Ramen Eats: Day 1 - Tokyo-Ya Ramen

Image taken from the restaurant google post

Ramen Eats: Day 1 - Tokyo-ya Ramen

In 2018, I was an eager connoisseur of ramen throughout Washington state. On weekends, I would travel around the state and eat ramen at a new restaurant. Soon, I could boast about eating at nearly 90% of the establishments around the state.

It is no longer 2018; I can no longer boast about this accomplishment. As of June 28th, 2024, I begin my journey to eat at every ramen restaurant in the state. I will track my progress in the form of this food blog and leave a review for others looking to eat the best ramen possible.

I will review the location, atmosphere, and food in these blogs for the best experience.

Day 1 —

I chose to eat at Tokyo-ya Ramen in Federal Way, Washington. The address is 31507 Pacific Hwy S, Federal Way, WA 98003. I arrived at lunchtime right as the lunch rush ended.

Location —

Overall the parking is crowded as the shop is part of a complex of stores. However, it wasn't hard to find parking with a walk to the entrance. I can see this dying down during the evening meals, and parking is readily available for shorter walks.

If you are looking to make a shopping trip that includes eating out, there are some brand-name stores nearby, such as Best Buy, PetCo, and Joanne's Crafting Store.

If you are looking for something less busy, you should look elsewhere.

Atmosphere —

when entering, there is a small entryway where you wait to be seated. The restaurant is small, consisting of mostly two-person booths with a couple of larger tables for parties. Low-level music plays softly over the speakers without drowning out conversation. The layout allows for quiet conversations for dates or eating out with friends. Overall, the noise level was acceptable and respectful.

Service Quality —

I have had some bad ramen, and starting a sentence about service this way usually preempts a lousy review. But I'm only pulling legs here.

For these "first" time reviews, I will always get the same thing if it is available at a restaurant. An order of gyoza as an appetizer and a bowl of Tonkatsu Ramen. The drink of choice is yours, as I do not drink alcohol or other custom drinks.

After ordering, I did not wait long before somebody brought the food. It took about 8 minutes from ordering to eating.

As for the appetizer, it was your generic bulk order of frozen gyoza steamed via pan and seared on one side. It tasted alright but lacks that home touch that makes you hungry for more.

When eating ramen, a few categories genuinely make ramen shine.

Broth —

This restaurant has several tonkatsu choices. Miso, Shoyu, and Shio. I chose the Miso. Overall, the tonkatsu Miso ramen was good. It was flavorful and used Miso heavily as the base. The broth was good on its own, but as you eat, the flavor begins to wear on you as the noodles do not soak up the flavor. It was Noodles and Soup. If it was a little richer, I feel the broth would be amazing.

Noodles —

When going to a ramen shop, the fear you have is that the noodles that are undercooked in bulk are left out to cool, and then, upon ordering, everything is tossed together as it is brought to your table. Luckily, this restaurant is not that kind of shop. The noodles are cooked to order, pulled out al dente, and continue to cook in the hot broth at the table as you eat your appetizers. I prefer softer noodles when I eat, and the noodles can't cook to that degree in the bowl in the time it takes to eat the appetizer.

On another note, the noodles were not too firm, and I felt no discomfort while eating them. This is a plus, as cold noodles in hot soup is a terrible experience.

I was not disappointed in the quantity of noodles. I came hungry, having not eaten breakfast due to work. I was able to eat my fill without wanting more and managed to finish the noodles without complaint.

Toppings —

usually, this category is reserved for the key components of the toppings. That being the pork. But this restaurant requires a little extra coverage. The pork was proper. It was just tender enough on the edges to be enjoyable but was a bit crumbly and dry in the center. I don't know if this is due to the cut of pork or if it's a bulk order of frozen products. This is your standard quality pork in most ramen places. Yawn... pass it up.

However, the rest of the toppings left me wanting more, but there is more on the menu if you order the additions. There may be several reasons, but I am not qualified to explain why. The other toppings in the bowl were Menma(bamboo stalk), Naruto(fish cake), Ramen Egg, and some greens such as Wakame, Blackwood Ear Mushrooms, and Scallions. These were all light and were nothing more than teasers in the bowl. I was disappointed; I needed more to enjoy the full profile of the ramen. If you plan on ordering as is on the menu, be aware.

The most disappointing part of the toppings was the egg halves. They were properly done; however, this place uses bulk-cooked eggs and refrigerates them before putting them in the bowl. When biting into the egg, the temperature difference is noticeable, making it overall a bad option.

Menu —

In the future, when eating at this location, I will begin to experiment with the menu. I am a huge fan of spicy noodles, and when ordering for pleasure rather than investigation, I order extra eggs for my wife and spicy noodles for myself. I tend to go for the black garlic additions, which adds that savory, rich profile I like.

Overall, how would I rate my experience with this restaurant?

I give it ★★★★☆. It does not quite meet my standards of taste and substance. However, it is fast, tastes good, and has a pleasant atmosphere, making it a good choice for a bowl of ramen on the go.

Ramen Eats: Day 1 - Tokyo-Ya Ramen