| rev:text
| - So much potential but this restaurant is like a kid running with their laces untied.
The decor and service are everything you should expect from a Scottsdale dining place. Clean, open kitchen. Sleek ordering on an iPad. The first stumble, however, is the iPads themselves. The hostess already has to guide you through the menu and now they have to guide you through the iPad. All the items have pictures to match on the iPad except the specials which fade into the ether by their obscure titles void of pics. I don't get it. With this much coaching, wouldn't it just be easier to set the whole thing up as a QRS (Quick, Ready, Serve) concept like Cold Stone or Chipotle. The iPad doesn't enhance the experience or food.
Which brings me to the food....
Basically, this is a ramen noodle joint. Way, way better than your grocery store, college dorm standards. These high-end ramen shacks litter SF, NYC and D.C., with variable success. The best ones keep the options lean and make their success on the broth and fun vibe. As we do at most places we review, we shotgunned the menu. I don't know if the owners will read this but if they do, please take the comments seriously as you are sitting on a gold mine of potential but are running out of tools. So let's get to work:
1. Shishito pepper appetizers - weak, absolutely weak. Not offensive. Just weak. They are under roasted and just dousing them with unadorned soy sauce is lazy. This dish could be improved by mixing some sesame oil into the soy sauce and either deep frying, without batter, in rice oil or browning the skins a bit. It lacks the classic toastiness that so many places offer.
2. Edamame beans steamed in their pods - less than weak. Cold. Again, not offensive. Just boring and cold. They have the requisite flavor but nature did that. The restaurant fails to build on it. Come on!!! How about using some of your table 7-pot sauce, mixing it with peanut oil and tossing the beans? How about some sea salt? How about sending someone to Trader Joe's and letting the frozen section do your job? Edamame is boring. Make it better.
3. Ramen bowls - ok, here is where they shine. We ordered the Miso and Goma as recommended by the chef. The miso has a beautifully deep flavor without being too heavy in the seaweed flavor or salt. The Goma has a meatier flavor that, frankly, I would like to have the flavors deepened further. In both bowls, the ramen noodles were cooked to perfection with an al dente texture that grabs the flavors. The hot broth is artfully balanced by the crisp, cool flavors of firm sprouts. The cured pork strips in both bowls were welcome but needed a smokier flavor or a char. And like other reviewers, I agree that if large strips of red peppers and shishito peppers are going to be used, take the time to remove the seeds for the broth.
In all, as is, the place is just average. The food wasn't fast, so doesn't fit the category of grab-n-go lunch. The flavors weren't polished enough to make this a destination worth raving about. And the prices are too high for the total experience that you retain. Simple changes can turn this place around. Keep your eye on Hot Noodles and Cold Sake. If the owners and chefs can make the necessary changes, this is a great concept.
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