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| - I am in Las Vegas. As a friend of mine puts it, it's a "towering monument to the American dream in all its gaudy crass tasteless glory". It means buffets, unbelievably big-name restaurants, hours upon hours of shopping for pretty clothes to wear that night, people with egos to match the casinos, all amounting to an insane amount of money-wasting. And that is where people find the fun.
It is August. I don't even want to know what the exact outside temperature is. I've spent miserable days in Vegas before, and these days are just as fun. I need something, something that is reminiscent of my home, my comforts, my teddy bear. And then we spot it: "Ramen Restaurant". A plain sign in a plain strip mall behind all the casinos, but once we enter the parking lot I find that it has quite a big presence in the plaza.
The windows and the glass door is completely covered up from the inside, but a flashing neon "open" sign invites you to come in. Is this Vegas? Or not? Inside is a pretty large space, the walls were plentifully decorated with signs with nothing but Japanese written on them, which is a positive note for me. An open kitchen to the left, cashier directly in front of you where the waitstaff can watch the door, seating area to the right.
The menu has many typical Japanese snack food, including croquettes, kara-age, and others, rice and curry dishes, mapo dofu (Japanese style, of course), and a nice ramen list that is simple and yet enough for everyone to find something to their tastes. I got the chashu ramen, my significant other got the mapo ramen.
The broth was nice and clear, even for the mapo ramen, which is a good sign. It was served at the right temperature, came steaming to the table, and remained plenty warm to the last drop. The noodles could have been a bit softer, but I am also used to Korean ramen which has much softer noodles, and just as Japanese tend to like drier rice than Koreans, I know Japanese like firmer noodles. But perhaps they could have been cooked just a bit more, I found some noodles sticking to each other in the beginning which was not a good thing. They loosened up by the time I was about 2/3 done with the bowl.
For Koreans, and other people who like stronger flavors, the mapo ramen is definitely more suited to their tastes. Very strong presence of sesame seed oil and pork, bits of ground pork floating in the soup that get caught amidst your noodles, making every slurp a bit more interesting. The chashu ramen was much more subtle, hearty and yet mild, however the pork slices were unfortunately overcooked, hence a bit dry.
But in the end, I ate and drank it all, and was so grateful for the fact that such a place was present in a desert hell that is Vegas. And the last sign that I was satisfied was that I was immediately overcome by the sleepiness that can only be produced with a good bowl of ramen, and I was quite content.
I would go back just for the mapo ramen, and perhaps try the others afterwards. If I ever find myself stranded in the Vegas horrors yet again, this will be the place I would turn to in order to keep my sanity, and yes, find my teddy bear.
And did I mention you can smoke with your ramen? As a Californian, this is mindboggling.
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