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| - I was excited to try Xinji and finally made it there at about 8pm on a weeknight. Found parking on the street nearby and got in no problem. Xinji is two storefronts joined together with a bar on one side and an open kitchen in the back. The restaurant is cool looking with plenty of exposed brick walls, industrial accents and just enough style to make it all work. The tables are simple and the chairs are a bit too simple, they could be more comfortable.
The menu is simple, with limited options so I ended up getting the vegetarian ramen with a soy egg added to it. The bowl came out in about 10 minutes; I was a bit surprised that the soup wasn't hotter coming to the table, it was a best lukewarm. The noodles were good, with a rough texture and decent flavor. The broth was ok, although a bit lighter then I would have liked; if it had more flavor, spices or body it would have made the ramen much better. The vegetables were good, with only the mushrooms having any intense flavor. I did add some of the hot sauce that helped spice up the dish, but at this price I was expecting more.
Service was ok, my server did have an issue understanding that while I do not eat meat or foul, that didn't mean that I only wanted items that were vegan.
Xinji is a cool spot and a welcome addition to the Cleveland dining scene. The menu could be improved with a fish or seafood option since I found the vegetarian ramen to be nothing special. I would guess that the meat and chicken based broths add some needed umami to the ramen that I was missing.
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