When I first heard a ramen place was opening in our neighborhood, I was thrilled. Rene and I are big ramen lovers, and seeing as this was in the dead of winter, we were psyched for some steamy noodle-slurping action. Naturally, everyone else in the neighborhood (and lots of visitors, too) had the same idea. Within the first week of opening, we made our way to Mu Ramen to be greeted with a two and a half-hour wait for a table. Realizing this would be standard procedure, we didn’t go back for a few months. We’ve walked by, but the place is just constantly packed, which is an easy feat as there are only 22 seats to be had.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, we decided to make it happen. Doors open at 5:30 pm so we arrived at 5:15 pm and a small queue had already been formed. Thankfully, we were able to snag seats at the bar facing the open kitchen.
Mu Ramen is run by a husband and wife team, Joshua and Heidy Smookler. The kitchen consists of one cook at the appetizers station, one on the ramen, and Joshua as expeditor.
The restaurant is small and warmly lit. Wooden surfaces, an exposed brick wall and other earth tones give the place a cozy aura, like an intimate dining room in the chef’s home. The menu is short and focused; it features a handful of appetizers and four types of ramen. I’m a big fan of the short menu - I appreciate when a restaurant knows its strengths and puts them front and center. Heidy walked us through the menu using all types of sexy descriptive words, and I knew the tonkotsu ramen was for me.
Tonkotsu ramen is a traditional ramen broth prepared with pork bones. It’s thick, rich and opaque - unlike, say, a shoyu broth. This steamy bowl was top-notch. At first sip, I noticed a strong gingery aroma and a creamy mouthfeel. The broth was so rich that it coated my mouth and left my lips sticky. The roast pork topping silkily melted with each bite. Rene and I ate ravenously; when I was finished with my noodles, I even picked the bowl up to my face and sipped to the satisfying end.
Rene’s spicy miso ramen - served with roasted corn off the cob
Trendy restaurants are usually a crap shoot. A lot of the time, you discover the only good thing the place has going for it is its reputation; this is always disappointing. But sometimes, months of anticipation - and hell, even waiting an hour in line - are worth your while. Mu Ramen, I’m honored to share a zip code with you.
My favourite ramen so far has been at Ippudo Westside, but I would definitely give this one a try. Thanks for braving the line to report to us all!