Ernie C.
Yelp
Stopped in twice the last week exploring the menu. It's a little hidden, on the bottom floor of the Yard, the entry on 3rd, below street level of Burnside. Looks like it's a double space of the first floor retail for the building, with the right side when you walk in having a bar/counter area that would be at home in any small ramen shop or sushi bar. There's a view into the kitchen when you come in, as well as a generous amount of seating. A maneki-neko and a self-service station sign greet you on the way in, and there's a TV with a digital menu on it, and you order toward the right.
Atmosphere is a little weird with the gym on the floor above, and depending on who's in the gym. The first time I was in there, there were a lot of thuds and rumbles of weights being dropped, though the second time I was in there, I think I only heard weights being dropped once.
My first time in, I really wasn't feeling ramen, so ordered the curry and the gyoza. Nothing fancy about the presentation of the dumplings, but they were exactly how I like them - steamed slightly in a thin shell, and pan fried to give them just the right amount of crispiness. The dipping sauce was a little unusual in that it had a slight amount spice in it, looked like some shichimi. While the dumplings were great, the curry was nothing special. My favorite in town is at Kale, and Kinboshi has a solid curry as well, but the one here seemed a little bland to me. That being said, there was a generous amount of cubed pork, as well as the potatoes, carrots, and onions having fantastic texture - it was just that the curry needed a little something to elevate the flavor profile.
I stopped in a second time since I wasn't comfortable leaving a review based on the curry, and I'm glad I did! This time, I ordered the karaage as well as the creamy tomato ramen. Again, very spartan presentation for the karaage, with only a single lemon wedge accompanying them (no aioli). That being said, the chicken was fantastic, with a nice crispy outside and a super moist marinated chicken on the inside.
The real standout was the tomato ramen though. A rich broth, with lots of umami, with a well balanced tomato flavor. The thick noodles had a great texture too them, with a nice bouncy spring as well as good mouth feel. The broth was definitely non-traditional, with spinach, corn, grape tomato, some shredded parmesan, and even a dollop of basil pesto, but man, the flavors and textures all worked really well together. The pork chasu was solid - not the incredible, fatty, melt in your mouth, but the 3 medallion-like pieces of pork were tender and flavorful.
Definitely worth wandering in here, even if it is a little off the beaten track.