Menya Ultra Ramen continues to be our go-to spot for ramen in San Diego these days. I did an initial post during soft opening and wanted to share an updated post now that the restaurant has had a chance to settle and finalize their menu.
We went for an early dinner Saturday and I was a little surprised to find that the lines are still long. We waited about 30 minutes before being seated.
Paiko Tantan Men
This is the Japanese take on Chinese Sichuan dandan noodles, a dish usually consisting of noodles served with minced pork in a sesame and chili oil sauce. Similarly, the Japanese version features a sesame and red chili sauce laced broth (though not quite as spicy as the Chinese version) and is topped with minced pork.
I also got the version with the pork cutlet.
The broth had wonderful layers of flavor from the sesame, chili oil and peppers, but I found it to be a little too concentrated for sipping. Perhaps it was also because it reminded me so much of the Chinese version, where the sauce is not usually consumed by itself
Mr. K actually really enjoyed this one a lot and preferred it over the tonkotsu.
Tonkotsu Ajitama Ramen
My favorite is still their classic tonkotsu ramen topped with the soft boiled egg. I love the rich savory pork flavor, the way the creamy broth coats the bouncy fresh noodles and the perfectly cooked soft boiled egg.
Ice Cream Tempura
This was our first time getting the ice cream tempura which I’ve heard good things about. Perhaps it was an off day, but I didn’t really enjoy this one. The tempura batter felt extremely greasy.
Overall, we had another good meal here. Service is quite friendly though they still seem to be working out the kinks. It seems every time we come, they are training new staff, so there were mistakes being made. But we definitely still plan on coming back.
Menu:
You can read my initial post here.
Menya Ultra
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92111
I’m still waiting for the lines to die down!
aww. maybe a weekday?