Kelley K.
Yelp
I really wanted to like this place. I tried it twice before reviewing it, and it fell flat on almost every level.
First, the service is cold. The staff is attentive (there is not enough business to be busy and inattentive) but chilly, hurrying the customer from ordering to leaving. They make no effort to make the experience pleasant.
Second, be warned: they are ridiculous with substitutions and do not seem competent enough to accommodate customer taste requests. I took my picky-eater kiddo for this ramen lunch and ordered only the broth and noodles. The waiter said I had to order a full ramen per the menu because they could not do the selected broth and noodles, but I could order the ramen dish and remove all the ingredients......if that sounds dumb to you, I agree.
I did as instructed, ordered the $20 dish, and removed the eight ingredients listed. Keep this in mind for the next part. I then ordered my dish, removing one ingredient, and requested radishes instead of seaweed salad. I was told I would have an extra charge for ANY substitutions. Still, there was no deduction or money saved for omitting ingredients; there is improvement to be made here with some, dare I say, common sense for like items. This restaurant would be a nightmare for anyone with dietary restrictions or allergies.
So now we're at the price. For broth and noodles, I paid $25 after tax and a portion of the tip; it would have been $8-10 at any other ramen place. My food was fine at the 3-star level. Still, you're paying premium rates that rival high-end restaurants, HOWEVER, without high-end service or experience. As a simple example, I had the hot green tea for $5, and guess what, friends, it's not traditional green tea. It's hot water in a $.10 teabag, which sums up this restaurant, a place that pretends to be high-end, but is not.
The restaurant looks great, although it smells like a dirty mop, and is in a prime location. Still, nothing about it justifies a stop in--I've had far more reasonable menu accommodations at McDonald's, better ramen at food trucks for half the price, and twice the hospitality anywhere else.
Given their location, they are sure to continue with foot traffic business. Still, they likely will not have repeat customers for the reasons I listed.
I don't recommend this location, but I recommend that owners commission a "secret shopper" restaurant equivalent for an on-the-ground review of their business.