Thursday, I went and tried out one of the new Japanese Ramen shops to open up in Houston. Over the past few years we've had a big explosion of these kind of restaurants popping up in town. From Tiger Den, to Samurai Noodle, Ramen Jin, Jinya Ramen, Ninja Ramen, and various sushi restaurants that expanded their menu to include the latest craze.
When I first got into eating ramen, I would deviate towards the crazy styles, or extra spicy. After going back and forth to Japan for the Tokyo Game Show over the past few years, I've grown to appreciate the simple flavors. Now I simply order Tonkotsu, and that's pretty much how I judge whether or not I like a place.
Which leads me to this post. Seiwa Market opened a couple of months ago to much fan fare as it was only the second Japanese grocery store to open in Houston. While they would go on to open up a curry and udon shop inside of the market, the announcement of a ramen shop got my attention. That shop is Ramen Bar Ichi, and is currently in their soft opening. For now that means a limited menu and lunch time service only.
They have a deal where you order a meal, ramen or a rice bowl, then you can make it a combo with one of their appetizers and a drink. It knocks off about $2-$3 so its a pretty nice deal. I went with Tonkotsu ramen and chicken karage.
The ramen was very good, they used thin noodles, the pork was cooked just right, nice fresh onions, bamboo, and mushrooms. But the main feature of any Tonkotsu ramen has to be the broth. Ramen Bar Ichi's broth is no slouch, easily one of the better ones I've had in town.
The chicken karage was also very good. Freshly fried yet still very moist and juicy inside. It came with a mini veggie assortment, some picked, some not. Could have used a dipping sauce in my opinion, but not totally necessary.
Oh yeah about that broth. If it isn't good enough to make you finish your bowl, then something ain't right.
Overall, I had a great meal at Ramen Bar Ichi, and I'm excited to come back when they hold their grand opening so I can try their full menu. If you're interested in checking them out, they are located right next door to Seiwa at 1801 S Dairy Ashford Rd.
No comments:
Post a Comment