It's Sunday, our group is slightly hung over from the night before and one thing is on the mind... Ramen.
--And in no mistake of the fates, Marukin Ramen, a semi-popular street/quickie Ramen franchise from Japan, has opened it's new location in SE Portland. It seems with the addition of Marukin to the already lengthy list of Noodle joints in SE, we all joke that SE Portland should be named the "Ramen District" and that may not be such a bad idea. Boke, known for it's creative flair--Mirakutei, best representing "authenticity" to droves of city kids, slurping loudly--Biwa/Noraneko, for that fast paced, fine-tuned izakaya feel. Each place completely different from the last...
What would Marukin add to this tapestry?
We get to their beet-red building adjacent to the renowned Nong's Khao Man Gai, and get in a fairly long line which passes the communal eating area. The "Ramen District's" newest darling seems popular.
Waiting in line I notice no real reinforcement of why we are waiting in line. No menus being handed out, no real guidance. We get to the register and essentially try everything on the menu. The Tonkotsu, the Red Miso, the Karaage, some Gyoza, Fried Tiger Prawns, Onigiri, and a Ramune' for good measure.
One slightly off-putting quality to this place is the low information and low accommodation factor. Luc Lac is best known for this service-model in the Pho world and it works for THEM because they are constantly inundated with drunk people, wandering in from downtown's worst watering holes... I'm not sure the blatant "You're doing things our way right now" attitude works so well in this setting. Best example, I asked for extra noodles on the side; they "don't do extra noodles right now". I've never known a business model which flatly turns away dollars for a pennies-worth of flour and salt!
Odd.
So the apps come out and we have Karaage, which is perfectly breaded and spiced. The Prawns, which are just the same breading and very fresh shrimp. Gyoza which is a little gamey but tolerable. The onigiri is more like a pressed "fried rice" ball which to me, is not exactly what I was expecting but delicious none-the-less.
[From Yelp]
The bowls come out and I am shocked at how little is going on for $10 a bowl. Flash backs to Biwa's $14 bowl of Shoyu broth and noodles flashes in my head. The wilted greens, bamboo, and light dressings are sufficient for garnish but don't really add anything to the bowl as a MEAL. Broth is really smooth on the Red Miso, slightly sweet on the Tonkotsu. We note that there are no sauces, enhancements, or condiments at the table. You get what you get.
I lift the hand-made noodles out of the briney red deep and notice they are straight noodles for both bowls. Personally, I prefer noodles to fit the broth (wheatier for Tonkotsu, wavy for Miso, straight/thin for Shoyu/Salt-broth) and allow the texture of both to work in tandem. I notice upon chewing their noodles that they taste more like pasta noodles than alkaline RAMEN noodles. This, to me and the group, seemed to be the biggest issue ESPECIALLY given they are "house made" and not sourced. I would have prefered Sun Noodles to these and that is saying something.
So all in all, I think Marukin has a ways to go before I can conclusively say I would go back---which is a dubious request, given they are a longstanding chain in both Japan and now the United States. As the Ramen bonfire in Portland continues to rage, we will inevitably see businesses go up and go down based on how interestingly and carefully they produce their bowls. Boxer Ramen is a great example of how quickie-ramen can EXPLODE after tweaking some of the quickie-methods which made them seem lazy or interested in a buck. For Marukin, the broth just isn't top quality, the dressings are quite obviously cost-conscious, and the noodles seem just off the mark. This paired with a slightly snobby/aoof regard for customer satisfaction, a very limited menu (which to be fair changes day-to-day somewhat), and no room to add/enhance bowls YOUR way makes for slight consumer discomfort. Antithetical to the spirit of Ramen: godtier comfort food supreme :)
Rating
Broth: 7/10
Noodles: 4/10
Meat: 8/10
Veggies: 5/10
We get to their beet-red building adjacent to the renowned Nong's Khao Man Gai, and get in a fairly long line which passes the communal eating area. The "Ramen District's" newest darling seems popular.
Waiting in line I notice no real reinforcement of why we are waiting in line. No menus being handed out, no real guidance. We get to the register and essentially try everything on the menu. The Tonkotsu, the Red Miso, the Karaage, some Gyoza, Fried Tiger Prawns, Onigiri, and a Ramune' for good measure.
One slightly off-putting quality to this place is the low information and low accommodation factor. Luc Lac is best known for this service-model in the Pho world and it works for THEM because they are constantly inundated with drunk people, wandering in from downtown's worst watering holes... I'm not sure the blatant "You're doing things our way right now" attitude works so well in this setting. Best example, I asked for extra noodles on the side; they "don't do extra noodles right now". I've never known a business model which flatly turns away dollars for a pennies-worth of flour and salt!
Odd.
So the apps come out and we have Karaage, which is perfectly breaded and spiced. The Prawns, which are just the same breading and very fresh shrimp. Gyoza which is a little gamey but tolerable. The onigiri is more like a pressed "fried rice" ball which to me, is not exactly what I was expecting but delicious none-the-less.
The bowls come out and I am shocked at how little is going on for $10 a bowl. Flash backs to Biwa's $14 bowl of Shoyu broth and noodles flashes in my head. The wilted greens, bamboo, and light dressings are sufficient for garnish but don't really add anything to the bowl as a MEAL. Broth is really smooth on the Red Miso, slightly sweet on the Tonkotsu. We note that there are no sauces, enhancements, or condiments at the table. You get what you get.
I lift the hand-made noodles out of the briney red deep and notice they are straight noodles for both bowls. Personally, I prefer noodles to fit the broth (wheatier for Tonkotsu, wavy for Miso, straight/thin for Shoyu/Salt-broth) and allow the texture of both to work in tandem. I notice upon chewing their noodles that they taste more like pasta noodles than alkaline RAMEN noodles. This, to me and the group, seemed to be the biggest issue ESPECIALLY given they are "house made" and not sourced. I would have prefered Sun Noodles to these and that is saying something.
So all in all, I think Marukin has a ways to go before I can conclusively say I would go back---which is a dubious request, given they are a longstanding chain in both Japan and now the United States. As the Ramen bonfire in Portland continues to rage, we will inevitably see businesses go up and go down based on how interestingly and carefully they produce their bowls. Boxer Ramen is a great example of how quickie-ramen can EXPLODE after tweaking some of the quickie-methods which made them seem lazy or interested in a buck. For Marukin, the broth just isn't top quality, the dressings are quite obviously cost-conscious, and the noodles seem just off the mark. This paired with a slightly snobby/aoof regard for customer satisfaction, a very limited menu (which to be fair changes day-to-day somewhat), and no room to add/enhance bowls YOUR way makes for slight consumer discomfort. Antithetical to the spirit of Ramen: godtier comfort food supreme :)
Rating
Broth: 7/10
Noodles: 4/10
Meat: 8/10
Veggies: 5/10
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