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Marumen, Owner Michael Lee's Ramen Shop on Old Pickett Road in Fairfax in the Former Kawata Space


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So what are you doing now?  Making dinner? Throw it away.  Grandmother's funeral?  She liked your sister more than you.  Getting married?  You know half of those end in divorce, right?  In Fairfax and feeling hungry?  There we go.  If you like Ramen, you should check this place out.

It looks like it is an old pizza hut.  I went at 7:00 on a Friday and had to wait 10 minutes for a table.  It was worth it.  According to their website, they spend 12 hours making their stock.  Verdict?  It's good - damned good.  I had the Shio Ramen with the recommended extras of marinated egg and pork belly.  Holy crap that was good.  In fact, when I go back, I will order the same thing and have them hold the ramen, the pork belly was that good. Hell, my 7 year old son proposed a toast to the pig that died to make us that pork belly.

Normally for Ramen I go to Tanpopo in Annandale.  Always solid, always steady.  I am not sure if I will go back now that this place is around.  It was really that good.  Now it was Friday and the place was mobbed, so service was a little slow but seriously, that soup was so good.  I'm looking forward to whatever excuse I can come up with to get out there again.

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Kawata was a lonely restaurant off to the side of Old Pickett Road - I've spent several years wondering how long it would last being so isolated, and obviously, Marumen will have the same problem on its hands.

(Old Pickett is a good cutover from Pickett to Artie's when coming down from Little River Turnpike.)

Go to their website, and look at their "About" section - it's very "Little Serow-esque." :)

I am not a big fan of Tanpopo, but you've really got me intrigued with your post about Marumen. Thank you for having taken the time to write it - I never would have known; now, I'm going to go out of my way to try it.

Folks, don't think for a minute that a ten-line post by you can't start an avalanche; it can.

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Marumen has been on my radar for a while now. This gives me an excuse to check it out. Tanpopo is perfectly adequate, not outstanding, but wins for me because of proximity and they're ridiculously generous with the pork belly, something most ramen places tend to skimp on. I have a hard time justifying the hike downtown to Toki or Daikaya. I might actually make the trip for Momofuku once the lines die down.

I definitely make the hike to Temari Café in Rockville, though. My Japanese mom loves the black cod and the curry rice. Very much reminds her of the eateries of her youth. And the katsu ramen isn't bad either. And I can justify the trip because Maruichi Grocery is upstairs and I can get everything I need to make the stuff at home. It's actually the only place I know of where I can get Asahi that's brewed in Japan and not Canada.

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When I was out in LA earlier this year, I got lunch with a friend at a ramen shop, just to see what the fuss was about. Now, I could've easily misordered, but I remember eating and thinking "uhhh, this is it?" and just wasn't impressed. With Marumen being 5 minutes away from my house, I figured I should go check it out. I've been twice and now keep pestering my friends to go with me as I now see what all the fuss is about.

They start you off with edamame that have been dusted with honey powder and chili flakes, and now, clearly, I need honey powder in my life. I've ordered the Shio, once with all the recommendations and once without. If you order with the recommendations (extra pork belly and extra egg) then come hungry because good lord, it is a ton of food. The pork belly was amazing both times and the broth was fantastic and rich and damn tasty. The pork fat just melts into the soup. Noodles were also great, good texture, and never got super soggy. I got their chicharrons first time I went and the order was MASSIVE but a nice, popping companion for dinner. And a bargain at $3.

Both times I've been were after the chef change, so I can't speak on any before vs. after.

I have no ungodly idea how to add images to this post, but here's the Shio ramen and the chicharrones.

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I went to Marumen perhaps two weeks ago with my mother. My mother is a fan of Japanese-style ramen, so I wanted her to see whether she should bring my father here as well. We ordered two bowls of ramen (one shio and one miso), pork buns, karaage and a Diet Coke. The Diet Coke came out in a can and a glass full of ice.  The karaage came in a deep bowl in a larger than expected portion with two sauces (a mayo and soy-based sauce) and bonito flakes on top.  The chicken was hot, crispy and tasted pretty good with its accompaniments.  The pork buns were the standard ubiquitous pork belly bun with scallions (I think), cucumber and a white bun. I enjoyed the two buns that came in an order and thought that the pork belly was soft and seasoned well.  However, it's an item I probably wouldn't feel compelled to order again in favor of trying other items on the menu.

The ramen was very good. The shio broth was rich and complemented the noodles well.  The  bowl included pork belly, half an egg, some scalliions, nori and perhaps a few more additions I can't remember. The miso broth wasn't too different than the shio borth, and the addition of miso wasn't too strong and it did not overwhelm the rich meat broth flavor. Of the DC area ramens I've had, I will say it was better than the last time I went to Toki about three years ago, but worse than Daikaya. In my opinion, a great addition to the ramen scene in Northern Virginia.

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