Gorō Ramen

Reviews 4

LI

Linda M

This place did not meet my expectations. The people took our number down to be placed on the waiting list and would notify us via text that our table would be available, We waited a very long time. I then had to come back to the staff to inquire about our place on the list. It turns out that our table was ready ages ago, but we had not received a notification due to them incorrectly recording my right number down. I told them the right number and we had to wait for the next available table that they promised would be ours. Well... I waited and waited. I was standing on the opposite street and watching other people being let in the restaurant. I was frustrated to know if their "system" was properly working. They eventually looked at me on the other side of the street and gestured for me my table was ready. Apparently I never got any of the text notifications. If they realized that it wasnt working earlier, maybe they should have attempted to call me to see if that number actually worked for them. I ordered the tori paitan pork belly ramen. Ive visited a couple other ramen places before, so I will admit I can very critical. I was disappointed that there was only 2 slabs of meat. I was hoping that there would be more meat if I am going to pay $10 for a meal. The chicken broth did not seem very rich and deep in flavor. Other ramen places that had more garnishes and flavor. Another disappointing thing was in order to add "chili bomb" to it, you had to pay an extra $1. Adding the extra sauce did help heighten the flavor, however I didnt like pay extra just to get to that point of having your dish taste "good". The noodles were good in texture. I was surprised at the flavor of the bamboo. It did pack a lot of pleasant flavor to it. The wait staff was kind to introduce and explain the spices on the table. The atmosphere/decor was very trendy, clean, and relaxing. Overall, I do not see myself having the urge to return again (at least for the ramen). I dont feel I am getting my moneys worth for the quality I would prefer. However, considering that there are not a lot of Japanese ramen places in Oklahoma City, it is still something to try. I dont proclaim this to be the best ramen in okc though. [Edit] i returned to the restaurant just to have a mixed drink and appetizer. The mixed drink was some sort of "green tea" and gin mix. I felt like it was pretty strong on the gin, and wasnt a fan of it. Though some props for them trying to make something creative. I had the onion ring appetizer, It was a good portion for the price. I felt like it was lacking in flavor in some way, but the dipping sauce made up for it.

DE

Dennis Spielman

The Plaza District has another hit restaurant in their neighborhood with Gorō Ramen + Izakaya. The Japanese restaurant slings out ramen, nikuman, and drinks in a place that’s a blend of Ramen and Plaza District shops. The inspiration for Gorō Ramen comes from the Japanese film Tampopo. Billed as the “first Japanese noodle western,” a pair of truck drivers, Gorō and Gun, help a widow bring her failing ramen shop back to life. Sorry, gamers, but Gorō Ramen has nothing to do with the Mortal Kombat characte—at least not now, but perhaps they’ll make a cocktail called “Fatality.” On the subject of cocktails, Gorō had several Japanese-inspired drinks. My wife and I loved the Negroni-ish, which contained Asian pear-infused Plymouth gin, vermouth, and Aperol. They had other drinks like The Last Samurai with Takara shochu, Green Chartreuse, lime, and Luxardo Maraschino liqueur; and the Pai Mei with sake, gin, Urban Tea House matcha, honey, syrup, and lavender bitters. In addition to the cocktails, they serve beers, wine, and bottled sake. For appetizers, Gorō had a brussels sprouts salad, cauliflower, and tebasaki. The tebasaki was fried chicken wings with gochujang fish caramel, furikake, pickled daikon, and cilantro. I didn’t know what half of those were, but the chicken was delicious! The tebasaki was a perfect blend of tender juiciness and crispy coating. As previously mentioned, Gorō’s other highlighted offering is their nikuman, which are house-made steam buns, with pork belly, tofu, and chicken options to pick. Gorō made them like tacos. Tasty steamed bun tacos they were! Now for the all important ramen. With everything else being so wonderful, the ramen lived up to the build-up of tastiness. Gorō had three options: tori paitan, with chicken broth, pork belly, menma, fried garlic, bean sprouts, ajitama, and negi; spicy miso, with chicken broth, roasted garlic miso, spicy pork meatballs, corn, bean, sprouts, ajitama, goma, and negi; and the vegan option, yasai, with vegan broth, tofu, roasted tomato, bean sprouts, roasted rushrooms, fried shallots, and negi. One can request extra noodles, extra pork belly, and a chili bomb. There are not many ramen shops in Oklahoma City, but the Plaza District has a great one with Gorō Ramen + Izakaya. *This review as first published on Uncovering Oklahoma.

AL

Alfonso Alcancia

Tebasaki - 5 out of 5 As I bit into the fried chicken, the fragrance of the crisp outer crust mingled perfectly with the moist chicken on both the wings and the legs. The sauce complimented the pickled cucumbers perfectly. Pork Belly bun - 5 out of 5 I was surprised by the open-faced presentation of the home made steam bun, but I found it rather pleasant to allow the pork belly, pickled cucumbers, plum sauce, and negi to swarm my sense of smell in a delicious fragrance. Biting into the dish was absolutely amazing with the soft steamed bun complimenting the delicate pork belly. Tori Paitan - 5 out of 5 You can definitely tell that Goro has a dedicated staff member on noodles; they were cooked to perfection and were solid enough to grasp with chopsticks but melted like butter into the mouth. The broth was heavenly; the spices and ingredients were perfectly mixed and were delicious to consume by itself with the provided wooden spoon (a perfect eating utensil for the poached half egg included in the dish.) The pork belly in this particular dish was absolutely decadent; it absorbed the flavors of the broth, much like the noodles, and left a flavorful taste of pork long after swallowing the bite. Overall, this place will continue to get my business due to the great waitstaff, great atmosphere, and top notch food. EDIT: The afternoon after I heated up the leftover tori paitan in the microwave. Doesnt taste as good as fresh from the kitchen, but staying among the broth and noodles allowed the chicken to spread its wonderful taste. 2 minutes in the microwave and it tasted better than any ramen Ive eaten in the convenience of my own home.

A.

A. Melchor

Our waiter Philip did a great job of explaining the menu and taking care of us enough to not feel neglected but definitely not smothered, definitely a good balance. I wasnt convinced the food was anything too special and I think this gets rated so hgh in a place like OKC simply because its different and if its different it must be good. The green tea was excellent. The appetizers good but the ramen dishes are just okay. The menu says the broths are chicken based but boy did the fish sauce come through and didnt make for the best taste, pork in chicken broth with fish sauce. I had the Tori and while Pork Belly is expected to have some fat I was getting sliced fat but little to no meat. Ive had ramen with pork belly where it is between what I got here and pork tenderloin. The cinammon miso ice cream was excellent. If someone proposed we come here again I would but I would never initiate it.