We met some friends at Tori 44 the new ramen offering from the creators of Tori Ramen. Buoyed by the knowledge that the St. Paul location has always been excellent we were excited. Having friends with also meant that we had an opportunity to see and try more things.
Between us we had:
- Show You (Shoyu): Chicken, Soft Eggs, Beansprouts, Yu Choy, Scallion, and Sesame
- Chicken Noodle Soup (Torikotsu): Chicken, Yu Choy, Soft Egg, Beansprouts, Burdock, Scallion, Sessame
- Kor Dee Yuh (Korean Ramen): Chicken, Kim-chi, Yu Choy, Gochu, Beansprouts, Slow Poached Egg, Black Garlic Oil, Sesame, Scallion
- Cardi BFG: Black Cardamom Ground Goat, Shiitake, Radish, Sweet Soy, Soy Egg, Cilantro
- Yucayaki: Fried Yuca, Plum Sauce. House Mayo, Bonito Flakes
- Boneless Wings: Korean Chili Sauce, Sweet Soy, Kimchi
- Sunday Morning: Smoked Tomato, Lime, Sake, Beer, Gochujang
In the end, a total bust. The broths lacked depth or flavor. The chicken in the Show You was tough and dry. The Cardi BFG didn't have any of the varied textures and flavor notes you would expect of a rice bowl. The yucca was mushy with no real flavor of its own, the plum and mayo were totally absent in the flavor profile, and the whole thing was totally overwhelmed by the bonito flakes. The chicken wings were firm but neither dry or juicy; they just lacked any character other than presentation. And, finally, the Sunday Morning was almost undrinkable. I like bitter things but this was bitter in all the wrong ways. The plates and bowls were pretty, the noodles were good, that is all.
With the food out of the way I would like to say that, like the original location, that the ambiance was great, unfortunately I can't do that either. Where St. Paul is efficiently spaced and run Minneapolis is chaotic and erratic. Were it not for one employee who seemed to care it would have gone off the rails, most of the staff seemed aloof and indifferent. The two room layout makes the "counter service" that works so well in St. Paul clunky and awkward. The "counter" in the main room feels like a server stand, not someplace to order. None of it seemed like it worked.
I'm not a hater, I want to love this place; it just has a long way to go. 2/10
