WHAT WE ATE
- Rich Miso Ramen – 45/100, Japan
Kura Sushi, a beloved conveyor belt sushi chain in Japan, has captured the hearts of diners with more than just its affordable sushi. The restaurant’s ingenious gamification strategy, utilizing a gachapon system, transforms the dining experience into an exciting adventure. For every five plates of sushi consumed, patrons earn a thrilling chance at the gacha machine. As you slot your empty plates into the return bay, adorable cartoons dance across the screen, building anticipation for your potential prize. It’s a brilliant fusion of dining and entertainment that keeps customers coming back for more.
However, we’re not here to wax poetic about Kura Sushi’s innovative approach to sushi dining. Our focus today lies elsewhere on their menu, in a section that’s commonplace in most Japanese restaurants: ramen. While sushi may be their claim to fame, Kura Sushi, like many of its counterparts, offers this iconic noodle dish to satisfy diverse palates. And it’s their miso ramen that has piqued our interest and will be the subject of our culinary exploration today.
Rich Miso Ramen: 45/100
Noodles: 20/35
The noodles are a bright yellow, thick, and square in shape, offering a firm and chewy texture with a pleasant earthy wheat flavor. While served slightly softer than ideal for their thickness, they still provide a decent mouthfeel. However, they don’t quite reach their full potential in complementing the soup.
Broth: 15/35
Despite being labeled as “rich miso ramen,” the soup bears a closer resemblance to a shoyu blend. The broth is noticeably oily, overly salty, and lacks depth of flavor. Refractometer measurements confirm the high salt content, explaining the pronounced shoyu-like taste. The soup fails to deliver the rich, complex flavors one would expect from a miso-based ramen, resulting in a flat and unbalanced experience.
Meat: 10/20
The chashu, a rolled slice of pork, shows some promise. It’s mildly fatty, soft, and chewy, with a decent marinade that imparts a savory sweetness. Despite being thinly sliced, it manages to hold its own against the salty broth. While not exceptional, it’s one of the better components of the dish.
Toppings: 0/10
The toppings are disappointingly minimal, consisting only of a few slices of negi (green onions). This lack of variety and quantity in toppings significantly detracts from the overall experience and value of the dish.
Overall, this Rich Miso Ramen fails to deliver on its name and price point. The mismatched flavors of the broth, coupled with minimal toppings and only decent noodles and chashu, result in a subpar dining experience. When compared to other ramen options available at similar or lower price points, this dish falls short in both quality and value. Significant improvements in the broth’s flavor profile and an expansion of toppings would be necessary to justify its cost and elevate the overall dining experience.
DISCLAIMER
One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Find out more about our palettes and how we evaluate our ramen here. 😉
