Address: | 3540 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara, CA 95051, USA |
Phone: | +1 408-246-2955 |
Site: | orenchi-ramen.com |
Rating: | 4.4 |
Working: | 11:30AM–1:30PM 11:30AM–1:30PM 11:30AM–1:30PM 11:30AM–1:30PM 11:30AM–1:30PM 11:30AM–1:30PM 11:30AM–1:30PM |
CO
Cory Ban
I think this place deserves more of a 3.5 than a 3, but rounding down due to the service and their fries. The service while friendly was a bit forgetful. The server forgot to put mayo on the side as was requested when it came to their fries, one of the people has an allergy commonly found in mayo and condiments according to them. They also forgot to bring tea to the table, although we werent charged for it at least. The beer and soda that we ordered was not delivered until eight (8) or so minutes after the Ramen was served. The okonomiyaki fries were served slightly after the ramen was brought to the table. This made it harder to properly enjoy one or the other, since Ramen and fries both need to be eaten when delivered or their quality goes down quickly. They were quick to bring the check at least, and were attentive with that. The waitstaff also was willing to make recommendations when asked for an opinion and shown the desired choices. The Karage was pretty good. The portion size was generous considering what it was. It had a great crunch to it. The batter for it was flavorful, but didnt overpower the chicken. The chicken was cooked well for what it was. The pepper that came with it was a little too mild for my preferences to go with it, however I think most people in that area would be more satisfied with the mild spice level of it. I think I might have enjoyed the Karage even more if I had remembered to put a small amount of garlic onto it, but it was still delicious even without it. The okonomiyaki fries were mediocre honestly. The sell point for them is purely the unorthodox style to do fries on this side of the bay area. The fries were a bit soggy even immediately after being served not just when it was a few minutes after serving. The sauces used lacked strong flavors. Finally the most interesting part was seeing the fish flakes move around on top of the fries, which according to the server is due to the thinness of the cuts. The Orenchi Ramen was enjoyable. They were portioned fairly well in terms of broth. I do, however, feel there was not enough meat and/or bamboo shoots that came with it. There was one (1) average sized slice of Chasu and 2-3 small pieces of bamboo shoot. I was personally displeased by this, since I thoroughly enjoy both of these ingredients. The noodles themselves were quite enjoyable and had a nice texture and thickness to them. The mushroom and chives were fairly well portioned. The broth needed a slightly stronger and richer flavor, but it was still delectable. It was an interesting take on the broth, and not quite as heavy or impactful as I am used to. My friends found the dancing fish flakes to be incredibly entertaining, but also found the sauce(s) used slightly lackluster. They didnt feel the ramen was too special, but they did enjoy it. My picky friend didnt particularly enjoy the ramen, since the Nori sat in her broth too long before serving. I can understand that being a problem for people at least. The main reason I am giving this restaurant a 3 instead of a 4 is due to the Ramen and Karage being capable of overturning the poor service, and mediocrity of the okonomiyaki fries. I would be willing to come here again, if I was in the area but would not go out of my way to visit this location again.
MI
Michelle Leung
Tip #1: Crowds of people come in before the restaurant even opens just to put their names down so that they can get the first seating. Thus, do prepare to come in earlier (around 5pm) and put your name down. Patiently wait until they open, and they will start seating people right away. Tip #2: Cash only for lunch, but credit cards are okay for dinner. Its been confirmed! Bf and I came here over the weekend, after hearing good things about this place. We arrived at 5:15PM, and we already saw the waiting area PACKED with people. I went up to the list to put my name down, and saw about 20 tables ahead of me. I was worried whether we would be able to get the first seating, and luckily we did! The menu is rather extensive, unlike most other ramen houses. In addition to ramen, there are donburis and appetizers. I believe there are four or so different types of ramen you can choose from. Definitely a nice variety. For starts, we ordered the fried calamari legs and chicken cartilage. The calamari legs were delicious and perfectly fried. It was really fresh and went really well with the minced garlic on the table and a tap of chili powder. The chicken cartilage on the other hand was rather disappointing as we expected it to be something else. At more other Japanese restaurants, chicken cartilage would only contain the cartilage part (and fried). Unfortunately, the ones here is semi-fried? with chicken meat attached to it. It really defeats the whole purpose of ordering chicken cartilage... doesnt it? Nonetheless, it didnt taste bad, but just not what we expected and probably wont order that again. But who comes to Orenchi for their appetizers anyways.. So the bf and I each got a bowl of the Orenchi Ramen, which has a tonkotsu broth. The broth was meaty in flavor, but not as much as I would like. I like the creamy, hearty flavor of tonkotsu broths. While the flavor is there, I feel that it can be better (theses always room for improvement!). Also, it was a little salty.... The noodles were fantastic though! Perfect texture and chewiness, and loved how they used the thicker ramen noodles as it complemented the broth well. In addition, toppings include a few pieces of sliced pork, runny egg, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and seaweed. For $9, it was totally worth it! Needless to say, I was stuffed by the end of my meal. But the real question here is... Orenchi or Ramen Dojo? Well, its kind of a tie... but Im leaning towards Orenchi just because I believe that Ramen Dojo doesnt taste as good as it used to. The broth now is suddenly masked by the charcoal, burntness of the grilled pork?? Its just not as satisfying as it used to be, which is why Im ranking Orenchi as #3 on my Ramen Houses. But, as Ive mentioned in my other post, there is still a large gap between the #2 and #3 spot... so still looking to find a ramen house that can rightfully take that #3 spot on my list. So far, I havent gotten any luck and am running out of patience on SF Bay Area ramen houses. So disappointing!! :(
TI
Tiffany Chou
Sorry Orenchi Ramen...you get three stars for service but only one for your food (thus the two-star rating). Id been here once before but only remembered the amazing, perfectly peeled, soft-boiled egg and the extremely long wait. This time, the wait was more than manageable and the staff were very nice about the other person in my party-of-two running late. (Tip: You wont be seated unless everyone is there, but if someone in your party is running late, say something and the staff will just write and circle "Wait" next to your name on the check-in sheet.) Once seated, I ordered a large bowl of the house ramen ($13) and the spicy miso eggplant (which turned out to be a cold dish). As it turns out, $13 dollars gets you a slightly larger bowl than the regular size ($10), one whole soft-boiled egg, some bamboo shoots, a sprinkling of chopped green onions, and literally, ONE 3 inch by 4 inch slice of meat (about 1.5 mm thick). The ramen was cooked too hard for my liking, but the worst part was the broth. It was too salty but not rich or flavorful enough by a long shot. Since the tonkatsu broth should have been simmered with meat and bones, the dead giveaway that the broth has been watered down is when it cools but does not gel or even thicken. I took my leftover ramen back and tossed it in the fridge. The next morning, the broth was still sloshing around...thus confirming my suspicions. In my book, the best tonkatsu ramen and broth is still Hakata Ikkousha in Costa Mesa, a short drive from South Coast Plaza----SoCal, I know, but if you really love your ramen... =)