Two ramen places I promised to return to. The Missus calls me "boring"; I call it consistency….but, on these visits, I decided to have something I hadn't ordered before.
Karami Ramen:
I'd heard that the menu had changed up a bit since I first visited in August. In fact, "Som Tommy" recommended the Curry-Shoyu Ramen……which I would probably never order on my own. I recalled the curry being okay…so on a pretty cold day (insert "by San Diego standards" disclaimer here), I thought it might be worth a try.
The same funny young lady….who warned me about the (not so) Triple Super Spicy Chashu Shio Ramen last time was working. I went ahead and ordered the Curry-Shoyu Ramen.
So, this was kind of interesting. Apparently, the ramen broth is poured in first; then the curry in the center so it's separated. The curry was barely lukewarm while the shoyu broth was just slightly hot, mixing it together made it colder than I prefer overall. The curry here is actually not bad; though again, the beef is really dry. This was ok; if you like curry flavored ramen broth, or runny curry, you'll love this. I had tasted the broth and it was less salty than I recalled, but really lacks any depth of flavor….so maybe the curry is doing you a favor. The noodles were the typical type you'll find everywhere; though it was cooked nicely, and was actually hotter than anything else in the bowl. Enjoyed the thick sliced menma, nice crunchy and earthy flavors. As before, the egg was cold and the chashu dry.
I was the only customer in the place. I believe we're hitting "critical mass" with regards to ramen in San Diego. I'm wondering how long Karami is going to last?
Karami Ramen
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Ramen Ryoma:
**** This location of Ramen Ryoma has closed
Another shop I promised to return to. With their second location now open in PB and a third coming soon, I thought it might be a nice time to return. I visited on a Sunday right when the place opened and like Karami, it was pretty quiet.
Having tried both the Shoyu and Shio ramen; I decided to go with the Miso Ramen, with tamago.
While the broth edged on being a bit too salty; it was fine in this framework and was overall less salty than what I'd had here before. It wasn't very miso forward; just a hint of umami and was fairly rich while not being greasy. While I didn't find the broth thick enough to coat my tongue it did cling really well to the perfectly cooked curly and chewy noodles. This might be the best of the three versions of ramen I've had here. The chashu was too tough and salty. The egg was nicely done and not cold.
Not bad, definitely worth another visit….one of these days.
Ramen Ryoma
9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123
The signature ramen at Ryoma is the miso. It’s the best out of the three. Haven’t heard anything good about Karami so I’ve stayed away.
I’ve been kind of cautious when it comes to Miso ramen Junichi. I’ve had some really bad versions.
Today is perfect ramen weather….
🙁
It surely is Derek!
We really don’t have many top tier ramen shops here Kat.