Photo by Maru Ramen Bar

What is better to soothe the soul than soup on a cold and chilly day? For me, it was Maru Ramen Bar! I headed in for lunch to give this ramen bar a visit after fellow writer of the Elk Grove Tribune, Michelle Silveira, dropped by Maru Ramen for its grand opening in September. It was close to home, so worth a visit. Upon entering the door, I was greeted by the staff and seated immediately. It wasn’t a busy time of day compared to what I had been reading. As I looked around, I noticed their signature decor – the decorated tree near the center of the room surrounded by a large square bar. It looks fantastic and goes well with their entire concept.

The Atmosphere

If you haven’t been to Maru Ramen Bar, it is located in the same building as UPS off of Elk Grove Blvd. From the outside looking in, the area appears to be bustling. Once you open the door of Maru Ramen and walk in, you meet a calm. Everyone is either busy eating or quietly chatting away. Off to the side towards the bar was a doorway that connects to Moo Moo Tea House. I was seated quickly after they cleaned off a table for me.

Photo by Sai Vang

When I first arrived, the ambiance was quiet and respectful. It was nicely decorated, clean, comfortable, and cozy. It stayed that way until a little past 1:00 PM. Maru Ramen stayed quiet, but the level of noise increased at Moo Moo next door. Only after I decided to go wash my hands did I realize there was a large group of kids hanging out next door. They were the source of the noise.

The Food

I asked the waiter to recommend their most popular dishes. After going over the menu with the waiter, I decided to order the Maru Ramen, Tori Paitan, Goyza, and Soy Garlic Glazed Wings.

Maru Ramen

The Maru Ramen was their specialty ramen bowl. According to the waiter, it was the one with more ingredients added to it. It is ramen with creamy pork bone broth, pork chasu, pork cheeks, boiled eggs, green onion, aromatic oil, sesame chili oil, black garlic oil, fried burdock, nori, and toasted sesame seeds. At first bite, I thought to myself, “It tastes exactly like it should.” The noodles were al dente. It was the perfect texture for my preference. The broth was creamy with a hint of pork flavor that was not overpowering at all; however, the fried burdock did catch me by surprise, though. Did you know burdock has a lot of health properties? According to healthline.com, it is full of antioxidants, removes toxins from blood, and can help treat skin issues, and holds many other health properties. So while you slurp down that bowl of ramen, be sure to enjoy the fried burdock as well.

Tori Paitan w/out Pork Chashu. Added corn & spinach.

The Tori Paitan is one of their chicken broth ramen dishes. It consists of creamy chicken bone broth, pork chashu, boiled egg, green onion, aromatic oil, nori, and toasted sesame seeds. This bowl was ordered for my friend who requested for no pork, so the chashu was removed. Corn and spinach were added as additional toppings. The broth was creamy as advertised with a hint of chicken as flavoring.

Soy Garlic Glazed Wings

This is the Soy Garlic Glazed Chicken Wings. It was delicious! The wings were cooked to perfection and full of flavor. The outside was still crispy even with the glaze smothered all over.

Gyoza (Pot Stickers)

Recommendations

Of the many ramen shops here in Elk Grove, Maru Ramen Bar should be one of the shops to stop by on your list. Whether you’re a ramen eater or not, it is a must try to understand what all the rave is about. The base of a perfect ramen bowl is the noodle and broth. Getting this right isn’t always easy. If you know the history behind the broth, you know how hard it can be to achieve the perfect umami flavor.

So, what are you waiting for? Go have a taste!