If your experiences with ramen all involve tiny aluminum foil flavor packets and a dorm room microwave, it’s time to ratchet up your noodle savvy at Tamashii Ramen House, a tasty new spot in Midtown devoted to authentic, enticing forms of that stale college staple. Located at 321 NW 8th St., this brand new noodle house offers meticulously crafted — and delicious — Japanese comfort food. In contrast to your sophomore roommate’s hastily warmed 2 a.m. hangover repellant, ramen at Tamashii is painstakingly crafted over a period of hours from a vibrant palette of fresh ingredients.
Simple and specialized, Tamashii serves ramen in three forms: tonkotsu (pork-based, dense, and creamy), shoyu (clear broth and elements of the sea), and spicy (sesame-accented with spicy pork and green onion). The spicy option is hearty and delivers a perfect parcel of heat without letting chemical burns crowd out the chorus of flavors. It’s less a kick to the mouth and more an enticing zap layered perfectly among all of the other wonderful things that are happening in the bowl. Customize your noodle soup with black mushrooms, green onion, braised pork belly, spicy pork, seasoned soft-boiled egg, marinated bamboo, roasted seaweed squares, and fish cake.
The bowls are substantial in size and should be plenty to quiet most appetites, but it’s worth it to add one of their non-noodle entrees to split with friends (or demolish alone; we’re not judging). Tamashii’s garlic fried rice is a solid choice, and you’ll probably still be dreaming about it long after the fact. Packed with egg and green onion, this entrée boasts pitch-perfect garlic potency and a butter quotient that may test the limits of science. And since you’ve already committed to this gastronomic adventure, tack on a side of gyoza. These dumplings are perfectly seared and don’t even need soy sauce, but go ahead and drown them in it anyway because it makes them even tastier.
People say there’s always room for ice cream, and at Tamashii the saying applies. Mochi is pounded sticky rice with ice cream sealed inside, and a single “scoop” is about the size, shape and color of a macaroon. The smooth, rice-sourced coating, surprisingly, makes perfect sense as a vector of ice cream transmission. If you’ve never tried mochi, it should be refreshing for even the most jaded foodie to find a new way to consume sugar.
Given Tamashii’s beer-friendly Midtown neighbors, it may come as a surprise that there’s no alcohol on the menu. That’s not a criticism — the place is fine without it — but it’s hard to deny that some of this stuff would pair pretty well with a glass of Sapporo.
Tamashii, which means “soul” or “spirit” in Japanese, is open for lunch and dinner, but they bar the doors for a few hours between mealtimes so new broth can be magicked into existence. Hours are a bit unpredictable; if the broth runs out, that’s curtains. But they do make sure to post those kinds of alerts on their Facebook page, so maybe give it a glance before you head over.
