| rev:text
| - My boyfriend and I are both teachers, so during our breaks, we like to enjoy weekday dates (something we don't normally experience during the school year). We knew about a $2 bowling special on Tuesday nights at our local alley so we decided to make an evening of it and go to dinner first. I had heard good things about The Clever Koi so we went to try it out.
First, let me start by saying I love the building The Clever Koi is located in, as well as the surrounding businesses. It's a cool, modern space with a few traditional oriental touches. We were bummed to realize that all of the patio tables were full, but unsurprised as it was a gorgeous evening outside. Instead, we posted up at the bar where we were greeted by our waiter/bartender (who I later realized is also an owner). We were given menus and discovered that they are currently running a deal for $35 that included 4 beers and 2 bowls. Score! We chose to upgrade to 4 cocktails for an extra $5 and ordered a dark & stormy and a whiskey drink called the blinker; both were excellent. We ordered our entrees (pork ramen for me, mongolian beef bowl for the fella), but also decided to try 2 of the steamed buns as an appetizer. We got the more traditional duck bun, as well as the chicken and waffle bun. Those came out within a few minutes, and I have to say, as much as I wanted to like the chicken and waffle steamed bun, I couldn't. The menu description said "kimchi waffle", but I couldn't taste any bite from the kimchi in the dish. Likewise, the menu stated there was a "chili maple syrup", but I didn't taste any heat. The chicken was cooked well, but there was just nothing special about it and the waffle was kind of cold and soggy. The duck bun, on the other hand, was quite good, although nothing special again. The portion size was fairly large for $4.50 though and I would be interested to try their 2 other styles of steamed buns.
After a drink refill, our main courses arrived and oh. My. God. It was good. The pork ramen broth was flipping amazing. Big hunks of delicious pork belly floated around, as well as a kimchi and a soft egg. The combo of crunchy, spicy kimchi was so well paired with the creamy egg center. It was seriously so amazing, I can't wait to go back when the weather cools down a little more and gulp it by the bowl full. My boyfriend really enjoyed his mongolian beef too, demolishing the whole bowl. I saved some of my ramen to take home and it reheated perfectly the next day.
Overall, a really solid experience. The decor was awesome, the service was casual and friendly, and even a not so stellar steamed bun couldn't ruin an absolutely phenomenal ramen. I can't wait to go again!
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