Ed U.
Yelp
Gee, I didn't know Orenchi Beyond closed until Jamie W. and I dined at Akari, Chef Makoto Kanemaru's pricey izakaya restaurant on Folsom. We had a good, 'special occasion' dinner there, but it didn't really leave us all that euphoric (review: https://bit.ly/3PAkH63). Well, that didn't stop me from trying Kanemaru-san's replacement ramen house one evening after strolling the Mission.
It looked like he left Orenchi's modern decor intact with the wooden triangle windows. They were a half-hour from closing and still quite busy with a decidedly young crowd, but I still had no trouble getting a table. The menu appeared expanded with over a dozen ramen bowls, seven bento dishes, nine curry plates and assorted appetizers plus a page of specials. That was a lot to consider.
I decided on the $18 Menya Shio Ramen, which has a salt base and features a creamy chicken broth. It came with the standard toppings - soft-boiled egg, two slices of chashu pork, shredded green onion, bamboo shoots, kikurage mushrooms, radish slices, sesame, and a drizzle of black garlic oil (photo: https://bit.ly/3r7zM56). It was quite flavorful, and the noodles had a nice chew.
A bit more broth would've been preferable though. I also went for a side dish from the specials menu, the $8.50 Geso Karaage, pretty large squid legs that were deep-fried and accompanied by a spicy mayo (photo: https://bit.ly/3PqZOKC). It was a delicious bar bite, probably shareable but what the hell. I think Kanemaru-san has done a good job with the place though I feel I need to bring Jamie along next time to try the curry and bento items to give it a fair shake.
FOOD - 4 stars...solid ramen and tasty squid legs with a lot of other selections on the menu
AMBIANCE - 4 stars...still felt like Orenchi to me
SERVICE - 4 stars...pretty attentive, no complaints
TOTAL - 4 stars... satisfying casual eats from Kanemaru-san
RELATED - Hungry for ramen? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2W7HRpS