As I pulled into the parking lot 5 mins after opening, I saw 4 other Asian cars parking so I quickly parked without paying attention to if I was anywhere within the lines (holding true for my bad Asian drivers) and bum rushed quickly inside.
Within minutes the place was packed with several parties waiting. We may have been the only non Jap party there.
The ramen offers miso or shio soup - no tonkatsu but they do offer a spicy option. We ordered the Delux Shio Ramen which came with 3 pieces of chashu, egg, manma, nori, and chives. In addition we ordered the Spicy Miso. The noodles were perfectly cooked al dente and had the perfect bite. The noodles are similar to the texture of the Miso Ramen at Monta, not the thinner noodles from their Tonkatsu. I ordered both broths to see if they offered more noodle selections but it seems they offer one. Nevertheless I prefer thick cut. Both of the broths were super rich and full of flavor.
The kurogoma dango dessert was decent - u could tell it was made at least a day in advance. With the consistent flow of business, maybe they can make it fresh daily and it would def be better.
So is it better than Monta? I would say no but I always order the Tonkatsu and enjoy the intimacy and atmosphere. But it's definitely a competitor and I'm all for more ramen offerings!