kiwami ramen [closed]

Eating really good food is both a blessing and a curse: A blessing because, yum! Really good food! A curse because anything less is simply less-than-satisfying. Kiwami Ramen, pitched by some as a rebranding of Shabu Hot Pot & Noodle Bar at the same location, reads to me as a whole new restaurant with a focus on ramen (but with Chinese on the side).  With Ramen Tatsu Ya—considered by many to be the best ramen in town and perhaps the best in the country–opening a new place around the corner on Burnet, I questioned the wisdom of these folks opening a ramen joint. Furthermore, having had near-Biblical experiences at Ramen Tatsu Ya, I feared that the curse of having had really, really good ramen would result in a poor experience. But I’m surprised and pleased to report that Kiwami Ramen competes. A bowl of ramen with pork belly ($16) at fast-casual Kiwami is not quite as good as the insurmountable mount of Tatsu Ya, but it’s really dang good without the added bonus of waiting out in the cold/heat/rain/sleet for an hour before you eat.

web&where: interwebs; 2700 west anderson lane; (512) 336-8888
overall: ** (food**; drink*; atmosphere*; service*; instagrammability**)
cost: $$
does it scramble? no doggy bag; no scramble…

our scale:
–          meh [think twice]
*         OK [it’ll get the job done]
**       good [solid neighborhood joint]
***     damn good [we’ll definitely be back]
****   yippity-yikes that was amazeballs [fantastic; one of the best]
***** holy sh!t [transcendental; best of the best]

I wrote this review for the Allandale Neighbor

Update (October 20, 2018): Took the bride there last night for a rainy-cold night meal, and she loved it. We shared the Spicy Edamame ($6; rather fantastic) and, after a detailed discussion with staff, she bravely tried the Tomato Ramen ($16; vegetable broth, tomato paste, clams, scallion, cheese powder, and kale noodle), which apparently is a thing, and loved it.

I forgot to mention in the original review that the tunage is quite good with a focus on deadmau5!

spicy edamame

Tomato Ramen