I visited this location on Sunday, August 30th, and asked to sit outside. The young man that worked there said I could sit anywhere. There was only 1 other person eating outside and I sat 1 table away from him I also had my 20lb French bulldog with me. After about 2 minutes a waitress comes out and says the owner does not want dogs at his restaurant. I asked why and she said because he doesn't. It was very strange since I was outside and my dog is older and is no trouble when I take her places. It would have been nice to have a better excuse as to why dogs are not allowed outside. I won't be back. read more

The Musclemen Ramen is awesome. I have tried a few other dishes; the mushroom bun, the vegetarian ramen, the tempura avocado/mushroom app, and they were good as well. The most charming thing about this place is they project old cartoons such as Popeye and Betty Boop on the wall near the front bar. There are a couple of strange things about Oiistar though. When any customer enters or exits, the staff shouts some sort of greeting. It is a little disarming to new customers and a bit annoying if you're dining there. Secondly, they serve their cocktails in mason jars that have stems, like goblets. This wouldn't be a problem if they gave you a standard sized straw to drink with. Instead, the gigantic straws leave you feeling a little crazy every time you try to take a sip. I will stick to their beer menu from now on. read more

Oiistar - Musclemen Ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'ma be real here: this place is pricey and I don't get the concept... It feels hip/trendy, but they play old fashioned cartoons on the wall? I don't understand. Also, it's really pricey for ramen... BUT... it's REALLY good. So whatcha gonna do? Go back, is what I did. A few times now. The Pozolmen is great, but my fave is the Oiimen with pork belly. Yum-o. Good drinks - in cool glasses, good beer, etc. So yeah, they got me. read more

My first time trying out ramen in Chicago so my best friend brought me to this joint. I grew up in Chicago pretty much my whole life but never really explored much of the city. My best friend is a foodie so she knows one of the best foods around. Wicker park is definitely a place Id like to come back to for food and drinks. Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted by the friendly servers and told us we could sit anywhere we want. Our server was friendly and attentive. We ordered the pork belly buns, sweet fried garlic chicken , oiimen ramen (pork belly ) and my friend got the musclemen ramen( mussels). Everything we got was very delicious packed with full flavors. I loved the broth of the ramen and the freshly made noodles. I enjoyed the sweet crunchy garlic chicken and the yummy pork belly buns. All in all I enjoyed my food here. I would definitely come back here. I gave 4 stars because parking was a pain to find. There's no parking lot so you'll have to find street parking. read more

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One of my favorite ramen places in Chicago! High quality. Intimate vibe. Tight seating. Giant ramen portions. Service is nice, but had some tension with the hostess. We had a large bag because we came from errands and she was rude about how it was crowding the seating. But the real reason we come is the FOOD! I've had the Spicy Oiimen twice. Other options look super super tempting, but not ready to try anything new yet! This broth has so much heart and soul. The soft-boiled egg is a foodie's fantasty. The pork belly is flavorful. It all comes together so wonderfully to accompany their house noodles which I highly recommend. No complaints! WARNING: if you get the suicide spicy paste, the name actually warrants the caution!! My roommate got this and sadly could not enjoy her ramen because it was just THAT potent. I had a nibble and almost died so yeah... I've had the Goki bun and it was tasty! A little heavy on the creme fraiche, but looking forward to trying more of the menu. Another must-have is the Oiistar Sangria. Delicious and fun! Served in mason-jar wine glasses LOL Oiistar is a hip dive serving up some phenomenal ramen, classic and fusion. While it can get pretty busy, it's worth dining at for the memorable eats! read more

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Amazing ramen, probably the best we've tried in the city. It's also a HUGE serving. The chadolmen is very popular and rightfully so. The fried garlic chicken is a phenomenal app. Highly recommend! read more

