Cup O’ Noodles

I associate ramen with the broke-college-kid lifestyle: quick, cheap, easy. I think of the white and orange ramen label and boiling water — the only two ingredients needed. Little did I know these soggy noodles could make up an entire entrée menu at a restaurant. When one of my friends wouldn’t stop raving about the best ramen bowl she ever had in Lawrence, I decided I had to give ramen a chance to prove it could be more than the diet of a university student. Here’s my review of two local ramen restaurants: 

Komatsu Ramen

Surrounded by lightly-stained wooden tables, I concentrated on Komatsu Ramen’s overwhelming menu. Each of the three broth bases offered at the Broadway Boulevard location could be paired with twenty ramen options, which seemed a bit much, and I was clueless as to what half of the ingredients on the menu were. So I settled on the chicken hot buns as an appetizer and a Narita ramen bowl.

Waiting for my food, I felt like I was in an unfinished house: wooden booths, tables and a bar area surrounded me and offered a natural vibe to the restaurant that I liked. Besides the wood everywhere, Komatsu smelled like someone had sprayed soy sauce Febreeze everywhere.

I thought the buns I’d ordered would be similar to hamburger sliders, but they turned out to be three pieces of spongy pita bread covered in tender chicken and a sweet sauce. Even better. The sesame seeds dotting the appetizer added a nice crunch.

The second I finished devouring my starter, my ramen bowl was served. Perfect. I slurped up the bowl, filled to the brim with miso broth, noodles, scallions, boiled eggs and chicken and thought the filling meaI would make great leftovers for school the next day.

The broth’s strong flavor saved the bland noodles. The egg tasted as if it had been soaked in the broth for decades and turned out to be my second favorite part of the bowl after the crunchy scallions. I was able to finish most of the bowl — and the rest would be safe in my purple flower thermos for the next day.

The $18 price tag seemed like a lot for just noodles and an appetizer. However, the large helpings and the flavorful chicken buns helped me hold back my eye roll when I saw the check.  

Shio Ramen shop

The dull black awning outside of Shio Ramen Shop on Broadway Boulevard didn’t do the inside justice. Walking through the black and white curtain to reach the main area reminded me of how Lucy reached Narnia through the fur coat closet. Even though there was no fawn in a snow covered forest to greet me, the entrance to the quaint restaurant made me feel special.

With one ramen experience under my belt, I felt confident ordering the Shio ramen bowl and okinomoyaki. My total order set me back $23 – that’s two Chipotle bowls, with guac.

However, the okinomoyaki made up for the priciness. Also known as Japanese savory pancakes, they were similar to hash browns and topped with meat smothered in a barbecue-type sauce. The sweetness of the okinomoyaki contrasted the tangy barbecue flavor and made for an odd but satisfactory combination.

Thank goodness I saved my fork to help me eat the noodles, because the portions were mountainous. Besides noodles, there were scallions, egg, pork, chicken and daikon in my family of four-sized salad bowl.  The daikon, winter radishes, were my favorite because of their resemblance in taste and appearance to a baked carrots. The meat and the noodles soaked up the chicken broth, so they were perfectly soft.

The only drawback to the charming shop was the close proximity of the tables. I could barely hear my friend talk about her spring break plans without also hearing the man next to us tell his wife about his day at work.

Even though the price was high and the tables were mere inches from each other, I would rather eat a Shio ramen bowl than a typical 99 cent pack from the grocery store.