Eric K.
Yelp
If you need a hearty bowl of decent ramen, and can overlook some operational and ambiance deficiencies, Rai Rai Ramen deserves your visit.
I had pretty low expectations for this place and when I arrived, a rather haphazard operations and just overall weird vibe seemed to echo my fears. For example, when I got there with my son, there was barely any waiting space inside the door so there were like 3 people just standing there looking confused, and no one came to acknowledge us for a good 3 minutes when a lady finally came by with a clipboard and we all signed up then.
Seating was done rather weird with many 6 to 8 seating arrangements that were empty, and at least three 4-seat tables with 1 or 2 people. When asked if they could separate 2 seats from a vacant 8 seater in the back, lady said it's ... reserved or something?! So ok whatever. The space is bright and clean with interesting lighting design, but its "one big communal space" is overall a bit awkward, like things were just put together haphazardly, and could use a better space design. (e.g. defined seating areas, dividers, entry way wind screen, etc.)
After about 10 minutes staring at the awkward outdoor adventure TV program on one side, we were seated and we wasted no time ordering. I had their Akamaru ramen which the server lady patiently explained, to best of her lingual abilities, as a popular one with mayo(?) and spicy paste. I got more standard shoyu for my 8-yr old son. I'll say their menu was rather interesting with creative spins on traditional Japanese fares like ramen, donburi, and katsu - so kudos for that.
When it came, portion seemed generous, with slabs of meat and two poached egg halves. Upon one slurp, my skepticism melted away - broth was rather interesting as the server girl was trying to communicate before - umami with good body yet not overly salty. Chasiu was chewy if not slightly rubbery, but eggs were delicious with great al dente noodles. I really enjoyed the bowl! My son also seemed to like it, including the menma (bamboo shoots) and the imitation crab meat. The entryway was not designed well, blowing arctic wind over the row of seats near the entry wall, but we slurped away to maintain our body heat.
Overall, I think this is a great addition to this big box retailer area which lacks quality local eateries, esp. ramen. While it seems to be a Chinese-run joint, like most "Japanese" restaurants in the area, I will say they are doing a pretty decent job at staying faithful to the ramen formula while adding some creativity. Just don't expect too much in ambiance or operational excellence for now as it seems like they're pretty new at this, but if a hearty bowl of ramen that is by no means stellar but decent indeed is what you need, check this place out and you'll leave satisfied.