Most people imagine “omakase” as a series of sushi bites painstakingly prepared by a master chef while diners perch like birds on a wire at a long wooden counter. Ramen can also rise to this caliber, but to find such decadence among noodles is spotting a unicorn in the meadows of ramen humility.

Enter collaboration events. Anytime you see a ramen shop hosting a collab, drop everything and go. These chefs create ramen unique to that day, a fusion of combined expertise. It’s like walking into a Smithsonian special exhibit, but for ramen. You’re getting the best of the best, and for one day only.

Ramen FeeL from Tokyo teamed up with Pickerel Ramen from Rhode Island for this experience. The menu was hypnotizing: from Pickerel’s classic Carpenter Street ramen made with chicken and dashi, to Portuguese pork wontons graced with niboshi oil. The penultimate dish was a spiced lamb ramen with local Mitake mushrooms and mint, a taste I’ll be chasing the high of forever.

Drink pairings ranged from a mulled Manhattan to a celery collins. Many featured locally sourced Japanese fruits and herbs alongside specialty liquors Pickerel brought from the States. I’ll never forget the spellbinding moment of flame-searing the orange rinds, and how each sip accented the dessert: a squash custard with coffee milk anglaise and sesame brittle.

Skip the sushi and treat yourself to a ramen omakase. You’ll never see noodles the same way again.

@ramen_feel @pickerel_ri @ramenbae11 Less