Bad servers. First time here with my wife. Food was just ok. I been to LA, japan, china for good noodle. This is just a Japanese named noodle with American style. Appetizer: tuna with bamboo. Tune is not good at all. And the bamboo was mold, with green color on top of one of two pieces they were serving. I tried to let the server know since that's big issue for costing food poison, he responded:" I don't think so!!! And I will get back to you after show to the chef" but during 1 hour 30 meal, no respond. It's huge disappoint. Noodle: liked guy said, American style of Japanese named noodle. read more

Oiistar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Best ramen in the city hands down. I eat ramen all the time and this is the place I bring friends and family to eat when they're ready to try authentic ramen. Super rich, flavorful, heavy broth, and so many options for different ramen flavors. You can tell the noodles are fresh and home made. read more

Hubby and I hit up Oiistar when we get a craving for a mix of ramen, buns, and fried chicken. If we're judging just by the ramen alone, it's either our 2nd or 3rd favorite place in the city. Very flavorful without being overtly salty. Hubby thoroughly enjoyed the Oiimen during our most recent outing. In terms of buns, the Pork Belly is my favorite: thick, juicy slabs of fatty pork covered in a delicious signature sauce and sandwiched between a fluffy pillow bun. The Tempura Shrimp was also very good. Each bun is the perfect size for one person or even to split. The Fried Garlic Chicken is a great dish to share. I prefer the sweet version. The portions are pretty big for just the 2 of us so we always have extra to take home and the chicken is still pretty good the next day. Service was prompt and friendly. The first time we went here for dinner it was pretty crowded with loud music and vintage cartoons playing on the wall. Last time we came right when it opened for lunch when it was a more quiet atmosphere. Overall a great place to go and share a few plates and buns plus/minus a bowl of ramen or vice versa. read more

I went to Oiistar with a friend on Friday night and I think we did it right! Don't judge us, but we split the Oiimen ramen. It was pretty good. The pork belly was fatty (at least the pieces we had), and they were pretty flavorful/salty but the noodles and broth balanced it out well. The portions are huge! Splitting was the right move because we didn't have to feel guilty about food waste and we were also able to enjoy a few of the buns! The tempura shrimp was amazing!! Nicely lightly fried with a yummy chili mayo sauce. We also tried the Goki BBQ beef, which was also good, but did not match up to the tempura shrimp. The actual steamed bun also wasn't too big, so the bun to protein ratio was good. Overall, you probably won't go wrong with ramen at Oiistar. I enjoyed the ramen more than Hi Five and we didn't have to wait for hours! read more

We like the ambiance of the restaurant, the service was pretty good...except when the server packed my leftover noodles all in one container...hmm....no big deal...since i didn't really expect anyone here would know to pack the noodles separately from the broth so that the noodles don't get soggy sitting in the broth till you heat it up.... on to the food...hmmm...it would have been a 4 stars if i didn't go in expecting a true japanese ramen...so it was a somewhat let down... We had the oiimen and musclemen, the pork belly buns and the kimchi soup The noodles itself is actually pretty good...i like the not-so-soft/soggy type of noodles, some would argue that it doesn't soak up the broth as much...but maybe that's why my leftover noodles was still ok even though it sat in the broth for a few hours before i got to separate them :) the broth were a bit on the salty side and is not as flavorful as some other places'...but still ok. I would pass up the pork belly bun for other stuff like the kimchi soup which is probably my favourite the whole night. it's just very comforting to have a warm bowl of spicy soup with melted gooey cheese. i think it's pretty clever twist of the korean staple... read more

Superfantastic night to walk down and pickup some soup. I ordered over the phone before heading down and the suggested Olimen ramen was delicious. I like how they kept the broth separate from the soup stuffins, so i was able to dump them both in a huge bowl back at home. The Pollo bun was really tasty and I am glad I didn't get more than 1. This meal was filling and I have a pretty full container of soup for lunch tomorrow. Really courteous staff and the place was 1/2 full at 6:30. Seems like a good place to dine in on a Sunday if you don't want to wait fir a table or counter spot. Ill be back! read more

The wife says "mine was delicious." She had the mussel ramen. I had ramen as well. Service is excellent. Broth was delicious. read more

