As promised in my original review we revisited Nami Ramen to give it another shot. It would appear that many of the issues they were struggling with when they first opened (poorly organized kitchen, incorrect orders, long waits, etc) have been resolved. Surely the reduced crowds have helped though; there was only six people in the restaurant during lunch Thursday. Four more diners would join us during the 45 minutes we ate in the restaurant.
The dining room is fresh and modern, and the owner deserves credit for not just recycling the decor from the former House of Wong that once occupied this space. In lieu of individual tables they have opted for long community style tables which, while an admirable choice, becomes awkward when the community doesn't show up for lunch. The optics of the empty community tables made the place feel much more empty that it actually was.
We both ordered the breakfast ramen, duplicating our order from the first day that we never got to try. They brought it out in about 5 minutes or so. First impressions were great, a big bowl of broth, full of ingredients and topped with a good serving of bacon. We dug in with our chopsticks and spoon and began to eat our lunch. The noodles didn't appear any different in appearance or taste than the ramen that I savored on many late nights in college. The bacon was billed as thick cut and smoked, but was neither. The poached egg promised on the menu was soft-boiled and oddly discolored. I will not speculate as to whether it picked up its grayish color from the broth or elsewhere. It was alarmingly unappetizing. The broth itself, as many have noted in these reviews, is disappointingly simple. One fun surprise did come during the meal; went to get a napkin to wipe my face with and there was a live spider on it.
A brief warning for those who are not proficient in the use of chopsticks, Nami does not offer forks, so you might want to bring your own or dine somewhere else. As a relative novice myself, I wound up with a lot of broth splash on my dress shirt that I got to wear around all afternoon. The stains on my shirt were an uncomfortable reminder of an otherwise forgettable meal.
Clayton offers a dynamic lunch scene with a hoard of hungry workers and a cornucopia of options. It is remarkable that at $17.69 for my lunch and a diet coke, Nami is the most expensive casual Clayton lunch option I have been to.
Nami was a highly anticipated addition to the lunch scene during the later half of 2015. As it stands now, it doesn't appear that Nami will make it through 2016, leaving Clayton employees left to dream about what great new lunch place will occupy the coveted corner at 46 N. Central. Here's to hoping that it is a place with delicious food, a lively atmosphere, and forks. read more