James F.
Yelp
I went to Oki Bowl in Georgetown tonight for a solo dinner, and honestly, it was a letdown. The restaurant has a minimal staff presence--just one person in the dining room with a QR code to order. I get that this setup works in some places, but when your self-checkout defaults to a 22% tip, it feels off. For what, exactly?
I was really looking forward to a classic Tonkotsu Ramen, but they didn't have it, so I went with the Spider Tom Yum Ramen (which comes with a "soft shell" crab) and added extra noodles. I also ordered a Thai tea with boba, because why not?
The tea came first, and it was fine, but half the glass was filled with ice, leaving little room for the tea itself. It made it nearly impossible to enjoy the boba once the tea was gone--I felt like I was fishing around for boba trapped at the bottom of the glass.
Then the soup arrived, and... the smell hit me hard. Imagine stinky feet, but somehow worse. I like Tom Yum and have no problem with pungent flavors, but this was something else. It was rough. I was too hungry to send it back, and after spending $33, I powered through. The hard-boiled egg was cold, the noodles were decent, and the spice level was good, but that smell never went away.
Then there was the soft shell crab. It wasn't soft at all. Tempura-battered, sure, but biting into it felt like a battle. I spent more time trying to chew through the shell than enjoying it, which left me wondering if I'd regret it later.
In short, I spent $33 on a meal that smelled like feet and came with a cold egg and hard-to-chew crab. Save your money and skip this one. The only bright spot? There's a Van Leeuwen ice cream shop around the corner to ease the disappointment.