Jump to content

Recommended Posts

On 4/15/2016 at 7:01 AM, Bart said:

Funny! I used to get David Chang's Lucky Peach magazine, and still get the emails, and just yesterday I received an email from them and one of the article was titled, "Ramen is dead........or so says David Chang"

I haven't read it yet but here it is.

I actually referenced that article in a piece I wrote about the inaugural Ramen World event. He's wrong (and not just because we're seeing so many new ramen joints open).

Cheers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back in the early 90s, I saw Tampopo for the first time.  I thought that movie was creative, funny, touching, and most importantly it introduced me to the dedication required of true ramen.

When I lived in NYC in the mid 90s, I was able to find a ramen shop on University Place, a few blocks north of Washington Square Park.  Can't remember its name now and it's no longer there.  I went several times.  I don't recall it being particular good but it certainly wasn't bad.  I wasn't expecting great ramen in NYC, so wasn't disappointed in any way.

In the late 90s, I moved to DC.  There were no real ramen joint worth trying then.

David Chang then started the ramen craze when he opened Momofuku in NYC.  He went to work in Japan for 2 years, that's after he already went to culinary school and spent years in NYC kitchens.  Even so, his ramen at Momofuku lacked consistency - at least by the time I tried his restaurant, he had already started bigger and better projects.  I ate at Momofuku Noodle Bar after my somewhat disappointing meal at Momofuku Ko.  So he let me down twice in one night!

Meanwhile, in DC, Ren's Ramen opened and I was eager to try it.  I found it good, but nothing exciting.  In my imagination, based on Tampopo, good ramen should be a revelatory experience.  There's always a possibility I'm just not going to be impressed by ramen when I grew up eating perfectly tasty beef noodle soup and other noodles soups that my mom can whip up at a moment's notice with leftovers.  However, I did rather enjoy my ramen at Ippudo in NYC.

Shortly after Ren's moved to Silver Spring, I think the ramen craze hit DC, but mostly by pretenders.  Sakuramen and Tampopo are Korean owned.  Every bowl of ramen at Daikaya (only 2) was prepared by Latino line-cooks who charred the shit out of the bean sprouts, thereby ruining my palate and the ramen.  In VA, we now have Kizuna in Tysons (owned by American Chinese), Gaijin (owned by American Caucasian and American Thai), and Yona (Korean).  In DC, you have Bruner-Yang slinging his Taiwanese ramen.  I'm sure there are other ramen purveyors that aren't even worth mentioning.  So in my opinon, ramen never really got going in DC.  With the exception of Ren's, none of them really tried to capture the essence of Tampopo.  Nothing wrong with trying to make a buck, but that doesn't mean we have real ramen culture in DC.

P.S., I never tried Gaijin, they sound too preposterous for me to waste my time and effort, but did try all the other ramen joints mentioned. I can't say that I'm really enthused by any one but if Ren's was closer, I might stop by semi-regularly.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

There's always a possibility I'm just not going to be impressed by ramen when I grew up eating perfectly tasty beef noodle soup and other noodles soups that my mom can whip up at a moment's notice with leftovers.

First and foremost...good lord, am I jealous of your childhood! The only thing my mom could "whip up at a moment's notice" was Tuna Helper! :lol:

11 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Shortly after Ren's moved to Silver Spring, I think the ramen craze hit DC, but mostly by pretenders.  Sakuramen and Tampopo are Korean owned.  Every bowl of ramen at Daikaya (only 2) was prepared by Latino line-cooks who charred the shit out of the bean sprouts, thereby ruining my palate and the ramen.  In VA, we now have Kizuna in Tysons (owned by American Chinese), Gaijin (owned by American Caucasian and American Thai), and Yona (Korean).

I don't know if this is really fair. Just because someone isn't [insert ethnicity here] doesn't mean that they can't make authentic, fantastic [insert that ethnic cuisine or dish here]. Roads and Kingdoms (fantastic website - highly recommended) recently had a great long-form story on a Guatemalan who now makes some of the best okonomiyaki, a very traditional Japanese dish, in Hiroshima (frequently considered the home base of okonomiyaki). As long as you're willing to dedicate the time and commitment necessary to truly master a dish or a cuisine, where you're from shouldn't matter at all.

11 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

In DC, you have Bruner-Yang slinging his Taiwanese ramen.  I'm sure there are other ramen purveyors that aren't even worth mentioning.  So in my opinon, ramen never really got going in DC.  With the exception of Ren's, none of them really tried to capture the essence of Tampopo.  Nothing wrong with trying to make a buck, but that doesn't mean we have real ramen culture in DC.

I think you nail it with these comments. I've spoken with Erik a good deal about Toki Underground; he always, always makes sure to reinforce that it's NOT a traditional Japanese ramen-ya. Instead, it's his interpretation of ramen, with his Taiwanese influences playing the major role in terms of flavor profiles and bowl makeup.

