The ramen counter that opens at midnight
Aiko Tanabe on cooking for other cooks, keeping a broth going for eighteen hours and the regulars who arrive after the last train.
- Aiko TanabeOwner of a late-night ramen counter
Low Simmer, a weekly food podcast
Slow conversations about broth, bread, night markets, family recipes
Every Tuesday, Inès Duarte and Theo Lang sit down with a cook, a grower or a market trader and let the story simmer for an hour. Each episode comes with chapters and a full transcript.
Latest episode
Recorded at a twelve-seat counter, between the last train and the first delivery.
Low Simmer Episode 48
The ramen counter that opens at midnight
3:04
52:18
Chapters
Recent episodes
New every Tuesday. Each episode page has chapters, a full transcript made with Onda and links to everything we mention.
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Dashi, the five-minute stock that takes years to learn
Mariko Ueda explains why the best Japanese stock is ready in minutes, and why most of us still get it wrong.
- Mariko UedaChef and cooking teacher
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Forty years behind the same crêpe griddle
Yvonne Le Goff has folded crêpes on the same corner since 1986. Batter, butter, regulars, and the one move she still can’t teach.
- Yvonne Le GoffCrêpe stand owner
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Before dawn at the fish auction
At 4 a.m., Rui Matos picks the fish that many of the city’s restaurants will serve that night. We follow him through the auction, crate by crate.
- Rui MatosFish buyer
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Feeding a festival from a field kitchen
Three days, one field and no running water for the first few hours: Dana Whitfield on cooking for crews and crowds at an open-air festival.
- Dana WhitfieldFestival catering lead
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Lunch on the building site
Marco Bellini runs the canteen of a construction site that moves every two years. What a crew eats at 11:30, and why it matters.
- Marco BelliniSite canteen cook
The voices behind Low Simmer
Two hosts, a new guest every week.
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Host Inès Duarte
Co-host. Food writer who grew up above her parents’ café in Lisbon and still judges a city by its bread.
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Host Theo Lang
Co-host. Ten years on the line before radio; asks the questions cooks actually want to answer.
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Guest · Episode 48 Aiko Tanabe
Owner of a late-night ramen counter.
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Guest · Episode 47 Mariko Ueda
Chef and cooking teacher.
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Guest · Episode 46 Yvonne Le Goff
Crêpe stand owner since 1986.
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Guest · Episode 45 Rui Matos
Fish buyer at the port auction.
Listen your way
Free, every Tuesday, wherever you listen.
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Your podcast app
Search for “Low Simmer” in your podcast app, or paste our RSS feed to follow the show anywhere.
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The Tuesday email
One email when a new episode is out, with the notes, the recipe we talked about and the transcript.
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Full transcripts
Read any episode in full, with timestamps that jump to the right moment in the audio.
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Video episodes
Watch the conversation, filmed in the kitchen, with captions on.
What listeners write to us
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I listen on the night bus after my shift. The ramen episode was the first time I heard my job described the way it really is.
Jonah ReyesLine cook, listening since season 1 -
The transcripts are perfect for my catering students. We read along, pause, and cook the recipe on Friday.
Claire MorelCooking teacher, Lyon -
Half an hour about a crêpe stand and I was hooked. It’s the only podcast my grandmother and I both listen to.
Sofia BrandtListener, Hamburg
About the show
When do new episodes come out?
Every Tuesday at 6 a.m. Lisbon time, with short breaks between seasons.
Can I read an episode instead of listening?
Yes. Every episode page has the full transcript, with chapters and timestamps that jump to the right moment in the audio.
How do I suggest a guest or a story?
Write to us through the contact page with a few lines about the person and why their kitchen, stall or farm deserves an hour.
Do you have sponsors?
One per episode at most, read by the hosts and always labeled. Sponsors never choose guests or topics.