Maru Ramen

Have you ever tried instant ramen in a cup? Well if you have try upgrading into one of the hottest trends of 2017. I recently went to lunch at a cute, aesthetically pleasing Japanese restaurant located in Richardson, Texas called Maru Ramen. At first, I’m not gonna lie, I was a little hesitant to try something I feel like I could easily purchase for 32 cents but I decided to give it a shot.

The first thing that I noticed when coming into the restaurant was the scenery and surprisingly it gave off such a relaxing vibe. The tone was set to be very peaceful when you are accompanied by light instrumental music in the background throughout your whole meal. You instantly get greeted by one of the most sweetest and attentive staff and get seated into a earthy -wooden like table & bench chair. One thing that I really liked was how simple their menu is. I have been to restaurants that literally have given me a novel to pick food from and as to comparison to this restaurant I was given the impression that with the simple menu that they knew that their place had great things to offer.

I was accompanied by some lovely people in my life through this adventure and we started our journey with ‘Pork buns’ which are “steamed buns filled with braised pork belly and house sauce.” The bread itself was bland but what really helped this appetizer was the well cooked, sweet taste of the pork. With every single bite was just something very mesmerizing. Applying soy sauce to the bun made it a lot more appetizing and instantly solves the dreary disadvantage of the bread itself.

Now for the Ramen selection. In the menu you are given three different styles of noodles to select form. The first being the ‘Hakata’ which is a delicate white thin noodle which as our lovely waiter said is similar to the pho style noodle. Our second option to choose from was the ‘Sapporo’ and it is the traditional yellow curly noodle that contains a well pleasing texture in every chew. Last but not least the ‘Rice’ noodle which is a very transparent gelatin like textured noodle (which for your information is gluten free) it as well has a very chewy like texture. That day I wasn’t really feeling carnivorous so I selected the Vegetarian Ramen. I find it very appealing that they included a vegetarian entree for people who do not eat meat.

The presentation of the ramen bowl was so instagram worthy, it was full of color and very alluring. The vegetarian ramen included a broth that balanced the flavors of the ingredients that joined along with it . The ingredients that contained were veggies such as blanched spinach, tsukemono pickles, two seasoned eggs with a runny yolk, diced shallot and blistere shishto peppers. Throughout my consumption of the soup I had such an amazing taste of various mouth watering flavors and to my suprise with the many veggies applied it went really great together , providing a sweet yet savory taste.

Overall my experience at Maru Ramen was just so fantastic. For a girl who grew up with the simple instant ramen cups, this place gives me a different perception of Japanese cuisines. The really inviting staff, the earthy inspired atmosphere to the perfectly combined flavors of the Vegetarian Ramen was just something everyone should have a taste of. One cool thing that I learned was that Ramen itself can be served and styled in various ways for many tastes. It’s a food anyone can come to terms with and Maru Ramen is the place to be.