I love ramen noodle soup, and I think there are a lot of good ramen noodle soup places in the District. Are they traditional ramen-yas? Having never been to Japan, I wouldn't know. As weird as it sounds, I think that we both DO have "a real ramen culture in DC" (in that we have multiple places making tasty bowls of ramen noodle-style soup), and DON'T have "a 'real' ramen culture in DC" (in terms of replicating a back-alley ramen shop from, say, Tokyo). Make sense?

Cheers!

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, lhollers said:

I don't know if this is really fair. Just because someone isn't [insert ethnicity here] doesn't mean that they can't make authentic, fantastic [insert that ethnic cuisine or dish here]. Roads and Kingdoms (fantastic website - highly recommended) recently had a great long-form story on a Guatemalan who now makes some of the best okonomiyaki, a very traditional Japanese dish, in Hiroshima (frequently considered the home base of okonomiyaki). As long as you're willing to dedicate the time and commitment necessary to truly master a dish or a cuisine, where you're from shouldn't matter at all.

I think you nail it with these comments. I've spoken with Erik a good deal about Toki Underground; he always, always makes sure to reinforce that it's NOT a traditional Japanese ramen-ya. Instead, it's his interpretation of ramen, with his Taiwanese influences playing the major role in terms of flavor profiles and bowl makeup.

I love ramen noodle soup, and I think there are a lot of good ramen noodle soup places in the District. Are they traditional ramen-yas? Having never been to Japan, I wouldn't know. As weird as it sounds, I think that we both DO have "a real ramen culture in DC" (in that we have multiple places making tasty bowls of ramen noodle-style soup), and DON'T have "a 'real' ramen culture in DC" (in terms of replicating a back-alley ramen shop from, say, Tokyo). Make sense?

I guess that I implied that foreigners can't make authentic food, but that's not what I was trying to say.  True ramen as in sushi requires dedication, often requiring years of immersion.  Which is why I mentioned that Chang at least spent a couple of years in Tokyo and Ivan Orkin spent even more.  What I'm saying is none of these DC ramen purveyors spent substantial amount of time studying the craft of ramen, and they couldn't have because they're not native Japanese and they didn't spend any significant amount of time in Japan. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, lhollers said:

I don't know if this is really fair. Just because someone isn't [insert ethnicity here] doesn't mean that they can't make authentic, fantastic [insert that ethnic cuisine or dish here]. Roads and Kingdoms (fantastic website - highly recommended) recently had a great long-form story on a Guatemalan who now makes some of the best okonomiyaki, a very traditional Japanese dish, in Hiroshima (frequently considered the home base of okonomiyaki). As long as you're willing to dedicate the time and commitment necessary to truly master a dish or a cuisine, where you're from shouldn't matter at all.

Thanks for mentioning this article and posting the link! Was just discussing okonomiyaki and its availability in the area wth my sister. She lived in Osaka for a few years and misses the okonomiyaki from there. 

I agree if one is willing to do the work and make a commitment, it doesn't matter where you are from. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure it deserves its own thread but I've eaten Dirty Martini Phat Pig Ramen twice now and I'm not sure i"ll go back.  That said, let me note that I did get a free coke today and that the coke is good so maybe that influenced this review. I do sometimes work for cheap.

The first bowl I tried was Miso Ramen. It was good, better than Oki Saki is NOW, but not as good as it WAS.  I even (accidentally) had it without pork on top and it was still pretty darn good.

The second bowl I tried was the 12-hour tonkotsu and this was really weird.  At first it was good though a bit sweet but it got more bland the more I ate it and the noodles were all mushy and tasteless about half-way through the bowl.  Not sure I"ll be back but probably will b/c I really love all soup and Oki is just not ok any more.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/7/2017 at 5:40 PM, horacebailey14 said:

I didn't see a thread about this new addition to Clarendon so thought I'd start one (feel free to modify or move if I'm incorrect). My wife and I went a few nights ago with high hopes but were disappointed. We live in the area and love ramen, but I doubt we'll be back to Hanabi. We ordered the tonkatsu and the miso ramen. The tonkatsu broth was just one note, none of the depth of flavor I'm used too. Similarly, the miso tasted like the same broth but with an overwhelming amount of chili oil. Different noodles were served with each bowl, but the flavor and texture were off on both. The tonkatsu noodles especially were too overcooked, and too thin. Fix-ins were fine, but nothing outstanding. 

Sadly, our bowls hardly compared to the standout places in DC, let alone what we remember from Tokyo. Perhaps we caught them on an off night, but next time we're feeling ramen we'll head into the city.

What about Gaijin and Yona?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/7/2017 at 7:44 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

What about Gaijin and Yona?

