Ramen has exploded in popularity and is a true foodie obsession. Except with all the hype, I find ramen to be seriously underwhelming. Read on to find out why.
Austin has become a ramen-obsessed city. We have multiple restaurants solely dedicated to serving ramen and countless others that offer ramen in some sort on their menu.
There’s Jinya, Yoshi, Daruma, Michi, Kome, Ni-Kome, Peached Tortilla, Look Noodles, Kanji, and obviously Austin’s most notorious ramen, Ramen Tatsu-Ya.
Heck, Ramen Tatsu-ya is praised nation-wide as THE best ramen restaurant in the States (seriously, it is!) and has THREE locations just in Austin, not including the spinoff, Kemuri Tatsu-ya! And with all this talk about ramen, and with one of the best in our own backyard, I just can’t seem to jump on the ramen bandwagon.
Michi // 📸Jimmy Ho @thesmokingho
I know, are you shocked? I mean, I did create an Austin city guide to ‘The Best Bowls of Ramen‘
But, since I’m confessing, I might as well share that my post about Best Bowls was crowdsourced with ratings provided my hubby & his gang of buddies.
Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I dislike ramen so much, and it really all boils down to one reason….
Its savory broth isn’t so great
Authentic ramen is supposed to have a savory broth with a depth of flavor that’s developed by simmering ingredients over an extended period of time.
Knowing this, I go into a bowl of ramen thinking I’m about to be hit with a flavor-bomb type experience.
And I’m not.
Yoshi Ramen
In fact, when I slurp my ramen broth, I hardly taste anything. Maybe the slightest hint of something earthy but nothing that bursts my tastebuds or leaves me wanting to slurp more. The only reason I continue to eat the ramen is because I’m hoping at some point I’ll have that ‘a-ha!’ moment.
In truth, the only time I taste anything when eating ramen is after I add a heavy dose of chili paste to the broth.
Maybe my taste buds are broken? I don’t know. I just feel as if the broth is a bit….meh.
Yoshi Ramen
Now, don’t go saying, “Well you just haven’t had the right ramen yet” because I’ve tried enough ramen to feel like MY OPINION is well informed. I’ve tried Ramen Tatsu-ya plenty of times, Daruma Ramen, Kome, and Yoshi Ramen. And if Ramen Tatsu-ya is THE BEST, then I’m pretty sure my only other option is to fly to Japan and taste the ramen there. (If you’re willing to foot the bill on that flight, let me know!)
The only exception to my ‘Its savory broth isn’t so great’ statement is Kemuri Tatsu-ya’s dipping ramen — which also contains a big fatty piece of brisket — which is a non-traditional take on ramen so obviously, it doesn’t count.
But I do like the eggs!
Now that I’ve ranted about my dislike of ramen let me share what I DO like about this dish. I 100% like the Ajitsuke Tamagos (soy marinated eggs) and will happily eat a dozen of them.
When I go for ramen with <3M the only part of the meal I look forward to is consuming my egg then immediately downing his. In fact, give me all the Ajitsuke Tamagos and a crusty piece of toast with a little furikake sprinkled on top and I’d be happy.
Maybe one of the ramen shops here in Austin will be willing to add an Ajitsuke Tamago Toast to their menu? Let me know and I’ll be the first in line.
Anyone else out there feel the same way about ramen? Please tell me I’m not alone!
I love this foodie confession post! While I am a fan of ramen, it’s not something I’d say I’m crazy for and seek out on a regular basis. Every once in a while a warm bowl of ramen sounds really good – especially if it’s cold outside (which, as we know, is rare in Austin). I have some foodie confessions of my own that I’m sure would cause some gasps. I don’t like pesto (because I’m really not that much of a fan of basil – unless it’s hidden in pizza sauce or something I’m not really a fan). I don’t like rice – the only rice dish that I’ve had that I might nibble off of is the basmati rice that comes with most dishes at Tarka. But other than that, I just don’t like the texture of rice and it’s more of just a “filler” food to me that doesn’t need to take up valuable space in my stomach that could be filled by other yummy foods/ingredients. Those are the two biggest weird ones I can think of that I know most people disagree with.