rev:text
| - Futo Buta doesn't take reservations, so expect a short wait if you have a larger party in the evenings (even on the weekdays, it seems). My colleagues and I (group of 5) waited around 15 minutes for a table on a Wednesday evening and eventually decided to squish into a 4-person table rather than have to sit at the bar... awkward for conversation. If you're lost, Futo Buta is located on the corner on the light rail side, making it easily accessible off the Bland light rail stop.
Atmosphere is similar to an izakaya, if you've ever been to one. Very casual and semi-loud.
For a ramen joint in Charlotte, I wasn't expecting much. Reigning from NYC, I've had my share of decent ramen. I was surprised that the ramen at Futo Buta is actually not bad at all - I prefer my places in NYC, but this will do while I'm traveling.
I ordered the tonkotsu ramen and added the chili to make it spicy (extra $1) - spicy it was. I order the same thing at every ramen place, thus being able to make somewhat of a comparison among the different ramens I've had. They serve the curly kind of ramen noodles here, versus the thinner kind, which I prefer. Regardless, the pork bone broth was flavorful and the spicy sauce added a huge kick - warning for those that might not like that high of a spice level. I was really impressed with the pork (char siu) here - it was just the right amount of fat-to-meat ratio and was marinated really well in a semi-sweet sauce and charred to perfect. Probably some of the best meat I've had in ramen, actually! The ramen here also comes with a poached egg. At $14, the amount of food you get is reasonable.
In addition to the ramen, I also ordered the uni (sea urchin) nigiri (2 pieces, $7). The uni was decently fresh (I haven't gotten sick) and I actually enjoyed this as an appetizer. The salted radish was crunchy and refreshing. I think this was supposed to come with some watermelon of some sort, but I don't recall seeing it.
Service is decent.
Worth a shot if you're in the area. I don't know if there's any other comparable restaurants that serve ramen nearby.
|