Squid ink (Dark King)noodles. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Whichever dish they favor, diners get to choose the thickness of the noodles, the richness of the soup, the variety of the toppings and the amount of garlic. For clueless first-timers, there is a chef's recommendation package.

The classic original aside, the most inviting option is the Dark King. The heavy use of black garlic and a homemade black soy sauce make the noodles guiltily gratifying, especially paired with the thin noodles, which can soak up the flavor of the soup completely. For the choice of char-siu, the tender slices of pork shoulder tastes even better than a thick chunk of pork belly, as the shoulder, slow-cooked at a rather low temperature, boasts a similar texture to Iberian ham.

Most choices－noodles, pork-filled dumplings and minced-pork rice－may appear rather heavy for the summer. But that hasn't posed a problem for Shanghai's diners, not even on the hottest days during the first week of opening, when the temperature soared to 40 C.

If you go

Ramen Nagi

3/F, K11 Art Mall, 300 Huaihai Road M, Huangpu district, Shanghai.021-6333-5616.