Oiistar - Tikkamen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I have my reservations with Asian fusion restaurants- they can be a huge hit if done right but most are misses. This place is pretty good! I think it's much better than Arami, High5 or Strings and probably on par with Wasabi. I had the Modern ramen: love the combination of scallions and kimchee with the noodles. Broth was good albeit not spicy as described. Also, I wish the broth was piping hot rather than lukewarm and that they gave me more of it. Overall I'd return! read more

Oiistar - Modern ramen. Tastes pretty good but wish they gave me more broth and that the broth was hot... - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went here to try some ramen because I am a big ramen fan. Been to santouka in San Jose, and daikokuya ramen in LA. This place isn't compare able. The buns although heard were good but didn't try. Ordered the oiimen ramen. Wasn't that great.... Noodles were ok but soup didn't have that good traditional taste. Service was ok to. Tried asking one of the people what there was to do and he kinda one worded us. If you want good ramen I heard "Wasabi" is a better place. Haven't tried it, wanted to but when we found the place it was closed and couldn't make it before our flight the next day :( read more

Really don't care for this place and I don't suggest going out of your way to make a visit. I've tried the Oiimen ramen, Musclemen, duck breast bun, tempura mushroom and avocado, and fried garlic chicken. The ramen was decent but the broth was kind of meh and I would have liked the ramen noodles to be firmer. Duck breast bun was dry and the fried garlic chicken was so soggy from the sauce. Tempura was too heavily coated and the dipping sauce couldn't save it from the flavorless mess that it was. Seating is also terrible. I've brought 2 friends each time I've visited, and they always placed us at a tiny table for 2. At the last visit, we decided to request a table change since there were plenty of empty spots and we were so cramped from our shopping bags. The manager would not let us take a different table and insisted that we "wait to see if there was an evening rush". There was no rush, no one came in for another 15 minutes... and the next couple that walked in was placed right next to our table (presumably so they had an excuse not to push the 2 dinky tables together for us). read more

I am not an expert. I want to start with that. I was expecting to be blown away after the reviews I ready- I left with a "meh". read more

My friend and I came in right after the Pride parade, and it was incredibly... empty. And yet, we still weren't seated/given menus by the host, who insisted on laying out more plates/silverware while we stood at the door. But still, can't complain. I would have hated to work during Pride weekend too. Food was excellent, and portions were insane. We got the portobello and avocado tempura and they came out piping hot and crispy. Such a filling appetizer - maybe split this with a bigger group. We split the cold noodles (spicy zzolmen) and a single order of the tonkatsu bao, and we had to take pretty much... the whole bowl of noodles home. Portion sizes in the Midwest, you don't disappoint. The noodles were a little chewy, but the flavors were all there (good kick, great satay sauce, and plenty of veggies!), and the cold noodles were really such a relief from the summer heat. Not much to write home about the tonkatsu bao, other than that it's a generous size (we fork and knifed it). read more

FAVORITE RAMEN IN TOWN. CLASSIC RAMEN. pork is tender. Broth is delicious and I haven't had ramen that beats oiistar's ramen. read more

Oiistar - Pork belly umami - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The vegan soup tastes more like pho, but loved it! FULL of veggies and a big portion.

More of a 3.5. Waited about 40 minutes Friday evening for a table of four. I got the pollo bun and the musclemen. My bun was pretty tasty, but as with others at the table, felt like there was too much going on. Felt like less was more in that case. Really didn't understand why the bottles of hoisin and sriracha on the table would even be needed. The ramen noodles were fine, but the broth was disappointing. Texture was good and while it was somewhat tasty, it definitely didn't taste like it had been cooking for hours. It tasted simply like soy sauce and chili oil or something simple. The numerous chili peppers did nothing to the ramen and virtually had no spice, as with the oiimen. Sister thought her veggimen was too salty. I did, however, enjoy the mussels, which were numerous and properly cooked. The abundance of green onions on top were also great, It was also nice that all portions were larger than I expected. Service was pretty good. Overall, probably wouldn't come back, as flavors were two dimensional and rather basic. read more

