Sorry folks. I’ve had a long day and I wanted to get this done in a hurry so people will still have a chance to try it. You’ve got one more day to get to the Mitsuwa Hokkaido food fair if you want to try out Komaoka Ramen’s karamiso (spicy miso) ramen. It ends Sunday, and if you don’t go/can’t make it, here’s what you’re missing out on/you’ve missed out on.
The karamiso ramen comes with a bowl of ramen and a plate of 3 small rice balls. Why a plate of 3 rice balls? Why not, I guess. The ramen was piping hot, and the soup was tasty. There was a heavy sesame oil flavor and actually not a lot of spiciness. The soup tasted like it was made to complement mabo tofu (a spicy Chinese tofu dish that’s also popular in Japan, especially in ramen) and I would go so far as to call it a mabo tofu miso ramen, except, again, minus the spiciness.
The noodles were chewy, and maybe even a bit on the undercooked side, but good. The minced pork bits and green onions went well with the ramen, but the chashu was really lackluster: lean and without enough flavor.
Komaoka’s karamiso ramen was good, but could’ve had more umph to push it to the next level. It gets an above average 6/10 and is worth trying out if you’re looking for something different.
Komaoka Ramen (until Sunday 9/19)
in the Costa Mesa Mitsuwa
665 Paularino Ave
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
