Sunday, July 17, 2011

Bull Ramen Popup at BreadBar

Ramen Bull is Breadbar's latest new ramen popup, which runs Monday-Saturday until Sept 1. Chef Noriyuki Sugie of Ironnori Concepts is the brains behind the operation, combining hearty meats with steamy bowls of ramen.
I came ill prepared. At Breadbar's Yatai Ramen event last year, we brought our own alcoholic drinks because Breadbar does not offer any. This time, we forgot. However this Hibiscus Tea Soda made with the lime, soda and mint, was quite good. It was refreshing and tasted almost like a mojito, sans alcohol.

The menu is simple. All beef toppings such as short ribs, oxtail and corned beef. You can order additional items either as toppings on the ramen or as sides. We opted for sides so that the additions would not interfere with the original ramen order.
Beef tongue was almost like beef carpaccio. The meat was thin and buttery. It really did not have a strong offal taste so I would recommend this to people that typically avoid offal. The beef tongue was simply topped with ginger scallion dots.
The side of oxtail was incredibly fork tender, with some fatty pieces surrounding the bone. It had a rustic salty taste to it. Eating this really brought back memories of the oxtail stew that my mom would prepare for dinner.
Spicy ramen was extremely flavorful but not too spicy. The marinated ground meat added additional layers of flavor to the already delicious broth.
Because I can't get enough of oxtail, I went for the oxtail ramen. There were two large pieces of oxtail, as well as mushrooms and a soft boiled egg. I preferred this version to the oxtail ramen that I had at Yatai because the soup here was thicker and heartier.

Bull Ramen popup was a great experience. I really enjoyed the meats that were chosen, from the hearty robust-flavored oxtail to the delicate velvety beef tongue. It's a great way to showcase the common household ramen and turn it into something more than just a post-bar drunkard college meal.

Hits: oxtail, beef tongue
Misses: no alcohol
Rating: ***1/2

Ramen Bull at Breadbar
8718 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310-205-0124
www.breadbar.net

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