Oiistar - musclemen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Like most ramen places, the portion size here is quite big in my opinion--come here only if you're feeling really hungry. I got the classic, which I thought was the least salty out of the others my friends got (unami, spicy garlic) but it was still pretty salty and savory. Overall, though, the broth/noodles/pork were delicious and the service was good. The mashed potato with brisket appetizer was also really good; I highly recommend that if you still want more food! read more

Oiistar - Classic ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here for lunch with the sole intention of eating the pork belly ramen. But we ordered 3 buns for the hell of it and were impressed with how well they turned out. These bao buns seemed to be a hit with everyone at our table. They are beautifully presented, the meat is richly cooked, and the flavors of veggies and sauces are combined to give an all-around delicious appetizer. My favorite out of our 3 (goki, pork belly, and tempura cod) was the cod because of how crispy it was, but honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with any of these choices! Definitely recommended to try any of buns that sound good to you. The ramen came out in a sizable bowl. I actually split it and still ended up really full. The broth was really flavorful and what I would expect in my ramen -- not salted up so you can't taste the more subtle porky and garlicky enhancements. I should say that I'm not very picky about how ramen should taste, as long as it has plenty of hot broth and plenty of toppings. Consequently, it always saddens me when such a large bowl comes out with only 2 teensy slices of pork belly... And don't get me wrong, they can COOK pork belly well here! Just saying that my bowl would feel more complete with a little more meat ;) But overall, this place is fantastic! I would come back here for just the buns alone. Slowly making my way around Chicago's ramen scene, but this one isn't too shabby. read more

Oiistar - Pork belly, goki, and tempura cod buns! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great portions for the price and so far the best ramen place in Chicago for me! My boyfriend and I ordered the duck bun and 6hr pork shoulder to start, Oiimen Spicy Ramen and the Oiimen Classic Ramen. The buns were both very delicious. We had to work fast in them, because the savory sauces and juices from the meat was totally absorbed by the steamed buns. The vegetables in the duck bun made the dish very fresh and as for the 6hr pork shoulder bun, it was filling and satisfying! The spicy one had a nice kick to it where it made you want to continue eating. The Oiimen Classic was incredibly and surprisingly light. The ingredients were all so fresh and the meats were tender and just melted in our mouths. There seemed to be an endless amount of noodles, and the noodles are made in house so the texture is wonderful! Great service, food, and ambience! Will definitely be back! read more

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After coming here twice, I can safely say that I am not a huge fan of this place. The dish that is popular here is the Oiimen. In my opinion, the texture of the noodles is a bit too rubbery for my taste and the broth is a bit weak. Another popular dish to order are the buns. I got the tonkotsu one and felt that the flavoring was a bit too overwhelming. It was much too salty and there was too much sauce that kept oozing out when I tried to eat it. I have been to too many ramen place that far outshine Oiistar so I think this will be my final time coming here. Even in the surrounding area of Wicker Park, you can easily find many more places to eat ramen. read more

Oiistar - Tonkotsu bun-too salty - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I love your ramen me and my husband go frequently! And we love it I love especially the mussel ramen ! It's amazing , but the last time I was there , you guys gave me a good tasting ramen but all of my mussel ñ's were pretty much closed , and no one eats closed mussels cause they aren't good tasting , I mean there were like 3 mussels at the most that were open but the rest were all closed I was very upset. We tried boiling them in our kitchen but thy didn't open . :( Hopefully the restaurant see's this so they won't let this happen again ! :( read more

The olace was packed, we grabbed a seat at the crowed bar. I stuck with the spicy garlic. The broth was wonderfully full with flavor. Ramen noodles itself was chewy and sloped up the soup well, however I was disappointed ib the amount of ramen. It was very light compared to other ramen places for the price point. Service was good and environment was clean. read more

