Ra ra ramen!
Slurp your way around some of Tucson’s noodle shops BY VALERIE VINYARD No longer just a college food staple, ramen has become a featured dish or even the focus of Asian restaurants around town. Think of these restaurant dishes as grown-up versions of the 30-cent package you see at the grocery store. That version comes with a block of freeze-dried noodles and a seasoning packet. Directions were extremely simple and involved adding water and boiling for a couple of minutes, which resulted in a tasty snack or lunch with little nutritional value. Nowadays, people know ramen as a
Japanese noodle soup dish, with Chinese-style wheat or egg noodles served in a rich broth along with sliced meat, scallions and a semi-hard-boiled egg. And a number of Tucson restaurants feature the delicious dish. Granted, a restaurant’s version will spoil the cheap version you make at home: The steaming bowl will be full of fresh ingredients, including chewy noodles, a variety of meats and veggies. It also will cost about $10 to $15. Conversely, a 24-pack of ramen costs $6.58 at Walmart. Of course, there’s nothing fresh about it, and it doesn’t come with real meat or vegetables. In fact, if you read the label, you’ll see ramen’s nutritional “value” is lacking in many vitamins and nutrients. For example, a half-package of roasted chicken flavor ramen contains 190 calories and a whopping 830 mg of sodium—36% of the recommended daily allowance. One serving has 10% of the recommended dose of iron; 2% of fiber; 9% of carbohydrates; and 4 grams
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of protein. Interestingly, ramen actually originated in China and traveled over to Japan in 1859, according to records at the Yokohama Ramen Museum in Japan. Yes, there’s a ramen museum. It opened in 1994 at a cost of $38 million. Professor George Solt, an assistant history professor at New York University, has published a book that came from his doctoral dissertation: “The Untold History of Ramen: How Political Crisis in Japan Spawned a Global Food Craze.” He described ramen as “one of the most minutely documented foods in Japan.” Solt says the first packaged instant Chikin ramen, from Nissin Foods Corporation, hit U.S. store shelves in 1958, and it wasn’t considered dorm food. Through the early 1970s, ramen actually was targeted to middle-class women and children. Then, in 1973, the first Cup O’ Noodles came to America. People liked the instant, tasty, pre-packaged soup, and its fate as an inexpensive, on-the-go product was sealed. George Taunton, a 36-year-old golf instructor, recently was enjoying a bowl of pork ramen at K Japanese Restaurant. “It’s the ultimate comfort food,” he says of the savory soup. “I try to get a ramen fix a couple of times a month. It tastes great and it’s not too filling.” Because of the proximity to the University of Arizona, Midtown Tucson has the most ramen shops, but you can find ramen restaurants all over Tucson. Here are five restaurants that offer a variety of ramen on their menus.
Ikkyu Japanese Restaurant 2040 W. Orange Grove Road, #180, 297-9011 ikkyutucson.com Most of these restaurants are relatively small, meaning you should try to arrive when it opens. The owner, Hiro, has cooked Japanese food and ramen in Tucson since 1986. Keep in mind that Ikkyu only serves ramen Thursdays through Saturdays, so other days you’ll need to
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choose from other Japanese favorites. The ramen broth is either pork or chicken, and prices range from $8.95 for the Shoyu Ramen, which has a soy sauce flavor and comes with a pork slice, fishcake and bamboo shoots, to $9.66 for the Black Tantanmen, which is a very spicy broth with black sesame paste. Toppings on the Tantanmen include spicy ground pork, green onion, bok choy and shredded red pepper.
K Japanese Restaurant 2962 N. Campbell Avenue, 305-4117, kjprestaurant.wixsite.com/home Tucked behind Old Chicago on Campbell Avenue, K has been around for about four years. The restaurant offers a menu of various Japanese dishes, but ramen takes up a chunk of it. Diners can choose their soup base (Tonkotsu pork, soy sauce or miso); their noodles (Udon, Yakisoba, ramen, wheat soba or Sanuki-Udon); and their topping (a variety of meats and veggies). Prices range from ($9.50 to $11.95). Service is attentive, helpful and friendly.
Obon Sushi 350 E. Congress Avenue, 485-3590, fukushuconcepts.com Located in the heart of Downtown Tucson, Obon Sushi boasts the largest space on this list for ramen lovers. The restaurant, which is one of three Obons in the state (the other two are in Scottsdale), lacks the frenetic pace of the smaller ramen restaurants, but it attracts diners and drinkers who want a more upscale experience and are looking to enjoy their time Downtown. This restaurant also has the latest hours to get your noodle on. Besides an expansive menu of sushi, steamed buns and other entrees, there are six versions of meat and veggie ramen, and they range in price
from $12.50 to $13.50.
Raijin Ramen 2995 E. Speedway, 795-3123 Raijin Ramen opened in January 2018, and from Day 1, the relatively small space packs in ramen lovers. The restaurant offers some other menu items, but ramen is the name of the game here. During lunch and dinner hours, you’ll find diners happily slurping away. In fact, the menu advises diners to “slurp like your life depends on it” because it makes the ramen taste better. Varieties range in spiciness and cost $10 to $14.
Yoshimatsu 2741 N. Campbell Avenue, 320-1574, yoshimatsuaz.com Across the street and about a quarter mile south from K Japanese Restaurant is Yoshimatsu. Its digs are cozier than Yoshimatsu’s former location, which also was on Campbell. Yoshimatsu features many dishes, but its eight or so varieties of ramen are a favorite. Prices range from $9.75 for simple ramen to $14.50 for seafood ramen with scallop, shrimp and squid. Vegetarians will love the tomato ramen and veggie ramen ($9.75) with tofu and veggies in a vegetarian broth.
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