iacrenter
Well-known member
Anyone try this place yet? Is it better than Shinsengumi or Santouka?
https://www.yelp.com/biz/hironori-craft-ramen-irvine
http://www.ocregister.com/2017/07/12/review-another-new-ramen-joint-raises-the-bar-yet-again/
Review: Another new ramen joint raises the bar yet again
By BRAD A. JOHNSON | bajohnson@scng.com | Orange County Register
July 12, 2017 at 5:00 pm
?Are you familiar with the ramen rule?? asks the waiter at HiroNori, a new Japanese ramen noodle shop in Irvine.
?Do you mean the rule about slurping?? I ask, wondering if he?s going to tell me that slurping loudly is not merely acceptable but actually preferred. It?s a sign of respect to the kitchen. Plus, slurping allows the diner to experience all the flavors and aromas more fully.
?No, not that one,? he says.
?Is it your rule against tipping?? I ask, already knowing that while this is a full-service restaurant, they do not allow tipping. Service is automatically factored into the bill.
?No, not that one, either,? he says.
That?s when he stops me and tells us that if the chef puts a bowl of ramen in the window, the waiters must drop whatever they?re doing and rush to the kitchen to deliver the hot soup immediately, even if that means stopping short of taking a someone?s order and returning a minute later to finish.
I?m not sure that?s an actual rule in the global scheme of ramen shops, but it makes sense, particularly for such a small, bustling restaurant like this. There?s not much room at the kitchen window for bowls to pile up.
HiroNori recently opened in the same Irvine strip mall as Ootoro Sushi and that new food hall called Trade. It?s a family-run affair, with a chef who previously opened Silverlake Ramen in Los Angeles, which was wildly popular long before the ramen trend kicked into high gear. The dining room is small, with seating for only about 35 people crammed in like sardines.
The menu is short and simple with a tight focus on ramen, which is available with a pork-bone tonkotsu broth or a soy-based shoyu broth. Tonkotsu is the true star here. It is an ultra-fatty broth infused with so much collagen that it is almost white, like cream. And the chashu (slow-roasted pork belly) is incredible. The pork is heavily charred around the edges, as if it caught fire and smoldered for a few minutes before coming out of the oven. The char gives it extra acridity, which helps balance the fattiness of the broth. And in an unusual move, the noodles are paired with shredded cabbage, which gives the soup an unexpected dimension of texture and flavor.
That same pork is available in a rice bowl or stuffed into pillowy, marshmallowy Chinese-style milk buns (bao) with hoisin sauce. But really you?re just here for the ramen.
I love everything about this place except the cheap plastic cups, which seem out of context next to the restaurant?s beautiful Japanese pottery in which the soup is served. I?m told they might be getting nicer cups when they get their liquor license, due sometime this summer.
Don?t everybody rush this place at once. There?s already a steady queue of hungry diners anxiously waiting to get in.
Where: 2222 Michelson Drive, Irvine
When: lunch and dinner daily
Phone: 949-536-5800
https://www.yelp.com/biz/hironori-craft-ramen-irvine
http://www.ocregister.com/2017/07/12/review-another-new-ramen-joint-raises-the-bar-yet-again/
Review: Another new ramen joint raises the bar yet again
By BRAD A. JOHNSON | bajohnson@scng.com | Orange County Register
July 12, 2017 at 5:00 pm
?Are you familiar with the ramen rule?? asks the waiter at HiroNori, a new Japanese ramen noodle shop in Irvine.
?Do you mean the rule about slurping?? I ask, wondering if he?s going to tell me that slurping loudly is not merely acceptable but actually preferred. It?s a sign of respect to the kitchen. Plus, slurping allows the diner to experience all the flavors and aromas more fully.
?No, not that one,? he says.
?Is it your rule against tipping?? I ask, already knowing that while this is a full-service restaurant, they do not allow tipping. Service is automatically factored into the bill.
?No, not that one, either,? he says.
That?s when he stops me and tells us that if the chef puts a bowl of ramen in the window, the waiters must drop whatever they?re doing and rush to the kitchen to deliver the hot soup immediately, even if that means stopping short of taking a someone?s order and returning a minute later to finish.
I?m not sure that?s an actual rule in the global scheme of ramen shops, but it makes sense, particularly for such a small, bustling restaurant like this. There?s not much room at the kitchen window for bowls to pile up.
HiroNori recently opened in the same Irvine strip mall as Ootoro Sushi and that new food hall called Trade. It?s a family-run affair, with a chef who previously opened Silverlake Ramen in Los Angeles, which was wildly popular long before the ramen trend kicked into high gear. The dining room is small, with seating for only about 35 people crammed in like sardines.
The menu is short and simple with a tight focus on ramen, which is available with a pork-bone tonkotsu broth or a soy-based shoyu broth. Tonkotsu is the true star here. It is an ultra-fatty broth infused with so much collagen that it is almost white, like cream. And the chashu (slow-roasted pork belly) is incredible. The pork is heavily charred around the edges, as if it caught fire and smoldered for a few minutes before coming out of the oven. The char gives it extra acridity, which helps balance the fattiness of the broth. And in an unusual move, the noodles are paired with shredded cabbage, which gives the soup an unexpected dimension of texture and flavor.
That same pork is available in a rice bowl or stuffed into pillowy, marshmallowy Chinese-style milk buns (bao) with hoisin sauce. But really you?re just here for the ramen.
I love everything about this place except the cheap plastic cups, which seem out of context next to the restaurant?s beautiful Japanese pottery in which the soup is served. I?m told they might be getting nicer cups when they get their liquor license, due sometime this summer.
Don?t everybody rush this place at once. There?s already a steady queue of hungry diners anxiously waiting to get in.
Where: 2222 Michelson Drive, Irvine
When: lunch and dinner daily
Phone: 949-536-5800
