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| - Its official; I made my quest here today and I'm already craving round 2. It's gooooood!
For those not in the know, I've been a ramen-iac since I was 12 and first learned how to cook myself a cup o' noodles. I spent several summers as a gawky teenager watching cartoons and gobbling noodles like a fiend. Over the years, and through thousands of packets of freeze-dried noodles I slurped onward. Kimchi flavor, Maruchan, Nissan, yam-noodles, dandan mien and instant jjangmyun, my adoration for the comfort of a big steaming bowl of chewy noodles drenched in broth steadily growing. I've tried Ichiza's, Shuseki's and making it myself- this tops the list. Ichiza's was close, but this place will most likely be my number one noodle-spot this winter.
Coming up to the restaurant, I wouldn't have thought it was open if it weren't for the neon sign saying so. There's plenty of parking and it's right across the street from the shopping center with Shuseki.
I sat at the bar as I was having lunch alone and wanted to see the action. One chef would feel out the proper amount of fresh noodles per bowl, roughly a fistful, and drop them into the boiling cauldron of water. On the other side was a large kettle of broth steaming away, ready at a moment's notice. In the background several men worked on various other tasks involving the pork and other side dishes. At the front of the bar was the Vegas Weekly magazine that mentioned them, as well as a Good-luck Kitty, which I thought was cute.
Today, I opted for the miso. At first I couldn't decide- I'd tried the miso flavors at other establishments, so should I continue the trend for consistency of comparison, or deviate and expand my horizons further. I opted for the miso with nitamago, or egg. It didn't take long before my noodles were politely presented to me.
The broth: Super porky. No MSG taste at all. Rich miso flavor-seemed like it was all white [sweet] miso. Great depth of flavor, with an intense, buttery mouth feel. Hit all the right notes and was intensely satisfying. Tastes like homemade.
Noodles: Al dente egg noodles. Chewy and lots of them! Much better than anything instant with great slurpability.
The egg: Beautifully cooked, creamy and custardy, it added an entirely new level of complexity to the broth and had an exceptional texture. Ichiza's eggs are close, but the one I had here was supple and gelatinous, cooked slowly and well. It was easily the best egg I've had in a restaurant this year.
Pork: My bowl came with 2 slices of succulent, fall-apart tender pork. I could pull bite-size pieces off using my chopsticks. Thousands of times better than the terrifying piece of pork we were served at Shuseki. The pieces were thin, but I was satisfied with the amount I was given. You can always order more if you're willing to pay the additional charge.
Extras: The ramen comes with bamboo shoots, a few pieces of mushroom and a mountain of green onion. You can also add minced garlic paste, benishoga [red pickled ginger], sesame oil, furikake mix, sesame seeds, what looked like vinegar & a couple of other options are available either through the menu or asking your server.
I found the portion large enough for a late brunch, tiding me over for hours and powering me through a trip to the dog park with 3 rowdy puppies. I'm extremely satisfied and happy with the meal I had here, and I bragged to several of my friends. I'm looking forward to trying the shoyu flavor next, as well as trying the spicy greens with it.
I'll be back very soon!
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