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REVIEW
Krabby Patty
Bowled Over Domu brings the ramen craze to St. Johns Town Center WORDS BY EMILY BAILEY // PHOTOS BY AGNES LOPEZ
St. Johns Town center has seen explosive growth in the past few years, jumping across the street and taking over what was once forested land. While the new side of the shopping and dining hub is mostly filled with nationwide chains, a handful of regional restaurants have set up shop. Among them is Domu, a ramen eatery and bar with one other location in Orlando. The owner, Chef Sean “Sonny” Nguyen, says that Domu translates to dream come true, a feeling that is echoed in the space with a white neon of the Biggie Smalls lyric “it was all a dream,” modern decor filled with lots of greenery and a colorful mural of koi fish spanning the length of the back wall. One will want to arrive early to get a table here, as they don’t accept reservations and it tends to draw a crowd, even for Town Center standards. The bar is a good place to start if there’s a wait. Find beer, wine, sake, and cocktails, most of which have a slight twist— such as a wasabi ginger margarita ($6 during happy hour) or a lychee martini ($8). Nguyen’s menu is split into two sections: ramen and plates. The ramen are divided between original creations and classics. The black tonkotsu ($13) is based in a butter shio pork bone broth and has a mild flavor perfect for those looking for an introductory bowl of ramen. Or up the ante and opt for the spicy tonkotsu ($13), which has the addition of a house-made spicy bomb.
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A house specialty is the Richie Rich ($13), which lives up to its name with a bowl bursting with pork—a miso-shoyu bone broth and pork belly being the main players, while a soft-boiled egg, wood ear mushrooms, scallions, fried garlic, and black garlic oil dress it up. Completely different than the typical bowl of steaming soup is the uni mazeman ($13), a brothless bowl of noodles in an uni (sea urchin) butter sauce topped with red caviar, micro greens, crispy quinoa, chives, and fresh uni. Its flavor resembles that of a seafood fettuccine. Domu prides themselves on making their noodles fresh daily, a standout factor in the emerging Jacksonville ramen scene. Rounding out the menu are dishes such as chicken wings ($6) with a thick and crispy batter and a kimchi butter sauce, and Sichuan cucumbers ($5) with sesame oil, fried garlic, sesame seeds, and blend of Japanese spices. There’s also a selection of new Asian buns, which are a take on New England rolls. There are pigs in a blanket ($7) with pork belly ends, a lobster bun ($16), and a playfully named krabby patty ($8), which is filled with fried soft shell crab, torched tomato, micro greens, radish, and a yuzu shichimi mayo. The meal wouldn’t be complete without inquiring about the softserve ice cream flavor of the day. Rotating options include matcha green tea, Vietnamese coffee, taro, and salted caramel pretzel. u
Crunch Time
Finest Hour
No Reservations
Domu
Domu is open for dinner during the week with the kitchen starting service at 5:30 PM. Brunch is served on the weekend, 11 AM-2:30 PM.
Happy hour takes place daily from 5-6:30 PM with $6 cocktails, $5 wells, house wine, and sake, and $2.50 PBR and Miller Hi-Life.
The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, but one can wait it out at the bar or do some shopping at the numerous shops in the area.
4852 Town Center Parkway domufl.com (904) 683-1367
JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM / JANUARY 2019