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| - Kinton Ramen makes its mark on the eclectic strip of Baldwin Village
We made it to the soft opening this past Tuesday. Literally 10 minutes after getting seated the place was already packed!
Environment :
Communal seating rules here so get comfortable with close proximity dining. Talk amongst your friends perhaps makes new dining companions nearby. ;)
The narrow restaurant is dominated by a long reaching bar and kitchen.
We lucked out and got some prime seats by the open kitchen. And if you're foodie, this is 'the place' you want to be seated at. It's where the magic happens.
Everyone in the kitchen busy doing something, whether whisking, pouring oils, cooking/cutting the noodles, blowtorching, frying, the manager himself was stirring two large silver pots of broth with the largest ladle I've ever seen!!
Food:
There are some appetizers and salads available. But for us the main attraction was the ramen. So we ordered just that that night.
There's a few soup bases to select from; Miso (soy bean paste), Shio (sea salt), Shoyu (soy sauce), and Spicy (chili pepper)
I went with Kinton Pork Ramen with a miso soup base - this is a noodle soup with healthy helping of MEAT. (pork shoulder and pork belly (bacon).
About 10 minutes later my soup arrived. It was large and in charge and looking the part.
Armed with chopsticks and wooden ladle I began my feast.
Broth consisted of a combination of miso +pork broth, golden color and oily
The noodles were cooked perfectly and had a nice chewy texture
The soup was topped with corn, bean sprouts, and diced red onions this added a nice texture and aroma.
The meat oh yes the meat I alternated between the shoulder which a bit leaner and the pork belly (bacon) which was fattier tastier and saltier. I prefer the bacon in the end.
There were also small pieces of pork from the soup base if I didn't have enough meat already.
My thoughts:
I liked it. The soup was fresh, tasty but a bit salty. It meets your quota for protein and sodium that's for sure.
After we finished Aki, the manager of Kinton came over to talk which was cool.
In summary, Kinton delivered a tasty bowl of ramen in a cheerful and friendly environment with a slight ringing to your ears.
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