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| - I will return to Otakumen once the rush has died down and the team has found their groove. With a few minor modifications this place will be incredible and the line will always be long. All ramen loving Phoenicians should want desperately for this place to succeed and visit and write diplomatic reviews accordingly.
Opening day: Arrived at 5:30pm greeted by a jovial host (unsure if host was directing first day traffic, or is a mainstay) and the dining area was almost empty. We thought "We beat the rush!". No such luck. They were out of ramen. Good news: just a 15 minute wait. So we happily went to the cashier and were first in line to Order. Decent variety of Japanese drinks available at moderate markup ($3 each). The Mango cream soda was incredible. The cashier was very sweet and gracious but self deprecating, repeating "i can't do math". She really couldn't. I added up our bill for her twice and she still undercharged us.
Sides:
We ordered the karaage (fried chicken pieces): favorite item on the menu. Just enough to crunch, and meat was tender and juicy. Someone was heavy handed with the cabbage garnish. It took up most of the plate/got in the way.
chahan (fried rice): excellent flavor, rice was perfectly fried with the right balance of smokiness from wok and pork fat.
ginger dressed salad: dressing was flavorful but lacking - not a good dressing to lettuce ratio. The orange slices were a nice touch but salad should have been tossed and was lacking texture. Maybe fried rice noodles or something more inventive.band easy on the lettuce!
There's definitely an opportunity to up level this salad with little effort. I envision myself ordering a salad and a side of tonkatsu in the future if they modify the salad.
They were out of gyoza and tofu salad.
Ramen:
Tonkatsu (pork): pork belly was amaaaaaaaaaazing. Well prepared, chef! Excellent flavor. Tender with melt in your mouth nuggets of fat. Well prepared. I've read other reviews naysaying the pork and I heartily disagree. However, the texture may be off putting to an unknowing palate. It is not supposed to be rubbery, dry, or crispy. The broth was mild with subtle flavor. I expected a more rich broth to accompany the pork, I'd rate it mediocre. I mentioned we were the first in line to order once ramen was ready. Our ramen was lukewarm when it arrived. How is this possible? Need a better insulated serving bowl, or possible even ceramic if all goes well. I hope it does.
They were out of all desserts.
Chopsticks, Plastic utensils, plastic cups (for fountain) plastic bowls, paper serving plates.
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