Address: 4240 Kearny Mesa Rd, San Diego, CA 92111
Date Visited: 5/29/2017
# of Marathoners: 7 (Alli, Jayzee, Jenne, Laura, Michael, Miko, Sarah P)

SCORES
Scale:
1: I hated it  ♦ 2: I did not like it ♦ 3: I am neutral ♦ 4: I liked it ♦ 5: I loved it

• Overall: 3
• Noodle: 2.79
• Broth: 2.79
• Meat: 3.29
• Egg: 1
• Additional Toppings: 3

Alli

• Order: Toroniku (Special Pork) Salt Ramen, Regular Size (#7), shared with Sarah P
• Overall Score: 3
• Noodle: Thin, kind of dry? 2
• Broth: Decent. We got the “salt” version and it’s salty! 3
• Meat: Great fat chunks. Thin slices though. Not flavored. 3
• Egg: No egg! N/A
• Additional Toppings: 4
• Price: A little high.
• Service: Quick.
• Ambience: Shopping mall atmosphere and lights. Good fake examples of ramen at the front — helpful!
• Impression/Would You Come Here Again? Nah.

Jayzee

• Order: Shio Ramen, Regular Size (#1)
• Overall Score: 3
• Noodle: 3
• Broth: Good fat, one note. 2
• Meat: Underwhelming. 2
• Egg: N/A
• Additional Toppings: 2
• Service: Cash only.
• Impression/Would You Come Here Again? Yes.

Jenne

• Order: Chashu (Pork) Soy Sauce Ramen, Large Size (#16), shared with Michael
• Overall Score: 2
• Noodle: Not overcooked, but nothing special. 3
• Broth: Kind of bitter? 1
• Meat: Tastes like what you get in Japan. 4
• Egg: N/A
• Additional Toppings: Extra points for naruto! 4
• Price: Seems really expensive!
• Service: Counter service is fine by me!
• Ambience: Well, it’s in the middle of a grocery store, so.
• Impression/Would You Come Here Again? No.

Laura

• Order: Toroniku (Special Pork) Salt Ramen, Small Size (#8)
• Overall Score: 4.5
• Noodle: Good but nothing special. 3.5
• Broth: Perfectly salty and fatty. 5
• Meat: Toroniku is so good and it has a nice sear with deliciously salty shoyu seasoning. 5
• Egg: N/A
• Additional Toppings: All very nice. 4
• Price: Kind of expensive for a small.
• Service: No frills but I kinda like that non-pressure.
• Impression/Would You Come Here Again? Yes, duh!

Michael

• Order: Chashu (Pork) Soy Sauce Ramen, Large Size (#16), shared with Jenne
• Overall Score: 2
• Noodle: I prefer white flour noodles to the yellow eggy ones. Cooked well though. 2
• Broth: Shoyu is not my favorite in general. Not anything special. Just kind of bitter and salty. 2
• Meat: A little dry. 3
• Egg: N/A
• Additional Toppings: 3
• Service: Meh. Counter service.
• Ambience: I kind of like it actually.
• Impression/Would You Come Here Again? No.

Miko

• Order: Miso Ramen Small Size + Flavored Egg (#22)
• Overall Score: 3
• Noodle: Could be firmer, but it’s the kind of noodle I like. 3
• Broth: It’s too strong to finish by itself. It would be good with rice. With rice, it would get a higher score. 2.5
• Meat: Fatty but not super-soft as it should be. 3
• Egg: I paid extra for an abysmal egg. It’s boiled till the whites are rubbery and the yolk has that greenish tinge. 1

• Additional Toppings: Mushrooms are not my fave, but they do have menma (although it’s kind of dry and too fibrous), and naruto (yay naruto). 2
• Price: Expensive!
• Service: Almost not applicable because it’s counter service. I like counter service though. And it’s informal. Very efficient. They bus your table at the end.
• Ambience: Casual, family-friendly.
• Impression/Would You Come Here Again? Yes. I’ve always liked food courts.

Sarah P

• Order: Toroniku (Special Pork) Salt Ramen, Regular Size (#7), shared with Alli
• Overall Score: 3.5
• Noodle: Thin, pretty firm. 3
• Broth: Nice and salty but could use more meatiness. Hint of sesame detectable. It grew on me! Probably best component of dish. 4
• Meat: Nothing special to the special pork. Ok but a little bland. Also too fatty for my taste. 3
• Egg: No egg! N/A
• Additional Toppings: Weird aftertaste to bamboo shoots. Pickled? Tasteless mushroom/seaweed? Green onions are solid. Random fish cake. 2
• Price: On the high side, especially with no egg?
• Service: Counter service — quick.
• Ambience: Very casual in a food court.
• Impression/Would You Come Here Again? Yes.