Despite not serving ramen on its menu, a Baldwin Park restaurant edged out one of Orlando’s four Michelin-starred restaurants and a Top Chef winner to claim this year’s Ramen Rumble title.
On Monday, The Osprey won the fifth annual installment of Ramen Rumble, beating out the likes of high-profile Orlando-area restaurants including Soseki, which was awarded a Michelin star last summer, and Doshi’s Chef Hung Huynh, who won the third season of Top Chef in 2007.
In addition to The Osprey, Doshi, and Soseki, Chef Tung Phan of Camille Modern Vietnamese Tasting and Chef Kaleb Harrell of Hawker’s Asian Street Food also competed in this year’s competition.
Founded by Jason and Sue Chin of the Good Salt Restaurant Group, this year’s event featured five of Orlando’s “best and brightest” chefs competing for the “Broth Belt.” In total, over $11,000 was raised from 400 diners to benefit the Give Kids The World foundation.
The Osprey is manned by executive chef Michael Cooper and executive sous chef Mousa Qutteineh. The restaurant opened its doors in Baldwin Park in 2015 and is part of the Good Salt Restaurant Group, joining Reyes Mezcaleria, Seito, and The Monroe.
Cooper and his staff created a ramen dish that incorporated seafood and spice, setting it apart from the rest of the competitors who favored traditional ramen staples.
The Osprey’s ramen dish featured a bevy of select seafood, including shrimp, octopus, mussels, scallops, and clams. All of the ingredients in the dish were locally sourced.
Diners were separated into two waves, one at 5:30 p.m. and another at 8:30 p.m., where they were served ramen from the five competing restaurants. After trying the ramen, diners were asked to vote on their favorite dishes for the night.
The Osprey won nearly a third of the votes cast, followed closely by Camille’s, Hawker’s, Soseki, and Doshi.
Ramen Rumble 5 is the fifth installment of the series that began in 2016. The competition was won by Seito in 2016, Sticky Rice in 2017, Kai in 2018, and Morimoto in 2021.
Located at 4899 New Broad Street, The Osprey is open six days a week beginning at 5 p.m., with special brunch service available on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on its menu or upcoming events, visit The Osprey website.