Alex E.
Yelp
I'm surprised and delighted by Sakuratani Ramen.
This is a small place on a mixed business/residential street about a mile from the waterfront. Upon entering, my first thought was, "Whoah! These folks really invested in their decor!" There was a beautiful, fake, blossoming cherry tree near the front door, with falling pink blossom petals painted on the wall next to it. There was a mural on the opposite wall that looked like something Hokusai might have painted had he been decorating a ramen shop. The bathroom had high-end fixtures and nice little decorations.
And everything was absolutely spotless.
There was one bummer, though. Someone decided to hang a big tv on one end of the dining area. My wife sat with her back to it, so I got stuck with having to spend 45 minutes ignoring "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." Bright colors! Lots of fast editing! So many distractions! Hey, I wanted to enjoy lunch with my wife, not make a conscious effort to tune out trash tv. If the folks here are so committed to having televised entertainment in their dining area, they may want to consider changing the programming to something more anodyne: NASA TV, maybe, or some YouTube video of Japanese tourist attractions or people riding bicycles.
Anyway, our server was prompt and attentive. We started with a Pork Belly Bun appetizer. It was fresh and warm and different. Cool! For our main courses, my wife ordered the Chicken Ramen and I had the Tan Tan Ramen. Both orders came in very attractive bowls, with traditional wooden spoons and chopsticks. I've spent a lot of time in Japan, and I'm not sure what another reviewer meant when he wrote that the ramen wasn't authentic. I've eaten ramen in Japanese airports, tiny little basement restaurants, cafeterias, stands, and private homes, and my lunch was easily on par with any of those. My wife didn't plan to finish her large bowl (she never finishes restaurant portions), but she tucked the whole thing away like a champ.
In short, we really liked this restaurant and expect to return. If only they'd do something about that tv, this would be a five-star review.