Ramen Your MindNew space-themed Ramen joint (Wakusei = "Planets" in Japanese) housed at a former Relaxing Foot Spa along the Asian Foodie Highway (aka El Camino Real). They're currently in their "soft opening" stage** and are giving away free karaage with a purchase of a Ramen bowl (one per table fyi).My son had never had real Ramen (just the instant shit we buy from the Costcos) so I decided it was finally time for him to try the real thing. The Good:*The bowls are plated beautifully. *All our eggs were cooked perfectly with a nice custardy yolk. The egg itself could've been more seasoned but I am picking nits. *I like that they have a preset larger (i.e., premium) size for us hungrier folks (i.e., fat asses)*So the noodles that came with my Mercury Ramen were a more standard Ramen egg noodle, while the ones that came with the Mars Venus ramens were a thinner, white rice noodle. I thought mine were great but Carissa had serious noodle envy as she wasn't a fan of the thin, white noodles. I'm assuming you can ask for the traditional noodles, but they don't even let-on that there's an option. So, who knows? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯*Karaage (see above) was deliciously crisp and juicy. *We have been trying to catch up on One Piece and recently saw the Hatchan saga and my son wanted to try Takoyaki, so we did--and he loved it! I was lucky enough to snag one piece (haha) of them and from what I recall it was pretty good. *Interior is pure minimalism and a nice wood esthetic and a large moon emblazoned on the walls. I'm not sure if they plan to really go for the planetary theme more beyond the moon and menu item names. The Meh:*Let's talk broth here: the best of the bunch was the Venus traditional tonkatsu broth was very light but still had a nice flavor; the Mercury broth had a heavy fish flavor from the dashi and bonito flake broth that was OK but maybe could've been seasoned a bit heavier; and finally the lava-like Mercury broth was just straight chili oil that blew my palate out with just a few sips. Fwiw, my son loved it but he likes things spicier than me and you know kids these days with the Taki's® and Flaming Hot Cheetos© nonsense. Feh...*Prices are pretty in-line with the norm. *Shared private lot that seemed to have plenty of parking but it is shared with a pretty popular Korean BBQ place, so it could get tight during certain days/times. No street parking. *No outdoor seating*No alcohol (yet?)The Ugly:*Service was fine but inexperienced, as we were the only ones in the restaurant, he just sort of hovered around waiting for an opportunity to serve us. While appreciated, nobody likes to be monitored constantly like a toddler in a knife factory while eating.Conclusion: Overall, Ramen Wakusei is a solid 3.5*, as they make a pretty good bowl of Ramen. If they could just gussy up the broths a bit then they could potentially make a really good bowl of Ramen. **I'm not sure when their soft opening ends, but maybe check their website, as that's how we found out about it in the first place.
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"Came here for dinner with a friend. We picked this place based on my friend's recommendations, boy did it not disappoint.My friend told us that the owner sources from local Ingridents and makes his ramen based on that. Here's what we orderedEnoki chipsCorn frittersBeef don Every appetizer was deliciousI got the tonkotsu deluxe ramen, I love the flavor of the yuzu in the protein. Enoki chips are great to add into the ramen broth too. Environment is casual."
"It's authentic Japanese Izakaya (skewers) place with variety of foods. Good thing they serve all sort of Japanese cuisines from sashimi, sushi, ramen noodles, Izakaya and desserts. Food is delicious and fresh.Waiters are attentive but could be a bit slow in rush hours.Nice interior with lots of anime!Indoor seating with Japanese touches, not easily accessible, narrow entry and pathways with uncomfortable seating.Great for couples and small gathering only.Parking options are close by public parking and street parking."
