Had lunch here today. I'm kind of a Ramen snob after living in Japan for 15 years, but wanted to find a restaurant that served Ramen near where I live, versus going all the way out to Liberdade. I searched about 8 Japanese restaurants in the area, and Koban was the only one providing Ramen (Lamen).
I was nicely greeted at the door and provided a table for one. The waiter brought a lunch menu and standard menu. I chose to have the Shoyu Lamen (Soy Ramen) and a beer. When ordering, I asked the waiter that my Lamen be very hot, and he acknowledged
While waiting for my Lamen, they brought out a small appetizer that was thinly sliced salmon resting in a soy based sauce and garnished with green onion. This was quite good.
My Lamen arrived and the temperature was warm to hot, but definitely not really hot. It appeared it had been sitting for a little while before it got served to me as the surface of the broth began to coagulate. While eating the lamen, I found egg shell still attached to the boiled egg, and the pork slices were tough. There were also too many mushrooms placed in the bowl. The broth was quite good.
Traditionally, one will drink the broth right out of the bowl in Japan. Unfortunately, the bowls used were ornate and one would not be able to drink the broth out of the bowl, as the broth would spill out the sides of the bowl where it was uneven. Also due to the ornate nature of the bowl, there wasn't enough broth. I like it when the broth is near the brim of the bowl.
I may try eating here again, but would not repeat ordering lamen. The dishes from the sushi bar that came out to other tables looked beautiful, ornate and delicious.
The staff provided good service and the restaurant had good atmosphere. read more