| rev:text
| - Morris Ramen is wonderful addition to Madison's restaurant scene. We can always use some more choices when it comes to ramen, and Morris' offering is a unique one.
First of all, Morris kicks butt in the atmosphere game. The place is decorated like a Japanese izakaya straight from an anime except with moodier lighting. It feels modern, but it's not cheesy and clubby like Tavernakaya.
The next thing you notice is their menu. While it offers a creative variety of flavors, they stick to ramen, appetizers, and steamed buns, so it's not overwhelming. I was really tempted to order everything, but I convinced myself to be realistic and get chicken wings and ramen.
The wings were crispy enough with moist meat. They had a sweet garlic flavor like I would've expected from Korean-style wings. They were good, but I didn't find them to be memorable. However, the pickled radish that it comes with is so good. It's different from what I'm used to, Morris' pickled daikon has a distinct savory aspect to it along with the brininess that you'd expect from a pickle.
The ramen I chose was their Morris ramen because it seemed like their flagship ramen while being the most similar to traditional ramen. The Morris comes with chashu pork belly, ajitama (marinated egg), and menma (fermented bamboo shoots). I also added aburaage (tofu skin pouch). To be honest, I found the toppings to be pretty run-of-the-mill. The aburaage, however, was an awesome addition! The tofu skin pouch was filled with finely-chopped Asian root vegetables. It soaks up broth like a sponge, and it's a fun new way to get your vegetables in for the day.
That brings me to me next observation: the broth. This broth is awesome! It's tonkotsu, but it's not the heavy, creamy tonkotsu broth that you might expect. The broth is definitely packed with pork bone flavor, but it's a little lighter. You can taste a lot of traditional dashi ingredients like dried bonito and kombu seaweed. Somehow, it tastes kind of smoky too. It's heavenly!
With great food, a great location, and a decent drink selection, I definitely see myself coming back!
|