We ate at Yona shortly after it opened a while back. We thought the small plates were tasty but that the ramen was not that impressive. The space seemed cramped and the menu very disjointed. At the time it felt they were trying to combine the upstairs and downstairs concepts of Daikaya into one room, and that there was a reason why Daikaya chose to separate them. I know it's gone through some personnel changes since then and I can't speak to how the food is at the moment. Maybe we should go back to see if they've settled into things better.

We ate at Gaijin about a year ago and thought it was pretty good. I recall mine being a bit too heavy on the garlic, but that's easy to ask them to leave out and I know some people quite like it that way. Not my favorite, but worth a second try eventually.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the quality control has moved on and this place is running on the ignorance of its customers.  Everything appears to be prepared according to recipe without anyone knowledgeable tasting the end product.  Overcooked noodles is common.  Overly salty broth is another common issue.  Food precooked in batches and brought out as soon as you ordered indicates they want you out of there ASAP.  No way this can be a thriving business if the customers have higher standards.

Most restaurant ramen I've had has been noticeably less good than what I can make with a Sun Noodles ramen pack, for quality of noodles and broth.  Dump in a little chopped veggies, butter, Asian chili paste and some carnitas to finish.  Daikaya, Haikan, and late lamented Crane and Turtle were the only places that consistently turned out ramen that wowed me. 

Some of the worst restaurant ramen were had at otherwise good "new American" restaurants that really strayed out their lane, with weirdly seasoned and luke warm broth and mushy noodles (often not even proper ramen noodle) that cost $20+.  +1, who is not of Asian heritage, often comments that these atrocities are "not bad", making me wonder if most non-Asians just don't notice noodle texture as much.  Though...I hated Momofuku's ramen and Yona's ramen (from when Yona was still helmed by Yona) too.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/1/2017 at 11:47 AM, astrid said:

Most restaurant ramen I've had has been noticeably less good than what I can make with a Sun Noodles ramen pack, for quality of noodles and broth.  Dump in a little chopped veggies, butter, Asian chili paste and some carnitas to finish.  Daikaya, Haikan, and late lamented Crane and Turtle were the only places that consistently turned out ramen that wowed me. 

Some of the worst restaurant ramen were had at otherwise good "new American" restaurants that really strayed out their lane, with weirdly seasoned and luke warm broth and mushy noodles (often not even proper ramen noodle) that cost $20+.  +1, who is not of Asian heritage, often comments that these atrocities are "not bad", making me wonder if most non-Asians just don't notice noodle texture as much.  Though...I hated Momofuku's ramen and Yona's ramen (from when Yona was still helmed by Yona) too.

This is all, sadly, true.  Other than Daikaya and Ren's, all of the now gazillions of ramen shops I've tried here have been  . . .  eh.  And at much higher prices than in New York, for some reason.

---

Ramen 42 (weezy)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[Note: I just moved 11 posts here, from the Jinya Ramen thread, because they deal with Ramen in general (and they don't deal with Jinya Ramen) - I'll also split a couple of these off into the Shopping and Cooking forum, in a Sun Noodles Ramen Pack thread. Don't forget about the "Snapback Function" (the little, curly arrow at the top-right of quoted posts), which gives you backwards threading, so you can see where the quoted post originally came from - it's one of my favorite features in this software.]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Marty L. said:

Was at Daikaya again today, after many months away and many bowls of overpriced, mediocre ramen elsewhere.  Confirmed that Daikaya is far and away the best in DC, principally because the noodles and the "char" are, IMHO, always perfect.

Marty, I obviously don't doubt your taste, but have you tried enough of the ramen houses where you're confident in this proclamation? I don't think you need to try them all - just the "obvious" ones, as well as any sleepers you may have heard about.

Cheers,
Rocks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Marty, I obviously don't doubt your taste, but have you tried enough of the ramen houses where you're confident in this proclamation? I don't think you need to try them all - just the "obvious" ones, as well as any sleepers you may have heard about.

Cheers,
Rocks

Fair enough.  I edited it to be a bit less categorical.  There are, of course, other good bowls of ramen in the area--e.g., at Bantam King and Haikan (sisters of Daikaya); at Reren and Gaijin and Marumen and Toki.  And, especially, at Ren's, which I'd rate as No.2 (although it's a lot less fun than Daikaya).  But Daikaya is distinctly the best, at least if you like the sort of noodles they use there (as I do).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/18/2020 at 9:32 AM, Ericandblueboy said:

It made me wonder, how much is a bowl of ramen in Japan in comparison to the cost of a Big Mac?  

From watching a lot of Ramen videos on YouTube, Ramen in Japan is $6 to $12. ALthough there are apparently some new ramen places in the big cities that have cocktails, hipster music and charge accordingly. 

The biggest difference I see is that in Japan, you pay, you sit, you eat your ramen and you leave. It is a way of life but not fetishized as much as it is in DC. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...