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Oiistar is a trendy ramen restaurant in Wicker Park. They provide a twist on ramen which is nice. You will get a huge serving of ramen with a few ingredients that are slightly different than normal. This comes from a Korean chef who spent time in Japan that chooses to add a French twist to ramen. You will not find this only in the ramen selection but also from the starters. They offer buns of all kinds that can be shareable between two people. They have a good amount of other items that you can also share. I had the Oiimen which was great and spicy like I like it. We came on a Friday night so it was busy. I would imagine this place is busy during regular peak hours. They have seating for four throughout the restaurant with a bar area for eating a drinking. There is also an extended bar area that can accommodate slightly bigger parties. They also offered traditional Japanese drinks, beer and sake. Finally, they had a dessert menu that followed the same trend as the rest of the menu. It didn't stick to a strictly Japanese theme and offered a wide array of unique dishes. We had the bao donuts which were amazing. Service was extremely slow for us but our server recognized this and took care of us. Our orders must have been skipped over a couple times. Luckily for them we were enjoying our night so we didn't have an issue with waiting a little longer. read more

Oiistar - Pork belly bun - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Such a hidden gem in Wicker Park. We ordered the duck breast and pork baos as appetizers. They use fresh veggies on top. Pork and duck breast were very tender and not dry at all. For ramen we tried the oiimen (traditional ramen) and the musclemen. Both broths were different and delicious in their own way. The mussel ramen was spicier and they definitely loaded you with many mussels! Perfect for a rainy day! I can't wait to come back when I'm in Chicago again! read more

Oiistar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Ramen bowls are ginormous! This was the first time I couldn't finish my ramen serving. My friends and I ordered the Oiimen, Tikkamen and the Chadolmen as our main course. We also ordered the Fried Garlic Chicken (Sambal) to share. My bowl of Oiimen Classic was good--soft-boiled eggs were well done, pork belly was tender & marinated throughout, and the broth was relatively creamy. I wasn't a big fan of the noodles, which is really just my personal preference speaking. They're straight noodles that aren't the usual egg noodles found in Japanese ramen that I love. To be fair though, Oiistar is located in Wicker Park with a couple other ramen places--I'd be surprised if they didn't put a twist to this classic food. So definitely expect this place to serve fusion ramen and not authentic ramen! My friends and I did feel like we had a hearty meal out of our very large bowls of ramen. All of us took home some leftovers to finish the next day. The Fried Garlic Chicken in Sambal sauce was amazing. Flavor seeped through the chicken and skin was fried crispy. Definitely recommend getting this as an app! read more

Oiistar - Oiimen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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One of my favorite ramen stops. The sauces that they have to try is pretty good. For appetizers you have to get a few pork belly buns. So good. read more

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This ramen shop is a cut above the rest. I know there are a lot of food critics who will disagree, but my review is an opinion on the quality and service. Service is above average. Case in point, my niece's order wasn't hot (temperature), so she asked the server if they could warm it a bit. "Ma'am, we really can't warm it, but I will ask the chef to make a fresh bowl." That's customer service. Incidentally, he wrapped up the lukewarm ramen to take home. The ramen itself is quite flavorful. I always get the bowl with the brisket. It is so good. There is enough brisket from start to finish. Try the fried chicken too. It is flavorful with some spice and a garlicky taste. I've only had beer so I can't comment on much of the drink selection. Perhaps, I will try the sake since beer fills you up, and makes it hard to finish the ramen. read more

Pork belly bun was well flavored and didn't feel too fatty. Properly cooked pork belly is definitely a treat. The oiimen ramen broth was delicious and the soft boiled egg was perfectly cooked. The pork was superior to Wasabi, though I prefer the noodles at Wasabi. There's something a bit off about the noodles in the ramen. Too thin or something? Still a good bowl of ramen and worth stopping by for. read more

