I Love Ramen

Oh yes I do.........

But this is actually the name of a restaurant.  I Love Ramen is located at 31254 Pacific Hwy. S. in Federal Way, WA.  It is a fairly new restaurant that I've been dying to check out.  Today I finally did.



As many of you know, I am always on the hunt for a decent Asian noodle place.  Considering how many there are in this area, you would think I could just step out the door and fall into one.  Not so.  I am ecstatic to report that I Love Ramen is more than decent.  It is phenomenal.  It blows my favorite place in Seattle (Samurai Noodle) out of the water... with a nuclear bomb.

I sing to the heavens that I can now get a fantastic bowl of ramen without having to go to the big city!!!  (yes... noodle soup IS that important to me)

To make a completely fair comparison, I had to order my usual test items... tonkotsu ramen and pork shumai.  Same thing... every restaurant.  Gotta do apples to apples.

At first I was slightly alarmed that the shumai came with no dipping sauce.  After schkoffing the first one, I understood why.  They are so wonderfully flavorful, any sauce would be a sin.



The order comes with five dumplings... I couldn't contain myself before I grabbed my camera.

Miko came with me, but she wasn't very hungry.  She ordered the chicken yakitori...



It was also as good as it gets.

Now... down to the nitty gritty... how is the RAMEN???

Since they say a picture is worth 1000 words, I'll just show you...



This is my favorite ramen.  Pork broth with noodles, roasted pork slices, scallions, and various other items depending on the shop.  This particular bowl had bean sprouts, fresh baby spinach, sesame seeds, hard boiled egg, slivered pickled ginger, and nori.

My first determining factors for any soup are "how hot is the broth and how good is it?"  The broth here was tongue-searingly hot and it was spectacular overall.  Next, we move on to the individual components.  The pork was roasted and sliced perfectly... not an over abundance of scallions (like they're trying to cover something up)... totally fresh, barely wilted baby spinach leaves (I think they bought them at HMart across the street... lol!!).  Then comes the noodles themselves...

The... best... ever.  Perfectly cooked.  Stayed that way until I reached the bottom of my bowl.  Tasty al dente morsels in every bite.  I can't say enough good things about what I ate.  You just have to come experience it for yourself.

I suppose I should mention the rest of the menu... which is quite extensive.  They have a large variety of appetizers (listed as 'side dishes'), about 30 variations of ramen, and another two menu pages of traditional Japanese noodle and fried dishes.  If you think Japanese food is sushi, don't bother with this place... they don't serve it.  However, if you want real Japanese comfort food, this place is legit.

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I LOVE RAMEN REVISITED (3/9/11)

Brian had a day of appointments, so we decided to meet for lunch at I Love Ramen to A- let him see how good it was, and B- see if it WAS still that good.

We still love I Love Ramen.

If anything, it was better than before.  Brian got a miso broth ramen and I got my usual tonkotsu ramen.  Mine was spectacular this time (although I'm not sure how it could have topped the previous bowl).  The roasted pork was, in a word (or two), nearly orgasmic.  I would smack my own mother if it were the last bowl and she tried to take it.

Apparently the shumai DOES come with a dipping sauce... our previous waitress just... erm... forgot to bring it (REALLY???).  This order came with the shumai, hot mustard, and a delicious soy-based dipping sauce.  I tried it in all possible combinations.  I still say the dumplings speak for themselves without any adornment.

We were also treated to a complimentary onion salad.  There was something yellow shredded in with the paper-thin onion slices, and I have no idea what it was, but it was mouth-wateringly good.  I should have asked, but I was too busy shoveling it into my face.  Maybe next time.

Our waitress this time was Aya (if I remember right), and she is wonderful.  Attentive without hovering... keeps things moving without being pushy... just perfect.  We were the only Caucasian people in the place, which is always a good indicator of quality when I dine at any ethnic restaurant.

If I had five thumbs, they would all be UP!!