We’re going on an adventure!! Caleb and I don’t have an official date for our anniversary so a couple of years ago I picked April 15th as an arbitrary anniversary date and every year I remind him that while it’s the date that I made up, it kind of marks another year together! Success! We typically don’t really do much for it but seeing as this year we hit 5 years together Caleb decided we should have a more adventurous date day and try a new restaurant for a meal. We decided to finally go to this ramen place that we pass often in Ithaca that we’ve continued to claim we would try one day. Well, today is that day.
LOCATION: 512 W STATE ST., ITHACA, NY 14850
Maru Ramen has a cute pink storefront with big front windows that’s hard to miss and while I love ramen and was excited to try this place, Caleb tends to be more weary to try something new. Their menu has a few different types of cuisine included baos and pho along with ramen and dishes with kimchi so they’re really running the gamut of asian cuisines. Whenever I see a menu like this I tend to get a little weary about the quality or the authenticity of ingredients but I was hopeful that the namesake ramen would be enjoyable.
I tend to try tonkotsu ramen when I go to new places because it can really tell how good the restaurant is and I love a good pork belly but this time I decided to mix it up and go with the Tantan-men Ramen which, here, is made with a chicken broth, spicy tantan dashi, and includes their pork belly chashu, soy-cured soft-boiled egg, toasted sesame seeds, seaweed. ginger, and scallions. Originally, Caleb was going to get a chicken bibimbop which a classic safe choice for him. Chicken and rice usually can’t go wrong and doesn’t stretch too far beyond his comfort zone but before our waitress came back he changed his mind and decided to venture out and try some Tori Ramen which is Maru’s spicy shredded chicken ramen option. This also comes with the soy-cured soft-boiled egg, sesame seeds and all the veggies included in my ramen as well.
When it came out the bowls looked very promising. Caleb felt the bowls were quite big and deep though his had a more conical shape which give the illusion of being fuller from above than it actually is volumetrically. That doesn’t discount that this is a very generous serving of ramen which excited me. The top of the broth had a spicy oily top layer and a creamier fuller broth underneath which is always a good sign. I could tell right away that I wouldn’t like the chashu as much as I was hoping based on the cut and the lack of pork belly fat swirled throughout the pieces. They looked much leaner and therefore more dry than I was hoping for. After mixing in the toppings and the broth I also quickly noticed the straighter noodles as opposed to the wiggly chewy ones that I also prefer. Straighter noodles typically indicate a softer noodle with less chew that tend to get soggy after sitting in the broth for too long. There are, of course, straight noodles that are thinner and tend to hold up better but these were not those noodles. A good broth with average ingredients mean this place likely won’t be top of my list to revisit. While it was still a tasty dish with a great amount of kick and eggs done well, the noodles make or break this dish for me. I’m glad we ventured out and finally tried Maru Ramen but I can’t say I’d petition to go back again soon (though I’m also not opposed).