Even the most determined Italian food lover occasionally needs a break from pizza, pasta and mozzarella cheese.

Staj Noodle Bar offers a wide variety of Asian dishes, from fried noodles to ramen noodles, and even steamed buns.

The popular restaurant near Vomero in Naples is only a few blocks away from the Chiaia Ropeway Cimarosa Station in Via Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It features stylish and simple decoration as a backdrop for indoor and outdoor seating areas, and offers attentive and friendly waiters.  

A highlight of the menu: a wide variety of vegetarian and vegetarian dishes, which are hard to find in many Naples restaurants. Beer, wine and craft cocktails are also available.

However, Staj is not the easiest restaurant on the wallet. For example, the price of a bowl of ramen is 15 euros.

We tried steamed vegetable dumplings, which included two versions: three white radishes, carrots, edamame and other vegetables in green packaging, and three cabbage, carrots and chives in white packaging.

Each is characterized by crisp vegetables and good flavor, but overall, they are only slightly better than the products on the frozen shelves of the grocery store. Next time, I will try to pan or fry them.

A better choice might be sweet potato fries with sweet and spicy sauce, or, for seafood diners, takoyaki octopus fritters with wasabi mayonnaise.

The mushroom buns are outstanding. They consist of two fluffy "tacos" filled with sauteed shiitake mushrooms and fried onions flavored with soy glaze and Sriracha.

Two of them are paired with a glass of Fiano di Avellino (a regional white wine) to make a satisfying appetizer or light meal.

They are even very popular with my meat partners, they prefer them to fried chicken buns with tartar sauce, kimchi and sesame seeds. That dish won a simple "good".

Staj is proud of its noodles, which are made fresh every day. It was here that the restaurant passed smoothly.

The specialty of the ramen bowl is the well-made thin noodles that do not lose their firmness when we eat them.

The vegetable ramen consists of two small pieces of delicious fried tofu — I find myself wanting more — kimchi and vegetables. But the mushroom and seaweed soup did not meet expectations. It has a salty and unattractive taste.

The soy sauce ramen consisting of chicken and dashi broth with braised pork shoulder and traditional egg fish cakes is equally impressive.

A dining partner of mine who has lived in Japan for many years said that it is ok, but there is still a long way to go from authenticity.

However, Pad Thai is delicious. Rice noodles are served with cooked prawns and squid, with peanuts, limes and coriander. However, I think it can contain more seafood.

Overall, Staj scored high for delicious noodles, professional Asian street food, and some of the best services in Naples.

But ramen is best made and eaten in Japan.

Address: Via Gian Lorenzo Bernini 87A, Naples, Italy 80129 (Note: Another restaurant in Chiaia is closed due to renovations)

Tel: 39 081-379-9194 (reservation is strongly recommended, https://www.quandoo.it/en/place/staj-noodle-bar-vomero-90303?aid=63)

Time: 7-11pm from Tuesday to Sunday; closed on Monday

Menu: Available in Italian and English, https://staj.it/vomero/inglese/damangiare-inglese.pdf

Price: Appetizers, 5-10 Euros; Bao, 8-10 Euros; Fried noodles and ramen, 10-15 Euros plus surcharge; Special dishes, 10-15 Euros; Desserts, 5-8 Euros.

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