Oiistar - Oiimen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We sat at the community table for dinner. It was a little loud and noisy but the food was amazing. We tried 3 buns : 6hr shoulder, pork belly and mushroom The 6hr shoulder and mushroom were the winners tho we did find the mushroom to be a tiny bit too vinagary The modern ramen?- broth and noodles were great, egg was perfectly poached Tuna carpaccio - heavy on the truffle oil, was amazing And duxelle- reminded me of a spin of a scotch egg for some reason loved the flavors and the avocado helped balance the flavors of the meat The atmosphere is a more trendy Izakaya, with loud music, reminds me of the days id eat in the oc Food was a 5, ambiance took one star away, overall great meal! read more

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The food is GREAT. I came here on a Saturday night with a few friends and all of us loved everything we got. To get us started we got the duck breat bun, tempura shrimp bun, and garlic chicken and couple oiistar sangrias! All of us ordered ramen for our main dish. I ended up getting the Oiimen pork belly spicy ramen and it was amazing! If you like spicy food then it's not the spicy, and the pork broth was so tender and delicious that I saved it to eat it last! I definitely recommend that. Some of my friends also got the pozolmen and they said it was delicious as well! The four stars is because of couple things. They don't take reservations and especially during weekends, it gets busy. Although, we only ended up waiting for 30 minutes, we weren't really sure where to stand cuz the entrance area is so tiny and we felt like we were in everyone's way. So they should think about having a separate waiting area. they do have a coat rack though right by the door which is convenient. Our waiter was super helpful and friendly, but he did forget to bring us all spoons for our ramen. Simple mistake, could've happened to anyone. The food is delicious so i would definitely come back! read more

Oiistar - Oiistar sangria - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Best ramen in Chicago. I love the spicy garlic, the buns are great too. Staff has been there a while and are always friendly and seem to be treated well by staff. Food is amazing. The sesame cucumber salad and mashed potato buns are not to be missed. read more

Based on the server's recommendation, I had the most popular ramen, which is the spicy garlic. The flavoring was good and the garlic smell came very strong, but it was a bit too oily and salty for my taste. They are very generous with the portions, there are 2-3 really big pieces of meat in the ramen. I also tried the duck breast bun for appetizer. The duck breast tasted good, but there were some water or soup at the bottom of the bun, which makes the bun a bit mushy. Overall I would still recommend give Oiistar a try! read more

Oiistar - Spicy Garlic Ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

HOLY BUNS! No but really I think Oiistar gets the title of best buns in the city. The PB is tender and saucy and messy to eat but totally worth it. The ramen is up there too and although not the absolute best I've had in the city probably offers some of the more unique options. I love the garlic one but find the Tikkamen really interesting too. The noodles are delish. Only complaint is the egg is cut a weird way (we're ramen snobs I know) and didn't seem marinated. The biggest tip I can give you about this place is to split their ramen unless you've got a dinosaur appetite. It's honestly just way too much and can feel disgusting/wasteful after a while but splitting it along with getting a bun (!!!) feels great and it's cheaper. On a Wednesday night there was no wait but the place isn't too big so I can see it getting packed. Great ambiance too. read more

We went on a Saturday night for a double date. We were told 30min and ended up waiting an hour. A group of 6 even got seated before us and I even heard them question why. I obviously never got the answer. It's best to have just two people to be seated easily it seems. The place is noisy with everyone being so close and space is tight. It's difficult to have a conversation with each other. Shareables were great. My husband I shared a mushroom and avocado tempura and pan shears mushrooms which was so tasty. Then I had the veggimen ramen with egg. Portion size is huge! I couldn't eat it in one sitting and took half of it home. My husband and I could have shared. There was plenty of veggies which I loved. It had the least amount of sodium per the kitchen staff but just tasty enough. Really good for a nice chilly night in the city. Please be advised, parking is also a challenge. We were circling around looking for someone to leave. And we weren't the only car. read more

Umami with Hakata noodles and Tonkatsu can't be beat!! They do not deliver and you must pick up your order; however, we gladly make the drive to Wicker Park whenever we're in the mood for Ramen. Even when it's -6 degrees standing outside! read more