ramen in the city, guys!

the lowdown:

• ★★★★ probably getting the fifth one next time…
• $$ (~$15/dish)
• casual
• dine in 2 or 4s
• reservations for 5 or more
• neighborhood: river north

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ah, hopefully for most of us, gone are the days of packaged “ramen” noodles..right?

well perhaps eating at too many of my recommendations will put you back in that spending bracket, but here’s a new must try in river north. it will change your opinion on ramen if you don’t love it yet. and did i mention it was a creation of chef takashi? james beard winner?

walk in to a modern, japanese-styled restaurant. little cubbies for booths! anime on the tv! asian beer, blown up images of little asian kids. adorable. where was hello kitty? probably would have been overboard.

this was eric’s last supper, so we went all out. a few small dishes to share and each a different noodle dish. our server, john, was a delight – helping us out and dishing us his faves.

we started with something cold, fresh…ceviche. octopus and shrimp, tomatoes, cucumbers…it was gone in maybe 10 seconds.

Ceviche of baby octopus, hokkaido scallops, shrimp, squid, yuzu-ceviche dressing

on to the duck fat fried chicken. crispy yet tender and juicy. another win.

duck fat fried chicken

pork belly snack was next. it was served on bao, a little bed of air. i want to eat one of these delights every day.

pork belly snack

we shared the washugyu, a hybrid black angus + wagyu beef combo, which was deliciously tender and flavorful. this one was gone in maybe 5 seconds. our waiter was worried about us, or maybe he just thought he had some champion eaters on hand (kobayashi, anyone?).

Washyugyu off the Bincho grill

eric had the shoyu ramen, typical ramen that was probably the best i’ve ever had. the broth was perfect. start here if you want to try real ramen!

Shoyu Ramen: egg noodle, classic tokyo style soy broth, braised pork shoulder, naruto, bamboo shoots

tan tan men, was my choice. a spicy version of the soup.

Tan Tan Men: whole wheat egg noodle, spicy miso with ground pork and spicy homemade sausage

ridiculously full, we finished with a lychee sake-tini, and rolled our way home…anticipating which dishes to try next time.

caution: eric and i are extremely big eaters. do not get that much food! these bowls are HUGE…you could probably do fine with this and just one app to share and of course the delicious dessert items.

slurping turtle | yelp. | google maps

116 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654

(312) 464-0466