Oxtail Ramen? Yup! Oxtail Ramen.

About two years ago I had a bowl of Chef Scotley Innis’ oxtail ramen. It was the revolutionary Jamaican food moment that I’d been waiting for.

For years Jamaica and Japan have had a cultural exchange. Japan was the number one importer of dancehall music (when people were still buying CDs). Additionally, Japan is the number one importer of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.

This dish highlights the merger of both cultures by taking something that’s very Japanese and making it very Jamaican. Even more impressive, it does so with something that Jamaicans love…soup. (Yes, a hot country like Jamaica consumes a lot of soup.)

The oxtail ramen is my favorite, but Chef Scotley also does a jerk chicken ramen as well as a vegetarian option. He’s restarted his ramen pop up on Mondays at Chef’d Up (701-5 Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312) from 5pm-10pm. Follow him on Instagram for more info.