How Taco Bamba Chef Victor Albisu Makes a Ramen Taco Work in Fairfax | Eater DC

"Albisu opened his fifth Taco Bamba location yesterday inside University Mall in Fairfax, giving the decorated chef another venue to fuse traditional Mexican street food with a playful, irreverent spirit — exemplified by the new “Robinson Ramen” taco engineered by Albisu and chef de cuisine Tom Hall. Inspired by George Mason students' ramen habits, they deconstructed a bowl of ramen to make it taco-friendly: carnitas braised with shoyu and star anise, fresh noodles boiled then finished on the flat top for crunch, and a hyper-reduced ramen broth tweaked with citrus and chiles that’s tossed with the braised pork and noodles. Complementary elements include canned corn and scallions, salsa machado, and a togarashi-spiced tartar sauce that incorporates eggs and Kewpie mayonnaise. The result is a deliberately “crazy” combination that still sits alongside a rigorously authentic approach to classics such as al pastor, carnitas, birria, lengua, and tripe, and reinforces Taco Bamba’s reputation for not taking itself too seriously while respecting traditional flavors." - Gabe Hiatt