Mark T.
Yelp
One of the best bowls of ramen I've had in a while. Beating out even Momosan (Iron Chef Morimoto's place).
I was in Worcester for a concert and went early to ensure there was no difficulty finding parking. However, that also meant I'd need to kill four fours. It was cold, snowing, and putting a warm bowl of ramen in my belly was a no-brainer. Plus, it's been a while since I'd had any ramen.
The atmosphere is modern and hip. True to the theme, behind the bar were four TVs, each playing a different anime and prominent, thematically appropriate murals. One thing's for sure, the restaurant was spotless.
I ordered a chicken skin skewer, pork belly bao, and Hakata ramen.
The chicken skin skewer was a delightful appetizer. It was cooked very well. There was a little charring from the grill, but it seemed intentional and gave a slight crispness. The soy glaze bestowed some lovely sweet, salty, and savory notes.
Then came the pork belly bao. This little guy was almost the restaurant's undoing. The ideas are solid but need to be revised in practice and application. I liked the pork, the sauce, and the steamed bun. However, running against that was a too-large heap of what seemed like apple Cole Slaw. It fought the pork with both its high moisture content and flavors. Consider skipping the mayonnaise and, instead of piling on the slaw, have a couple thin apple slices.
Then came the bowl of liquid gold, which was the Hakata Ramen. The broth was rich, savory, and exploding with flavor. The noodles were excellent, and the chili oil gave a noticeable but not overpowering or overwhelming heat level. The Chashu pork was divine, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The restaurant didn't skimp on it, either! I would have liked more bamboo and fewer scallions (or at least thinner sliced scallions). Since this is a matter of personal preference, and "Mark doesn't like scallions," no points were lost.
Finally, when it comes to the service, while it was fine, it could have been faster, based on personal experience with other ramen places.
Though I don't find myself in Worcester too often, I can see myself returning to Chashu Ramen & Izakaya.