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| - As a self-declared Ramen Aficionado (I grew up on plenty of Ramen...not just the instant kind!), I felt like Madison has been lacking in decent ramen joints. In fact, I have been known to make a 3 hour trek to Chicago for a good bowl of ramen! So imagine my excitement to hear that a new ramen place has opened, and with good reviews on Yelp as well!
Initial impressions - a lot of the same faults that I found with Red Sushi. Unmarked restaurant, very small and crowded, no waiting space, and you were practically touching elbows with your fellow table neighbors. I won't hold this too much to the restaurant, as I think it is difficult to make do in such a small, high traffic space. But I do hope that once they grow in business, they move to a bigger, better location.
We arrived around 6pm on a Friday, and had about two couples in line in front of us. We waiting next to the bar for about 15 minutes before being seated at the bar. The waiter served us from behind the bar counter, and was attentive and quick. This probably wouldn't have been a good restaurant for chit chat with the server, since the atmosphere is so loud, but hey, I'm here for the ramen!
Very small menu (which makes things quick and easy). We ordered the Morris Ramen ($13), and the Miso Ramen ($12), with an extra slice of Char Siu Pork Belly($2.50). They arrived piping hot within a few minutes. The two broths were very flavorful, and the ramen noodle texture was very reminiscent of good Japanese ramen noodles - fresh, bouncy and slightly alkaline. The portion sizes, however, were a bit small for my appetite and for the price. The toppings were also a bit too simple compared to the price point - my ramen was topped with ground pork, corn, green onions and bean sprouts. I think if they were more creative with the toppings, I could see it as more justification for the price.
Overall, a very impressive, simple bowl of ramen. Nothing exceptionally fancy, but everything important (broth, noodles) was done to perfection. The only thing holding me back from granting the final star is the crowded atmosphere, unmarked location, and slightly too-small portions.
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