With the recent popularity and boom of ramen joints around Vegas, my expectations for Shoku were probably a tad higher than they should have been. Upon entering, there was no music playing, and the lack of chatter among customers made the place seem a little awkwardly quiet (jazz music began playing a little later, though).
The waitresses were obviously new and/or inexperienced. I ordered the spicy miso and my friend ordered the tonkotsu ramen with a side of gyoza. The waitress confidently presented our respective dishes - dishes that we almost immediately realized were switched. That could have just been a little mistake instead of a lack of knowledge, though.
The ramen was what ultimately made me decide to give Shoku three stars. I chose my noodles "firm" and didn't expect to find a thick clump of noodles still stuck together in the middle of my meal. The chashu was not the soft texture I was used to, which made me a little disappointed.The broth was actually better than expected though - not too salty with a decent kick of spice. It was nice that ramen already came with a few toppings as well.
The gyoza were meh. They probably would have tasted better if they were hot and fresh but instead seemed cold and dejected.
On a random note, I was childishly fascinated with the sesame grinder they had on the table. The tables were also nice and clean and new. I spent a good 5 minutes stroking it...
All in all, Shoku is just okay. We decided to stop by only because we were already sort of in the area but if I were to choose, I would not go out of my way when there are so many ramen places closer to my house.