Darby Choi
Google
I don't usually go downtown because of construction and traffic. However, it was a surprise birthday celebration for my brother.
His favorite restaurant is Ramen Isshin, and I'm not surprised. The menu is QR code off the drinks menu. Kind of weird, but I guess they are saving the trees from printing menus.
The menu is pretty simple. The appetizers are typical for Japanese ramen spots - chicken karaage, deep fried pork gyoza, takoyaki, deep fried tofu, and plant based nugget
The ramens are separated by broth - Isshin originals, Red miso, vegetarian, Shio "salt,"and Shoyu. There are also rice bowls, chicken karaage, and Cha Shu pork belly.
I tried the Red Dragon, and it definitely lived up to its name. This broth is a fire breather. The spice level is around 8 out of 10. Apparently, there are 15 different spices, hence the heat and depth of flavors.
My wife got the red miso, and she said the broth was very tasty and borderline salty. The thick, twisty ramen noodles have nice chewiness, and the seared pork cha shu was delicious. Please note that the red miso ramen does not come with soft boiled marinated egg except for Red Dragon.
The appetizers we ordered were chicken karaage, takoyaki, and edamame. The chicken karaage was shaped like chicken balls. They were juicy inside, and dipping sauce was good. The takoyaki was pretty good, and you can taste the octopus inside. Edamame was seasoned with sea salt and was addictive.
Overall, the food was pretty good, and I would definitely come back to try the shoyu or shio Ramen.