Brandon H.
Yelp
(TL;DR at the end)
Mike Nguyen and his team always delivers some of the best ramen I've had in Texas. The service is always great and I am always met with a friendly face. Additionally, the delivery of my food is always in a timely manner, regardless of how busy they are. Everything is priced reasonably, especially considering the quality of food delivered. Additionally, the establishment has such a nice interior that feels both casual and modern, especially for college students such as myself! They have a mini arcade with a few games if you're interested in that sort of thing too. Overall, a very nice ambiance.
My carry-out experience has always been good. I believe you can either call-in or, what I usually do, is order online from their website. My food is always ready at the restaurant by my pickup time on the website. On one occasion, they did not have my food ready yet; I'm guessing they were just backed up that day (which I did not mind). As I waited, the waitress asked if I wanted a complimentary drink, on them. I politely refused, as taking the handout felt like I would be taking advantage of the opportunity somehow (HAHA!), however the waitress later came back and insisted on the drink. Caving in, I gladly accepted the free drink and my food came out no more than 2 minutes after that. Love the staff there!
Since I have frequented this location a good amount of times, I have tried maybe half-ish of their menu. So here is a brief summary of each of the items I have tried, to see if you would like any of them! -
Hakata Ramen - The most classic of the ramen choices (pictured below). My first time trying the ramen, I thought the ramen was going to be bland since in my past experiences, any broth that was not slightly darkened from the pork bones/tare that goes into them was bland. This ramen surprised me and is one of my favorites. It's not too rich, and has the perfect amount of umami and savory taste to it. Toppings are great too! I always have a soft spot for a good soy-sauce egg and Noodle Tree always delivers!
Red Miso - Also one of my favorites. I would say this ramen is saltier than the Hakata and has a deeper flavor profile to it, but is not overwhelming in any way. It is marked V on their menu for vegetarian, which I believe stays true as long as you ask for it without the chashu.
Taipei Chicken Curry - I think this is maybe my least favorite ramen. It's still very good if you love curry-tasting ramen. Me personally, I would prefer the Hakata or Red Miso. But from what I remember, toppings were the same as the Red Miso and the broth still tasted really good.
Masumi Vegetarian - This ramen CARRIED me while I was going through lents, since I gave up pork and could not have the Hakata. It is made with a soy sauce broth, so you could technically classify the ramen as a shoyu-esque ramen. Such a good flavor, not too salty, and it is vegetarian all-throughout! Don't have to ask to remove anything.
Appetizers - Going to put these under one umbrella term. The bao's are all good. My favorite would have to be the Birria Bao Buns, as it comes with Barbacoa, Mozzarella, and such a great dipping broth; love it. The dumplings (as pictured below) were also great and were freshly made. The tare sauce they use is also used with their karage, and it is an amazing sauce that combines saltiness, umami, and sweetness altogether; such a great sauce. The karage, my favorite appetizer to take to-go to eat with rice at my apartment, is also wonderful. The skin is crunchy and the chicken itself is well-seasoned, and the tare sauce compliments it very well.
I HIGHLY recommend this ramen spot. I have tried a good amount of ramen shops around the central TX area and this has to be up there in at LEAST the top 3 places. Please go show this establishment some love and one last suggestion, don't be scared of adding liquid rage to any food you get!! I heard it's made in-house and is pretty spicy (depending on the level of spice you want), but has a nice pepper-y taste to it.
TL;DR - Great ramen shop located in the Prado Student Living complex that has vegetarian options. Their ramen is good and their karage (fried chicken bits), dumplings, and bao's are all very yummy. Modern, casual, and inviting interior and the staff is very nice and friendly. Highly recommend!