Ramen Jin

Reviews 5

JA

Jason Lx

--- NK Score = 7.5/10 --- 7/10 = Tables/Atmosphere 8/10 = Food Quality 7/10 = Variety/Styles 6/10 = Service/Prices (Other Ratings Hidden) --- Price Range ($5.00 - $10.00) --- --- Small Bowl Snack - Big Bowl Ramen --- --- Solo or Group = Applicable --- Hello, Im NK and Im going to describe my personal experience with this Ramen Jin. I hope to provide an honest and helpful review for those who want to know more about this place. When you enter, you witness a pretty modern theme with dark red, black, and wood colors surrounding the interior. The place is pretty small-average in size, with around 10 small tables, 1 big center table, and 1 long window table, and is usually mild when it comes to noisiness. One problem with this place is that all the seats are just plain wood, so if you stay too long, or have a small butt, you could end up having a sore bum. Food Quality here is a little mixed, I liked the texture of their broth, it was thick and soft to the touch, but it was also a little bland and lacking. It felt like I was drinking warm boiled soy milk that only has a little bit of flavor added, but thats alright for some people. Luckily, they have Salt, Pepper, and Spice on their tables that you can add whenever you want to enhance the flavor of your Ramen. Id say both the Tonkotsu ($9.90) and Spicy Miso ($9.90) were pretty decent after adding some flavor to it. My friend also noted that her Unagi Don ($5.00) was pretty good, even though the portion was a little small. For Variety, they have 4 types of Ramen (Tonkatsu, Miso/SpicyMiso, Sesame, Shoyu), which are all priced at $9.90. They do have rice dishes and snacks, but those come in small bowls that I wouldnt consider worth the money. The style of their Ramen was alright, just doesnt enough meat and other ingredients added to it, which I believe will cost extra if you want it. The service here is pretty mediocre, nothing really happening besides them bringing you the food, which was a pretty short wait. I wouldnt consider the prices here to be fair though, but that defines most places that serve Japanese cuisine, overpriced when compared to the quantity and quality of the food. Recommendations: The Tonkotsu ($9.90) had a pretty neat flavor after you add some Salt, Pepper, and Spice to it (Available on the Table). - Signed NK (March 2017)

---

SE

Sean Hong

*warning* this review might be a little lengthy. I brought my mother/grandmother and friends out to Ramen Jin at about 7PM on a Friday Evening. In between the dark "Brilliant Day Spa" and "Nail Salon", the ramen shop has a red glow that could catch your attention from any corner of the plaza. The decor is of the restaurant is nice and minimal, simple wooden tables/desks with unique wood paneling on the walls. Ordering process was fairly simple, we ordered two orders of the Tonkotsu, Miso, and one order of the Tonkutsu Shoyu Ramen as our main dishes and Gua Bao as an appetizer. The orders of Tonkotsu and Miso arrived fairly quickly within 5~ minutes,however the last order did not arrive until I brought it up with the food presenter. At this point it had been about 10 minutes and it seemed as if they stabbed the ticket already. After I brought it up it took another 5 minutes for them to make it and then serve it to me. I would just suggest that they double check their tickets before stabbing the ticket. While I waited for my order to come I did get to eat the Gua Bao which is a traditional Taiwanese Steamed pork bun. DELICIOUS. All I have to say... because then I received my ramen. The broth was good, not too salty like you would find in most Japanese ramen, perhaps a reflection on Brian Chens (the owner) Taiwanese and Japanese heritage or just personal taste. The noodles were also good, not undercooked or overcooked but just right. All in all the combination of the two along with the huge chunk of Chasu-Pork Belly left a good taste in my mouth.

---

MA

Mark Wang

Ramen Jin has come a long way since when it first opened with so much hype around it as the people of Houston wanted and needed a genuine ramen joint that simply serves good ramen. However, my opinion for this place is that its good but its not a very good ramen shop if you compared to ramen you could get in other cities. But it would be a good starting point for people who never had ramen thats not in the salty brick form or in a plastic cup back in the college days. This place is an order at the counter joint as you enter the restaurant, you could see the menu on the big board right next to the cash register or if you wish, you could get the menu and see what you want to order and then go order it. If youre not ordering any drinks, you could simply get a pitcher of ice water and cups thats also next to the cash register. They will give you a number and bring out the food when its ready. The utensils (chopsticks and spoon) are already set at the dining tables. I havent tried any of the rice bowl, desserts, or any appetizers but I have tried almost all of the ramen there. The tonkatsu is all right, the broths flavor isnt that fantastic nor is the noodle. The spicy miso, which is the best in my opinion, but could be a hit or miss. For example, I had spicy miso on a dinner night and it tasted really flavorful. But I had it again during weekday lunch and it tasted a bit bland. Dont get me wrong, the food here is good but just not good enough when they hyped themselves. Theres still a lack of consistency when people expect when they come back for more.

---

MA

Matthew Johnson III

***UPDATE*** Went there again just because, despite my last review, it is one of THE ONLY authentic places where you can find AUTHENTIC RAMEN. I have to say, I was MUCH more pleased this time as i got the Tonkotsu Shoyu. The broth had been developed a little bit more and the pork belly had been better prepared. They also increased the Quantity of the Pork belly. I did notice that they changed the Noodles which was a bit of a dissapointment for the texture but either way it was SO MUCH BETTER. I actually finished the whole bowl along with the broth. Now if only they get the Tsukemen put on thier menu and make it just as good, this will become a twice a week stop for me! Just got upgraded to 4 stars. The restuarant itself is nice and very well set up casually. The Staff is awesome. You can tell the staff is enthusiastic and proud of the product they sell. The ramen, however, is ok at best. The pork belly was tender but the broth was too linear and focused primarily on the eathy and saltines that you would normally get out of Miso. It lacked contrast! I lacked something to prevail in the palate. It needs something to cut through the monotone flavor of the broth and Noodle to keep your face planted in the bowl. That being said, They are definitly on the right track. The mini rice bowls were AWESOME and a great addidtion to the meal along with the variety of choices to drink. I would not make the drive back across town for the Ramen, but if i was in the area and was hungry, id definitly consider them.

---

DA

David Anderson

Best ramen in Houston, try the Miso Ramen..my fav. but really, everything on the menu is the bomb. Its a small restaurant, located in the side of a stip center, across the street from a Japanese grocery store. Inside Ramen Jin youll find small tables, wooden chairs, stools etc.. menu on the wall and cashier ready to take you order. They gave me a number to place on the table, the food arrived just moments after I sat down. Its probably a good place to eat lunch from work if youre always rushing, the service was super quick. I tried a good selection of the menu, fried taka(octopus), not too salty and seaweed salad for the seeweed fans, both ramen soups are very flavorful without being too salty.. Ive tried so many other places that just kill their ramen with salt. Ramen Jin seems to have it down, all the flavor without turning me into a raisin with salt ^.^

---

---