Pocket Chef: Asia

You missed your flight and your pockets are empty. But now you've got a ramen stand.

Pocket Chef: Asia is a cozy, hand-drawn cooking game. During a layover, the smell of ramen makes you miss your flight, and the stand's elderly owner leaves it in your hands. Customers come up to the counter one at a time; you make each bowl yourself, serve it, take the payment and read what they thought of it. The days are short and relaxing, with just a pinch of time pressure.

From a street cart to all of Asia

You start out with a small Japanese street ramen cart, a yatai. Save up, upgrade your stand and unlock new ingredients. Your goal: the golden ticket to China. The demo covers the ramen cart. In the full game, the road goes on to China, Korea, Thailand and India, each stop a cozier, fancier place with new regional dishes to learn.

Every bowl made by your own hands

Pick a small or large bowl. Ladle in the tare first, then the broth; stir the pot well and your tips go up too. Lift the noodles from the strainer while the cooking bar is green. Chop green onions on the board and sprinkle them over the bowl, slice the beef, cut the egg in half and place the nori on the marked spot. Some customers order in riddles (“Lots of little green rings!”); you can ask what they mean, but the tip gets smaller. And mind their patience: late bowls score lower, and anyone who waits too long walks out angry.

Cash or card?

Taking payment is part of the game too. With cash, count the change from the register drawer onto the tray; grab the wrong coin and you can simply undo it. With card, key the amount into the POS terminal and tap the card on the reader. Tips go into your tip jar, which you can upgrade all the way to the Golden Cat Jar. Dozens of characters drop by your stand, each with a story of their own: the pilot who saw you sprinting for the gate, the cosplay girl who set her kitchen on fire making her costume, the cat-loving girl who'll write about your ramen on her blog, the odd neighbor who adores onions and his twin who can't stand them… Each day ends with an earnings sheet and handwritten reviews.

Wishlist the game and try the demo. Your stand is waiting.