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| - There's a New Kid on the Block slinging out bowls of ramen to a receptive audience. After my recent visit to the Ramen Kid, would I be crooning "Baby You Got It" about my experience, or would "Single" (as in a single Yelp star) be more apropos?
Other than a new sign, the pale brick exterior of the restaurant has changed little from its previous incarnation as the Lava Lounge, so don't expect to be blown away when you first lay eyes on the establishment. However, the interior is another story, as the owner has done an effective job converting the former night club into a proper ramen shop. It's a long, narrow space and despite limited natural light, the interior is well illuminated. The anime collage above the open, stainless steel kitchen, the Japanese calligraphy on the dining room walls and the multicolored paper umbrellas all set the proper mood for the Japanese themed eatery. The matching tables and chairs along with the neat stacks of red, white and black bowls and plates stacked on the bar reinforce the sense of order inside the restaurant. The fairly loud background music sounded fairly unique - it sounded like Japanese pop to my uneducated ear. While there are still rough spots to the interior décor (a hastily painted false ceiling, a grungy looking mirror behind the kitchen cooler), overall the new incarnation was generally well executed.
Ramen Kid offers counter service. The engaging cashier deftly guided me as I navigated the limited menu for the first time. The kitchen delivered my steaming bowl of deliciousness in slightly more than five minutes, which was greatly appreciated, as Madison was in the grips of the a particularly virulent Polar Vortex and the steam from the bowl had revived both body and soul that encounter. Because the restaurant was not particularly busy during my visit, I had the runner, the cook and older gentleman who I assumed was the owner ask me what I thought of my lunch.
The menu includes over a half dozen ramen options, a pair of stir-fried noodle dishes and several different curry bowls. For appetizers, there are a variety of dumplings, calamari, kara-age (fried chicken bites) and edamame. The restaurant also offers a limited beer and wine menu. After consulting the staff, I wisely decided to go with the popular Tonkatsu (marinated soft boiled egg, green onions, bamboo shoot and pork chashu). The intensely savory broth had a soothing depth of flavor, extremely satisfying on its own and the salt level was spot on. My bowl brimmed with a generous quantity of slurpilicious noodles. The soft boil egg added a nice visual element but flavor-wise, it seemed lost in the other components of the dish. I was pleased with the quantity of the under-seasoned pork chashu, however, I wished it was portioned into smaller pieces.
Overall, I'm extremely excited to have a ramen shop joining Madison's food scene and look forward to further exploration of their menu.
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