Bradly P.
Yelp
Underbelly Ramen is located in Little Italy, San Diego off of Kettner and Fir serving up ramen and many other Japanese Fushion dishes.
They recently did a makeover, making the ambiance and vibe more vibrant with neon lights throughout out the restaurant, making it more appealing from the outside where you can't miss it by passing by. The ordering process is simple as to where you place your order with the cashier at front and pay ahead. I went ahead and ordered the Standard Underbelly Ramen, which had a pork bone broth soup, also known as tonkotsu, a soft boiled egg, chasu belly, and Adobo pulled pork. It was well garnished with finely sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds. I also had a Japanese lager to wash it down as well.
As for the broth, it wasn't much of a bone broth in my eyes but more of a standard soup base with noodles and toppings. The chasu was definitely tender and flavorful, and the soft boiled egg was cooked to perfection, releasing a nice ooze of egg yolk. As for the noodles, they were cooked al dente and had a nice snap back when biting into them. The dish was served hot, and the customer service was average. There's plenty of sitting arrangements from inside, outdoors, or even upstairs.
Overall, Underbelly Ramen serves good ramen in their own twist and way, and there are many different variations of ramen you can choose from, such as oxtail dumplings or hoison glazed short ribs. They have a nice draft beer selection, and the location is prime for a nice date night in Little Italy for people watching and slurping noodles.