Ten Ten Ramen: Mt. Vernon, Baltimore, MD, USA
Ten Ten Ramen is only a few short blocks from my apartment here in Baltimore. To be honest, I didn’t want to try it since my Japanese friends said that it was terrible. I’d like to think that the comments by real Japanese would trump that of Yelp. However, one of my friends was leaving Baltimore for good and decided that his last farewell dinner would be at Ten Ten Ramen. Ordering is a bit strange: you look at a board for specials, but you order from a menu at a register that is located by the kitchen window. On the right of the register, there is a little Japanese mini mart or rather a mini version of a mini-mart. Here there are little Japanese snacks and candies for sale.
curry ramen (up top)
I only tried one thing at dinner tonight: curry ramen (かれら面). My Japanese friends refused to believe me that curry ramen exists, but yet again, Baltimore never fails to surprise me. Apparently curry udon is quite popular in Japanese cuisine, but not curry ramen.
Curry Ramen (かれら面)
PROS
- great quantity, definitely American sized
- broth was savory, definitely tasted of curry
- noodles were not overcooked and limp.
CONS
- meat (chashu) was chopped: I’d rather have it in thick slices
- result: super dry meat
- meat was way too salty: it was as if it sat in the marinade for 36 hours longer than it needed to be.
- broth was not strong enough in regards to “curry” flavor. It didn’t have as strong of a “bonito” flavor as well: in fact it just tasted like watered down leftover curry sauce.
curry ramen (close)
I definitely would agree with my Japanese friends, especially after having some ridiculously amazing ramen in New York. Perhaps this was a “fusion” ramen place, but if the restaurant was going to charge New York city prices (or close to it), then it should at least be up to par. Sadly, I was disappointed. All in all a summary:
- curry ramen (かれら面): **.9 (2.9 stars)
If you wanted to find Ten Ten Ramen and try them for yourself, you can find them here:
413 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 244-6988
Until next time, don’t settle for less – strive to eat the best!
R/g
