Mu Ramen’s Grand Opening
by Eso Romero

I’ve been looking forward to this opening for months. Delicious ramen is aplenty in San Francisco, and I hadn’t had a bowl since I arrived in NYC in July. Once a popular pop-up in a bagel shop in Hunters Point, Mu Ramen now has a place of its own. The ambiance of the restaurant rests largely on the creative decor and booming sound system. The wood-cut fixtures resembling ramen noodles trail across the ceiling over a large communal table with small succulent gardens dotting the table top. No chairs in this restaurant; only benches and beautifully designed three-legged stools.

Five-thirty on Monday was the official opening of Mu Ramen, though the previous week had been the soft opening. I arrived promptly at 5:30 and already a line formed outside the door, despite the cold and rainy weather. How could I blame them? Brothy ramen on a night like this? Perfect. Sadly, I didn’t make the first seating and was told that it was a 45 minute wait. I figured I had waited months; what was 45 minutes more? I sat on the benches that lined the brick walls, enviously watching people slurp ramen into their mouths. 

Forty-five minutes later, as promised, my companions and I were seated. I didn’t get to have the communal table experience; however, I was lucky to be seated at the few counter seats in the back overlooking the prep kitchen. It was the perfect location for my two daughters who were mesmerized by the flurry of activity. We marveled at the two humongous vats of 16-hour pork broth where all the magic begins. Heidy, one of the co-owners of Mu Ramen, was our friendly server. We ordered the edamame, tonkatsu 2.0 and the spicy miso.

We eagerly awaited our bowls of goodness, intrigued by the bustle; sous chefs busily preparing small plates of shishito peppers, blow torching the tops of pork slices and assembling the popular U and I starter, a layered treat of uni, spicy maguro, ikura, sushi rice, sesame, roasted nori and real wasabi. We snacked on the edamame, which was lightly charred on the stovetop with yuzu salt and served with key lime wedges. It was a fresh new take on edamame and at the end of the night, my ten-year-old claimed this dish as her favorite of the evening. It had a spicy edge to it that my younger one could only take for so long, but she loved the acidic flavors of the key lime.

Finally, the long-awaited ramen bowls arrived. The presentation of each bowl was gorgeous; individual ingredients in their own corners of the bowl, including the drizzle of mayu (black garlic oil). We dove into our bowls, savoring the flavorful depths of the broth. I added an extra topping of chasu (pork jowl) that simply melted in my mouth. The fresh corn off the cob was a sweet addition to the spicy miso. I dug deeper to get a taste of the noodles. Unfortunately, this was when I heard the record scratch across the turntable in my mind. I was surprised and quite disappointed to see a thick, doughy noodle, rather than the more traditional thin cut noodle (see picture of comparison). What was particularly irksome was that this disappointment could’ve been easily avoided had the menu been more explicit about the noodle types. For me the saving grace was the rich broth and the chasu, though I wonder if the broth would be less thick in consistency if the noodles weren’t so doughy. My girls loved their tonkatsu 2.0. My 7-year-old was a big fan of the noodles and couldn’t get enough of it. I ordered an extra topping of a seasoned egg which they enjoyed as well. I will definitely order this bowl for my next visit.  Although I was upset that I didn’t pick the “right” ramen, fifty dollars later we had full bellies and pretty satisfied palettes.

With the wintry season ahead of us, Mu Ramen is the place to keep you warm. Come with an appetite, a pocket full of bills at this cash-only establishment, and maybe a companion or two as they won’t seat any parties larger than 4.  Overall, one can’t really go wrong here. Everything is prepared with great care and creativity and I know that with time, it will only get better.