"May just be the best ramen in Maryland and NOVA. Currently working out of Junction Deli in Columbia, Menya is planning on opening their permanent brick and mortar in DC in the coming months. Fortunately for us Baltimore folk, we can enjoy their superlative ramen on our door step in the meantime. There are very few ramen shops I know of locally that offer Tsukemen style ramen, which immediately skyrocketed them to the top of my must try restaurant list. Tsukemen is where the noodles are served separately from the broth and you build bites to dip into it. The broth is ultra concentrated, giving it intense flavor with a bechamel like consistency. The day I visited, we ordered the house specialty The Baltimore Sun , a spicy tonkatsu based ramen, and a weekly special, the Kyogai Tsukemen, which is a mix of tonkatsu and smoked fish broth. Both were served with similar ramen accoutrements of chatshu pork, ajitsuke, nori, scallions and bamboo shoots. Neither one dissapointed, as both provided deliciously intense, but different flavor profiles and amazing mouth feel from the alkaline noodles as we slurped away merrily. In fact, the noodz were so fantastic, we got carried away and finished them with leftover broth still residing in our bowls. Not to worry, we simply asked for kae-dama (Japanese for 2nd serving of noodles when eating ramen) and we were graciously given another round. Overall, amazing ramen in a fun, pop up atmosphere. The hours and wait times may be challenging for some, as they are only open a handful of days and when at capacity, food wait times can be upwards of 20-30 minutes, but trust me when I say its well worth the wait!"
