Vivian C.
Yelp
What sets Kyuramen apart from other ramen restaurants is not the noodles or broths, but the amazing appetizers/ Japanese street foods, and the omurice that's a treat for both the taste buds and eyes. Also the wide variety of drinks offered by the T-Baar at the entrance.
The decor is very fun, and like a small portal into Japan. Guests are greeted by a wall of ema plaques next to the host stand, seats at the bar where you can watch ramen being cooked, private booths along a narrow hall festooned with red lanterns, and a row of sake barrels.
We ordered a lot since we wanted to try not only the ramen, but the appetizers and drinks as well. Everything came out super fast.
We tried several of the street food style appetizers: takoyaki octopus balls, popcorn chicken, Japanese oysters, shrimp lollipops, Aji mackerel, and baby octopus. The hands down favorite was the oysters - perfectly fried with a crisp exterior that was light and not at all greasy, and bursting with flavor from the delicate center. The takoyaki balls were phenomenal - soft and slightly chewy with large bonito flakes dancing on top. The octopus and mackerel were also great - crisp and tender with a slight chewiness.
Another dish to note is the omurice - an egg omelet served over fried rice with your choice of sauce. When our server cut it open at the table, soft-cooked egg flowed out onto the rice. Then delicious brown sauce was poured over it (we chose that over the curry sauce). It was delicious!
As for the ramen, I asked for a flavorful option and was directed to the sapporo miso ramen (spicy). It had a very rich broth with layers of flavor that started with creaminess from the miso, followed by savoriness of the pork, and finished with spiciness from a chinese barbecue sauce. The chicken ramen had a richness that I was surprised could be achieved by chicken alone, and didn't have any of the buillon notes that chicken broths sometims have. TIP: adding togarashi and sauerkraut (they are in cute pots on each table) gives the chicken ramen a great subtle spice and kicks the flavor up a few notches. Both bowls had meat that was tender and sliced beautifully, as well as bamboo shoots, seaweed, corn, and scallions. The surprising star of the ramen was the marinated egg, which was tender and had lots of great umami flavor.
I'll definitely be back for the street food apps and omurice. And maybe some ramen too if I'm really hungry!