Spicy Chicken Bun
Silverlake Ramen

Silverlake Ramen

Silver Lake & Echo Park, 2927 Sunset Blvd, 90026-2130, Los Angeles, United States

Ramen • Sushi • Asian • Noodles


"4.5 stars food quality but rounding down for their stinginess on serving sizes. I went here on a Thursday around prime dinner time, but I was surprised there were a few empty tables since there is always a waitlist (which fortunately you can enter online) for dinner, but I guess I attribute it to the rain that LA finally is getting. I got the combo blaze (spicy tonkotsu) with pork and the chicken karaage for the side, which is priced at $20.50. On paper, this is a good deal in terms of variety, but what I meant by stingy serving sizes is that the menu says 4 5 pc karaage but I ended up getting 4 tiny pieces, and of those tiny pieces, they felt like they just chop 1 piece into 2 3 tiny pieces and market that as 4 pieces. Like I see the chicken on one side, and not battered all around, so they are really cutting corners. The chicken karaage is very juicy and flavorful, so the spicy aioli sauce on the side is very optional, but I still dipped it in for a kind of flavor bomb. I really enjoyed this, but again bummed that they decide to skimp on the portions. The ramen is fairly good, aside from one minute complaint that the pork is a bit on the fattier side. However, the pork is very flavorful and complements well with the rich broth. Blaze is spicy tonkotsu so you can taste a bit of the peppers even though I requested mild. The noodles are cooked to al dente, and the usuals like green onion, seaweed, and egg were of average quality. Service is minimal but passable, delivering water and checking up once in a while, fulfilling requests as needed. I do enjoy that this place has quick turnaround, since the wait can be very long otherwise due to the limited amount of seating in the restaurant. I was in and out of the restaurant in less than 30 minutes, given that food arrived around 5 10 minutes after I placed the order. This would be a great place for a quick work meal, or a casual dinner."

Afuri Ramen Dumpling

Afuri Ramen Dumpling

Afuri Ramen Dumpling, 20803 Steven's Creek Blvd, #110, Cupertino, CA 95014, USA, United States

Cafés • Ramen • Japanese • Beverages


"I visited this location on Saturday (5/28) at prime dinner time (7:30pm). I was surprised to see it mostly empty with only 2 tables taken up. I 've been to the downtown Portland location many times and I consider myself a fan of the chain, but there were a few issues that may indicate a much deeper issue than just an off night for this location. We ordered several variants of their potstickers (buta. steamed, crispy pork, and the gyoza soup), a pork belly bun, and the tonkatsu tantanmen ramen with a ramen egg and chasu added. Buta Gyoza the dumplings were soggy and on the bland side. The dipping sauced helped a lot Steamed Gyoza these were cooked well and tasty Crispy Pork Gyoza the dumplings were served fresh out of the fryer and were just fine. Nothing spectactular. Gyoza Soup The broth could have used a little more seasoning and this was basically the steamed gyoza added to broth. I would have just preferred to order a second order of the steamed gyoza. The tonkatsu tantanmen ramen ended up being on the opposite extreme. I 'm guessing the cook may have been heavy handed with one of the seasonings because I tasted the broth and it was fine until I mixed everything together. Then it was so salty that it was inedible. I 've had this ramen before, so I know it 's not supposed to be like that. I could only make through half of it before I called it quits. The highlight of the evening was the pork belly bun. The pork belly was perfectly tender with a nice glaze and some cucumber to add texture to the bite. It somewhat salvaged the meal and I 'd order it again. Other things to note: Ordering is done via kiosk and you assign your order to a table marker with a number on it. Most of the alcohol listed on the kiosk was marked as out of stock/sold out. The few cocktails that we were able to order also ended up being out of stock after we paid for it. They refunded it to us in cash, I guess they couldn 't reverse the charge for it. Despite the issues noted above, the staff was nice and friendly. Our server was quick to clear our table as we finished each dish. I don 't know if I 'd come back, as the ramen scene in the bay area is highly competitive but I hope they manage to succeed."