Really exciting place focused on Northwest Chinese cuisine…read more The signature dish, the hand-pulled beef noodle soup, had a fairly light, but subtle, flavor. The noodles themselves I wish were chewier (got the 'flat' but probably should have gone for 'extra wide'), and perhaps it'd been nice to have some different textures inside the soup (e.g. something crunchy). The scallions in the soup were also too wide, and needed to be sliced more thinly. The beef pancake was quite decent, though the edges didn't have enough beef and the middles had too much beef. The beef was tender, though I might have liked it more flaky. The sauce inside the pancake was somewhat unevenly applied, and a bit too sweet. I wonder if a dipping sauce (maybe a vinegar?) would have helped. The blueberry with mashed yams was fascinating. It was listed under appetizers, and wondered why the dish came out last. But the dish was a bit sweet (naturally!) and so it actually worked as a light modest dessert! The wait staff was spot on after all in putting out the dish last. The stir-fried cabbage dish was beautiful! It was appropriately crunch, yet using good wok hey. The salt level was a bit high, but the spice level was good. Their spice ratings were a bit timid to what I encounter in Szechuan restaurants (the 'regular' level seemed to be more 'mild-regular'). The stir-fried cumin potato was delicious; nicely flavored, nicely charred. Some bits were a bit oily but the cook on the potato was really neat. Will revisit!!!

Hm, we had high hopes for this Lanzhou noodle place because we saw customizable noodle type and all…read morethe photos looked amazing, but our tries here have only been ok. We've ordered several of their noodle soups and noodle dishes with regular, thick, and wide noodles that have been fine but not great. I think the textures of their noodles across the board have been too soft, not chewy enough. We've tried some of their other dishes, which have been better: my fav is the cold okra appetizer. Also, the potato balls in the beef brisket with potato are a sleeper hit. Unfortunately, the dish was mostly beef and not potato haha unusual gripe. Service is normal, efficient, on the attentive side for a chinese place. Interior is nice and new and clean. After our second try, I'm not super pressed to come back, but if we're in the area, I might try some of their other non-noodle dishes!

I've been to KungFu Kitchen two times now and it's been consistently great. I've ordered the Pork…read moreXiao Long Bao, Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup, Scallion Pancake with Sliced Beef, Shanghai Pan-Fried Pork Buns, and Cucumber Salad - all were amazing and would order again. The pork and shrimp wonton soup was brought a perfect balance to the flavorful meal and it's broth was super yummy. The cucumber salad was seasoned perfectly and was a nice balance to the otherwise heavy meal. My favorite is probably the pork xiao long bao, but honestly, you can't go wrong with anything you order. Service was great. Both times we were a party of two and were seated quickly, if not immediately. Food came out very fast. Will 100% be returning.

Xiao long bao a little over steamed and MSG heavy, but nice thin wrapper and flavor. Best I've had…read morein Boston so far. Knife cut noodles also pretty tasty with good soup but too salty for me. Sheng jian bao was a bit of a letdown, not as crisp as I'd like. But still not bad, with a good ratio of bun to meat. The space is nice and open, and going with a toddler is easy due to clean high chair and bathroom changing table.

I've been here a couple times and every time it is SOO good and reliable. Service is super fast,…read moreand guests can't really sit around and chat at the tables but the food is worth it. Last time, I got the tan tan ramen with the spicy chili oil on the side and it was delicious. I loved that I could customize the spice level. The gyoza are also delicious. Reasonably priced as well. I'd highly recommend!

Ganko ittetsu ramen is a small, no frills but cute space! The table seating space is quite limited…read morewhich I think can cause the long lines but they have you order ahead which I think helps with the wait times and turn over is pretty quick. They have a few different type of ramen, so you have some options for which suit your palate. The noodles were perfectly bouncy, not over done. The Chasu pork was flavorful and tender, The broth was rich and velvety but a touch on the salty side for me, adding a squeeze of lemon balanced it out nicely. Overall it was great and will definitely be coming back.

We went on a Thursday night and it was about a 40 minute wait for 2 people. We got chicken gyoza,…read moremyself a Sapporo miso with no pork and my partner a GANTETSU SHOYU with tantan pork and no chasu. The ramen did hit the spot although it wasn't particularly superb. I personally don't think I'd come back here again but not because it's bad but because it wasn't super great - and I basically got a vegetarian ramen since I couldn't get the pork so that probably has a lot to do with it. The gyoza was good though! There definitely was a lot of food which was nice. The vibe was also pretty good and the music was catchy and in season which is great! I'd say closer to 4 than a 3 but not quite a 4 so having to leave a 3/5.

Busy, bustling, and tucked away, Gantetsu-Ya features cosy and comforting ramen bowls in Brookline…read more The portions are big but the ramen was a bit too oily and the noodle texture was a little too soft for me. We also got the kaarage which was crispy but bland. Despite being told our table was ready, we still waited for 15 minutes.

Miraku has become one of our go to ramen places in Boston and for good reason: after spending time…read morein Japan sampling authentic ramen, Miraku, with their well deserved Michelin Bib Gourmand, is the only establishment that can compare. The noodles are wonderfully textured with the right amount of chew. The broth is wonderfully balanced. The other ingredients are also well balanced and in the right quantity. The zangi fried chicken is to die for! It's tender, juicy, flavorful, and has the right amount of crisp sitting above a flavorful complementary sauce. Lastly the staff is very pleasant and interior is cozy and comfortable.

