Seems like Ramen Pop-Up nights are spreading like a virus around town... Which concerns me... Since, I have been scratching my pouch non-stop for days for this event. I stopped by Ration + Dram last week for their first try at Ramen Crush but it was an absolute total shitshow, the hour+ wait for a bowl of noodle soup was ridiculous. Dude, if you're gonna promote the shit outta a ramen pop-up for one night only, make sure you prep enough for 200 bowls. You know this town has an itch for expensive bowls of soup with noodles in it... So, why are you fucking around acting like some amateur. Get your fucking mise en place in order.
Fast forward to this week and Sobban is doing a ramen pop-up on the same night as Ramen Crush. There's no contest which place I was gonna stop by first... I know Sobban has their shit together so I can zip right in and zip right out with enough time to spare to hit Ramen Crush as well if I was still hungry... Well, shit, that was my plan, to hit both joints in one night if I was able to. Let's take a look at Sobban first.
Mibo Tokyo Shoyu Ramen, Chicken chashu, egg, corn, bamboo, sprouts, negi. Shoyu is one of my favorite styles of ramen with tonkotsu being my fav, of course. The broth is light yet complex, it is savory on the palate and smooth on the finish. The Sun noodles do not disappoint, the chicken chashu was tender but a bit on the salty side which was amplified more by the broth. The corn niblets were there for color and a bit of texture but didn't really add much to bowl overall. The whole egg split in half woulda been better if it was semi soft boil at least.. But prepping for dozens and dozens of orders I can understand for the hard boil. Just drown that fucker in the broth to soften the yolk and kinda trick yourself that it's runny.
Spicy Seoul Budae-jjigae ramen (Army stew). Andouille, Miso bacon, rice cake, tomato kimchi, tofu. Don't let the bright red/orange color fool ya... It ain't spicy, ok, maybe a tad bit for the heat challenged from the gochujang. The sausage and bacon were tasty as expected. The rice cake gave it a toothy texture. The tofu really didn't do much. And the Sun noodles killed it of course. It's simple but yet a hearty bowl of noodle soup.
Assorted Bean Salad. All the beans are grown right outside, so you know what the fuck you're eating. Dress it lightly with a sesame dressing and puffed rice, you got yourself a tasty little treat. The pouch loves beans, keeps me regular.
Miyozakura Junmai Cup. Look at these cute cuddly fucking pandas... That motherfucker with his hoof over his snout is up to no good. Looks like he's gonna stick a bamboo up the other one's ass. I will never understand panda foreplay... Filthy little fuckers. This cup sake was light and refreshing with a crisp and dry finish... Perfect finish to a bowl or two of ramen afterwards.
Overall, the ramen sampled where both pretty good but it's hard to judge who's is better because they're different styles. Both were executed with style and speed, no one had to wait for an hour to get a bowl. The Shoyu was definitely in the ramen camp while the Army stew was more of a ramyun. It's like judging a fried cheekan vs. a rotisserie chicken. They may both contain chicken as with the noodle but totally two different creastures... Unless you deep fried the fucking rotisserie chicken whole, then that's another story. As for overall taste, the Shoyu edged out the Army stew by a Monchhichi's nose. If the Army stew was ultra spicy, that may have ended as a tie.
Hopefully, they will continue to do more ramen pop-ups, we need more of them... Wait, the pouch needs more of them. Ramen Crush will have to wait til next week, maybe by then they will have their shit worked out.
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