Koko Ramen in Waco, Texas

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/4.5, 1/160 sec, ISO400
“Tonkotsu Ramen” Waco, 2019

こんにちは!How’s it going?

Today after I picked up Koa from his band camp in Waco, we decided to get some lunch before heading back home. He was tired of burgers, pizza, and Mexican food (I guess those were on the menu during camp all week) so we checked the local listings on Yelp for ramen. I didn’t think there would be much, but the first result was a food truck named “Koko Ramen” so we decided to give it a try. I wasn’t sure if it would be open on a Saturday afternoon but we were in luck and Koko Ramen was serving food.

The food truck is situated in a small parking lot and shares a nice outdoor eating/drinking area with a bar. We didn’t go check it out, but it seems like a nice arrangement. I can imagine grabbing a few beers and then slurping down noodles… sound like a fun evening!

Koa ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen and I ordered the Miso Ramen and we were both pleased with the flavor and amount of food. I guess we weren’t expecting too much from the food truck, but it really delivered! They don’t skimp on the toppings, with a whole ajitama egg, menma, pickled veggies, etc. The noodles were also satisfying in their texture and amount.

The ramen was served in a disposable cardboard bowl, which was interesting, and the soup spoon was also a strange cardboard/paper disposable type. I’ve never seen disposable noodle spoons before, but I guess it makes sense since food trucks don’t have the means to wash dishes.

We also ordered the pulled-pork egg rolls, which were pretty much what you’d expect. So if you’re in the mood for a taste of barbecue, why not try some? Speaking of barbecue, the pork in the ramen was a special barbecue style. According to the website, their proteins are smoked at a local bbq house. Sounds like a win-win arrangement. You can read more in the Texas Monthly article about Koko Ramen.

By the way, one of Koa’s nicknames is “Koko” so that made the experience extra special. 😊🍜

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/5.6, 1/280 sec, ISO400
“Koko Ramen” Waco, 2019

While I prefer the ramen at other traditional restaurants, as a food truck, Koko Ramen rates pretty highly in my book. Give it a try if you’re in Waco!

I hope you had a nice day!

またね~

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/4.5, 1/140 sec, ISO400
“Double Egg” Waco, 2019

Spicy Instant Ramyun

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
“Egg and Kimchee” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

I’m sure many people who eat instant ramen like to “fancy it up” with extra ingredients from the fridge, right? My go-to is always an egg that I will drop in with two minutes to go on the timer, but for the Korean Ramyun I enjoyed today, I added a healthy amount of kimchee. It’s just so yummy! Now that I think about it, I don’t know why I am not adding nori to my ramen too. We usually have some on-hand in the freezer so there’s no excuse not to.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO3200
“Spicy Ramyun” Cedar Park, 2019

I hope you had a good day!

またね~

We Tried a New, Nearby Ramen Restaurant

"Black Tonkotsu Ramen" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/35 sec, ISO800
“Black Tonkotsu Ramen” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight the boys and I went to a newly opened ramen restaurant that’s located near our house. EurAsia Ramen offers several different types of ramen, poké bowls, and sushi rolls. By looking at the website, I suspected that the restaurant wasn’t Japanese-owned so I wasn’t expecting a typical Japanese ramen experience, but I’m open-minded and willing to give a new restaurant a chance.

I decided on the Signature EurAsia Black Tonkotsu Ramen, while Koa got the Miso Ramen, and Bay tried the California Poké. The portions were a little on the small size for the price. I’d expect to pay about US $8.00 for the amount we received, but it wasn’t too unreasonable.

On to the important part, which is taste. I rate the ramen I had a 5 out of 10. It wasn’t bad, but not great. The flavor of the broth was a little bland, and the noodles were very thin. The noodles in Koa’s Miso ramen were thicker and eggier… not sure why. There was a good amount of charsiu pork in the bowl, which was nice, however, it had a generic “hammy” taste, almost like a spiral ham you might eat at Easter or Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, Bay’s poké bowl was unimpressive, with the main ingredient “snow crab mix” being just a lot of surimi. Not great.

Of course, I want local restauranteurs to succeed, and I think EurAsia Ramen might do ok because the dishes are “good enough” for those who may not be as particular about ramen as I am, but I don’t think I’ll be back. There are simply better ramen offerings in Austin, such as Ramen Tatsu-Ya and Daruma Ramen.

またね~

"Poké Bowl" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/25 sec, ISO800
“Poké Bowl” Cedar Park, 2019