl of crisp and crunchy edamame (£4.50) (soybeans in the pod) sprinkled with crumbs of sea salt; and plates of veggie and pork gyoza (£5.75). These came fried and steamed and were served with a deliciously tangy dipping sauce. The texture was tender but firm and tasty enough, though not exactly bursting with flavour.

Our big mistake, it transpired, was to forgo Hyper Ramen’s big calling card – the battered sweet chicken wings – about which I have since heard no end since, many describing them as the best in town. Alas it may now be too late to ever know (though word has it, Guy will be back somewhere else soon).

The main event was the ramen itself – and this really was something to put a smile on the most serious advocate of Japanese cuisine.

The bowls were worthy of the emperor himself. The base is a bowl of extremely tasty ‘double dip’ chicken and fish miso-based broth. In the case of the signature Hyper Ramen (great value for a tenner), this is topped with a meaty chunk of chasu (slow cooked pork belly), a halved soft boiled egg, chopped spring onions, beansprouts and a slow roasted tomato. The ensemble is light and refined, the beansprouts giving crunch and the spring onion a fresh tang. The meat is tender, juicy and an explosion of flavour.

Brave souls can order it extra hot, with the addition of red chilli and red onion and a spicy kick to the soup base (£11.50) or add extra items for 50p to £1 each, such as chunks of chasu crackling (do it!), pickled bamboo, sweetcorn or another one of those perfect eggs.

Intriguingly, and in the perfect expression of Guy’s philosophy of Japanese-English fusion, you can also chose a full English ramen – complete with crispy bacon and a poached egg.

My veggie friend tucked into an equally rich vegan ramen, with a meat-free broth, tofu, watercress, roasted tomato, mushrooms and, of course, bean sprouts. Both of us were unable to finish the generous portions. The whole feast was washed down, as it should be, with Kirin beer.

Hyper Ramen is now set to close its doors (the place was always temporary and the ladlord's rent on the premises is eye-wateringly steep, we hear), so get in today. Healthy, filling, satisfying and great fun – DJ Hyper’s flavours are music to the heart and soul – and the tastebuds. We hope it pops back up again soon.

  • Hyper Ramen
  • 36 Magdalen Road, Oxford
  • 01865243280
  • hyper-ramen.com
  • Closes tomorrow (Saturday, May 5)