Taiyo Ramen

Reviews 4

CE

Cersei Ramsey

Went on a Tuesday night during happy hour (weekdays 5-7 1/2 price apps and ramen)to take advantage of deals for a first time try of this place. Shrimp chips dusted with chile powder were brought out right away and I could tell they had fried them on premises and not just dumped them out of a bag. They were tasty and delightful, as all shrimp chips I have had fried fresh are, but nothing out of the ordinary. For the happy hour menu, there are 2 appetizers and 3 ramen to pick from (normally $14, but happy hour $7). The appetizers were $3 dollars each (pork bun is normally $5, since when is 3 half of 5?) We got both the seasonal mix pickle included kimchi watermelon rind (not very good and we didnt not finish it off and I could see other pickles plates with leftover watermelon rind as well) kimchi yellow squash (nice texture and lots of garlic) and a pickled mild pepper (delicious). For all the rave reviews of the pork bun I expected to be blown away, it was tasty but it came up lacking to me, all for the want of some salt probably. But if people are amazed by something and they have it listed on their menu as winning a "top 10" award, seems to me it shouldnt come up short in any area. Having never been there before I have to assume the ramen we got was a 1/2 serving? I did get in my bowl 1 poached egg, maybe a tablespoon or so of seasonal vegetable (corn), 2 strips of wakame that measured about 1x2 inches in total, lots of green onions, and finally a 1x2 inch piece of pork belly. Now if I paid $14 for this I would be annoyed, so I am going to assume we got a smaller portion; but all my previous experiences of getting 1/2 price specials, I pay 1/2 price and get the full portion. That being said my dining partner got the spicy Korean ramen bowl, which I sampled and it was plenty spicy, unless you are ˇmasochistic, but my companion was not especially impressed. I ordered the miso broth ramen. The noodles were a very nice consistency and the broth quite tasty. The $3 local drafts beers were very much enjoyed. All in all we left full and without too much damage to our wallet. The server was polite and the perfect amount of attentive (we were the first people in the place, at a bit after 6), he refilled our water when necessary and checked on us. The place is sparsely but thoughtfully decorated and clean. (Although when my bare arm made contact with the table, it felt a bit gummy. As the first person of the day to sit, this seemed a bit surprising.)

SK

skydealbreakers

I rarely give 5 stars, but Makan was an exceptional experience and I could not give it anything less. I came across Makan in my search for another restaurant and I read the reviews and thought "I am going to add them to my list of places to go". I hit up a few friends to go and have dinner this past weekend. On the planned date, everyone backed out, but my palette was set on the pork belly bun. So I got in my car and ventured solo to Decatur. I got there at 5pm when they were just opening for dinner and luckily I found a parking space nearby. Upon entry, the decor was inviting and soothing. The hostess greeted me and lead me to the chefs table since I was eating alone. I started my meal with "Wontons in Chilli Oil and the "Pork Belly Bun". The wontons came out first. I am not a big fan of wontons but I decided to venture out and I am thrilled I did. The scent of the dish was divine. As I dug my spoon in, I realized the wonton wraps seemed mushy but as soon as it hit my tongue it felt like silk. From the texture to the taste, everything fit together perfectly. As soon as I finished my wontons, my bun arrived. After one bite, I wanted to ordered a dozen more but I politely sat and savored every morsel. It was the right balance of savory, sweet and acidic. I stomach was happy and content and I stopped there because I wanted to savored all of these flavors for a while. My server was attentive. Everyone worked together as a team. Upon my leaving, I spoke with one of the co-owners and I did not get his name. I informed him of my delightful experience and that I will be back for family style in the near future. I did not take any pictures of the food because they are plenty already posted, but I did take pictures of the decor.

DA

Daniel Tan

Makan was among my favorite restaurants in the city and the rebranding to Taiyo falls under the adage that a rose by any other color remains just as sweet. I will begin by lamenting the loss of some menu options such as the pork belly fried rice. Although they will be missed, there is much to celebrate in their wake. The new menu allows for an expanded range of choices for Ramen that go from classic tonkatsu pork broth with pork belly and chicken shio (chicken broth and chicken breast) to a robust seafood Ramen or duck Ramen. I have greatly enjoyed the kimchi beef Ramen. The broth carries the vinegar and spice kick of the kimchi onto the tongue as you slurp noodles with a complement of thing sliced beef. The spice isnt overpowering and neither is the vinegar. Together they establish a complexity of flavor and texture whose sum is more than any of its parts. Each of these ramen bowls can be complemented with flavor bombs such as the spice bomb (plenty of spice and umami), herb bomb , xo bomb and the soy garlic. Toppings are another addition which include extra meats, vegetables, or the fun soy marinated garlic cloves (garlic press included). Do not miss the buns with the obvious pork belly standing out but the other such as duck are equally worth trying. Wait staff have been excellent on each visit and I look forward to each return. This is an establishment that demonstrates a consistency and care that transcends dining out. Your meal becomes a dialogue between your palette and the kitchens culinary delivery.

JE

Jessica Song

Makan has a great service and ambiance, but the food left a lot to be desired. I will start out by frankly saying that I am an Asian American and find that my pallet, in most cases, does not agree with Asian-fusion or modernized Asian cuisine even through I still enjoy adventuring to try this genre of food. Makan fell into this category for me, but I can see how the flavors are more geared toward the overall American pallet. While the food fell flat for me, the service was great and deserves notice. Below are some specific food comments, but I do hope to eventually come back to see how Makan evolves in flavor. To start, our table ordered different Banchans (side dishes) including the Pickles, Farro Bibimbap, Steamed Tofu and Tea Eggs. The Pickles tasted the best, but most others lacked a punch of flavor. Our appetizers included Pork Buns and Dukbokki. Pork Buns were decent but could have used a little more of the pickled vegetables. The Dukbokki on the other hand was too salty. Of all the entrees ordered, the Steak entree (galbi marinated) tasted the best. In general, the Seafood Soup and Ramyun could have used a little more salt content and while ok, they did not stand out in any particular way. As for dessert, we were given some complimentary items as well as ones we ordered including egg tarts, sesame balls, sweet potato pie, Asian birthday cake, and black sesame & makgeolli gelato. The Makgeolli (rice wine) gelato while icier in texture from a typical gelato was the stand out here.