A new take on ramen noodles in University City

UNIVERSITY CITY (WPVI) -- Ramen noodles aren't just for college kids on a budget anymore.

Chefs are turning them into gourmet dishes you might not associate with noodles.

In Japan, ramen is nearly a national obsession, kind of like how we love hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza.

A Japanese eatery in University City is also obsessed - there's some serious culinary creativity at work there.

At CoZara, a Japanese Izakaya or gastropub, Chef Chris Paulikas is giving the Ramen noodle a makeover.

"We're trying to take the misconception of everybody thinking ramen - Cup of Ramen, Top Ramen - is just the instant packs," he said. "There is so much more to it than that."

First he created an Asian-inspired burger. And then there's the buns, made of pure noodles!

"We'll cook off the noodles, and then we'll mix in a whole egg," he said. "And then we'll also take the soup base itself and kind of reduce it down to, like, a little more concentrated flavor. And then we'll mold it into these shapes and pan-sear them off."

The burger is topped with gruyere cheese and layered with ginger ketchup, Japanese pickles, a lightly fried egg and spicy mayo.

The chef also makes high-end soups with handmade noodles and a fun creation called the Ramen Maki Roll!

"This is like if a cup of ramen were in a Spring Roll," he explained.

Ramen re-imagined at CoZara: now that's a chef using his noodle!

CoZara is the second restaurant by famed sushi chef Zama Tanaka.

They used to offer the ramen burger just on Sundays. But it was so popular it's now a permanent item on the lunch menu.