Bad Bones, Delicious Ramen
Given my oft-touted dislike of eggs, it should not be a surprise that I didn’t try ramen for the first time until about 4 years ago in Providence, Rhode Island. Now there’s a combination you weren’t expecting to see today. Once I figured out that you could ask them to omit the egg (as long as you are OK with the dirty looks from the more authentic Japanese ramen joints), my life changed. I love Japanese noodle soup so much, I cannot help ramen it down my throat.
I am not even a little sorry.
Bad Bones Ramen has been around a while, and I had been there before. I don’t think I was writing food reviews at the time though, so here we are! With Sarah out of town camping with her kids, my good friend Kim came with me for some amazing hot noods. It was her first time, so she was relying on me for advice. A bold strategy!
If you offer me gyoza as a starter, I am going to have gyoza as a starter.I couldn’t quite place the red sauce they served with it, but it was sweeter and less spicy than I expected. We both really enjoyed this opening taste, simple though it may have been.
We both went with the pork shoyu, pictured here sans egg.because it’s mine. Kim did balk a little at the unconventional presentation (in her experience, anyway), but that deliciously crispy pork belly on the top was no small part of her decision to dive in. If you’re new to ramen, the weird-looking mushrooms and literal sheet of seaweed really can be intimidating. They are, however, delicious and integral to the dish.
It’s always been my thought that a good ramen lives and dies by the broth. This one lived a very long and delicious time, Last time I visited Bad Bones I was short of amazed, but this batch of broth really delivered. Rich and savoury, it was the perfect offset for the thin slices of pork tenderloin in the dish.The serving was really rather generous, leaving us both quite full by the time we got through. Well, I did. I got to have the distinct comedic pleasure of watching Kim trying to pour leftover broth into a takeout container.
If you’ve never had ramen, or have not yet tried Bad Bones, you definitely should. The value is top notch and, on their best days, the broth is incomparable.
