Jessica S.
Yelp
I was so excited to bring my husband here, because he's been craving tsukemen ramen for a long time now, and it's not easy to find in San Diego. So of course, the first chance we got, we stopped in for lunch.
They weren't super busy but it took a hot minute for them to take us to a table. The first girl who met us at the door told us it'd be just a second while she went to clear a table for us, then a different girl took us in a totally different direction, all those minutes later. It wasn't a terrible wait but did seem a lot longer than necessary.
And you know - I suggested this so my husband could scratch his tsukemen itch, so of course he went with something completely different. Of course.
We both decided to try their lunch combo, which offered a ramen and an appetizer. I went with the Blaze Tonkotsu with the fried gyoza; my husband got the Blaze Tonkotsu (super extra spicy) and the karaage. Each combo was $19. I also ordered a hot green tea ($2) and my husband got a Coke ($2.50 for a can).
It didn't take very long for the food to come out, but when they delivered the ramen, we asked the guy which one was the extra spicy version (because there is no world in which I want to experience the spiciness that my husband thrives off of.) He didn't know. He first pointed to the one in front of me. Then paused, kind of tilted his head, then pointed to the one in front of my husband. We were both staring at him like, really? He finally just kind of shrugged and walked away, leaving us to poke through the bowls for signs as to which belonged to whom.
The ramen was okay - certainly not the best bowl I've ever had, but neither was it the worst. It was just a bit...uninspired? Not exactly flavorless, but not flavorful, either. I'm not doing a good job at 'splaining why I didn't make yummy noises over this bowl of ramen, am I?
The gyoza was deep-fried, which I hadn't expected. It also wasn't warm all the way through, which for something deep-fried was quite confusing. They served it with a mayo-based dipping sauce - again, unexpected - that did nothing to add flavor to the semi-warm gyoza.
My husband didn't walk away singing the praises of this restaurant, either, but he's at least willing to give it another go. I think he wants to try the tsukemen next time, and maybe if we do go back, that's what we'll both order.