Jan. 06--Streeterville was cold last Saturday night, with temps below freezing and the wind blowing. Yet people stood patiently outside the entrance to Ramen Misoya, the new fast casual restaurant at 213 E. Ohio St.; the lucky ones huddled inside the bright orange vestibule outside the door, the others out on the sidewalk. Clearly, I thought, these people are true ramen lovers if they are willing to endure the wait in winter weather.
Any wonderment on my part melted on first slurp. Ramen Misoya serves a lovely tummy-warming bowl of hot noodle soup. I'd gladly wait outside for it again. The restaurant, whose official name is Ramen Misoya Chicago Downtown according to staff, opened Dec. 28, part of a global chain of ramen restaurants. There's one in Mount Prospect that gets rave reviews; perhaps a reason why this location is so crowded just days after opening.
Like so many restaurants these days, the menu allows the diner to customize his or her meal. Start with the two basic styles of broth offered here, both seasoned with miso (fermented soybean paste). The "gold," served in red bowls, is "full-bodied," as promised on the menu. The "silver" is lighter. Both bowls hold ramen noodles, ground pork, bean sprouts, cabbage, a soft-boiled egg, fried onions and bamboo shoots. It's a savory combination with plenty of umami.
Unsure how to build a bowl? No worries. Ramen Misoya offers set combinations that offer sliced pork, fried battered shrimp, fried chicken, spicy miso or more vegetables. The menu recommends the cha-shu ramen bowl, garnished with slices of tender miso-rubbed pork. The slices come as big rounds. They may seem too hefty for chopsticks but the meat pulls apart easily.
Add-ins are encouraged. Choose three pieces of fried chicken (kara-age), extra noodles, maybe another egg, nori sheets, corn kernels or even a pat of butter (a common addition in northern Japan). The chicken has proven most popular, manager Toshi Kamiyama said.
Tonkotsu ramen, the style most often lauded by ramen enthusiasts, is here, too. Tonkotsu refers to a boiled pork bone broth; Misoya's version is served in a black bowl, offers a sheet of nori, chopped kikurage mushrooms and an eye-catching coin of naruto fish cake along with the other usual ingredients. The spicy version is ruddy with chile oil and offers a satisfying smoldering burn perfect on a winter's night. There's also a vegetarian "Vege Miso Ramen" bowl that comes with a heap of seasonal vegetables in a seaweed soup. Edamame, rice, green tea and soft drinks round out the menu.
Ramen Misoya's dining room is simple but handsome. The space is packed with wooden tables and there's a long counter with seating in the back. The place was full or nearly so both times I visited but I managed to get an open seat right away. Fortunately, the tables turn often as the attentive, friendly staff move quickly and smoothly to take and deliver orders.
Ramen Misoya, 213 E. Ohio St., 312-496-3566, http://www.misoya-usa.com.
wdaley@tribpub.com