Came here with some friends as this was their favorite ramen spot and they were having a popup…read morewhere a Japanese chef came here to make some limited bowls of seabream and shellfish white soy sauce ramen. As this was limited pop up, we did wait about 1-1.5 hours to be able to get inside and order the food, but it was a relatively organized experience. We got sat at the bar at the side where the waiters/waitresses entered/exited which was mildly annoying and flagging them to get more water was a little hard as well. I didn't order the limited bowl as that's not usually my choice of flavor for ramen broths but I got to try it. It was very mild and had a nice taste but still wouldn't be my go to order. For myself, I got the spicy miso which was nice and flavorful. My friends also ordered the Takoyaki and the Zangi Fried Chicken which were both good. For dessert we also ordered the Monako Ice Cream and Hojicha Chiffon Cake. The Hojicha Chiffon cake didn't have as much flavor as I would've liked and the ice cream that came with it, kind of just overpowered it, should get hojicha ice cream with this one to taste more hojicha.

Great ramen, delicious apps, clean restaurant and friendly staff.. will definitely be back!read more

Went to Soup Shack with some friends because I was craving ramen and this place did not disappoint…read more Everything was so flavorful, fresh and comforting. Such a good spot for a cozy filling meal. STEAMED CHICKEN GYOZA Soft tender and packed with a juicy chicken filling. The wrapper had the perfect bite and dipping it in the ginger sauce made it even better. A great starter. FRIED PORK GYOZA Crispy outside juicy inside and so flavorful. The pork filling was seasoned well and the crunch made each bite so satisfying. These were gone instantly. DAC BIET A rich beef broth loaded with rare steak brisket tripe tendon and meatballs. So much flavor and such a generous portion. Comforting, savory and the kind of bowl that warms you instantly. MI WONTON Light clean and comforting. The wontons were stuffed generously and the broth was flavorful without feeling heavy. A great balance to the richer bowls we ordered. SPICY MISO BEEF STEW This was incredible. Spicy miso broth with tender slow cooked beef and all the toppings. The spice level actually enhanced the flavor instead of overpowering it. Deep savory and so satisfying. TAN TAN MEN One of my favorites. Spicy creamy broth with ground pork bok choy and bean sprouts layered over chewy noodles. Rich bold and full of flavor in every bite. We also added marinated soft boiled eggs to our ramen and they were perfect. Soft jammy and full of flavor. Highly recommend adding one to any bowl. Overall Soup Shack really hit my craving. Everything tasted fresh portions were generous and the spicy bowls had so much depth. Loved this visit and will definitely be back.

First time here and it was great! We did the AYCE all-you-can-eat on a Monday (they only do it…read moreMonday and Tuesdays) - got there around 7:30p and even though it was very full, we got seated quickly with a table for 3. It's $50 for the regular AYCE or $80 for the Premium AYCE. We opted for the former, and it was plenty great. We have done lots of AYCE sushi and I will say this is the BEST of them - I think it's because it's the same grade sushi as they would normally do Ala carte on other nights. The $50 menu had plenty of sashimi and regular nigiri (sushi with rice) options and some Thai too. We had mostly the sashimi Salmon, Tuna, Yellowtail, Octopus, a few rolls, some edamame, gyoza, shumai. My favorites were the salmon, as the cuts were large, thick and amazing silky, and the gyoza, as it was perfectly crispy. The Pad Thai was bit way too sweet for my taste - a skip for me next time. The decor is very nice - reminded me of a dive Tokyo bar. Service was quick and very attentive. We will be back!

Have been hearing about their Mon & Tue AYCE, so went on to try it a month or so ago. With what…read moreseems to be a recent price increase, now $50++ allows access to a good variety of sushi/sashimi, on top of apps, ramen, poke bowls, and cooked rice/noodle dishes. Whereas $80++ offers diners a set of amount of uni, plus unlimited amount of everything else, wagyu included. Sounds like a good deal, especially when one can eat a lot. Even as we are no longer Team Eat Till You Burst, we went for the premium, mainly for the nicer cuts such as toro and wagyu, and because uni!! Jumping in shortly after 5pm, we were promptly seated, marked a bunch of stuff on paper, and soon after submission, we got food brought to our table. It was a decent meal overall, so why 3 stars? Let's recap. Menu variety is fantastic, though of course we didn't get "one of everything", coz that's simply impossible. While the premium did cover a lot of grounds, it would have been nice if they also included anago (sea eel) which is currently only available on the a la cart menu, and maybe even offer couple lesser-known items such as monk fish liver app, sea grapes, off-the-beaten-path fish cuts, what have you. Would be happy even if we only get an allotment of those like we do with the uni. Now, service - great overall. Servers circulated around and were alert of customers' needs. Approached at appropriate times to take our order sheets, refill water, provide new order sheets, and ask if we wanted more food. So kudos on that. Their denotation of serving "regular portion" of cooked food had us hesitant in ordering, since we didn't want to be wasteful (or use our limited stomach space for dishes we can easily get elsewhere). But from other tables' orders as well as the one noodle dish that we ended up getting, it seems that the portion size was what I would like to see at AYCE places -- about 50-60% of regular Asian dish size, where 3-4 people can each have a couple bites "just to try". However, to think if that is what they call "regular portion", then it is definitely "Brookline pricing" on a la carte, which I would not recommend one to do such things on these items. Food is fantastic in general; we got a variety of stuff, and everything was really of top quality and taste. The meal would have been a "highly recommended" if they didn't serve the uni that we got. Out of the 12 pcs of uni sushi, all of them were... while not "foul" to a point where one cannot safely consume, they were definitely more sub-par than "ok but not great". Colors aside (which I understand there can be a range depending on origins and such), the uni was a "splat" of yellow stuff on rice, without distinct shape of the flesh. On top of the fishy smell (I'm talking about slightly ammonia-ish), the presentation and taste-texture upon them hitting our tongues... really left the ENTIRE room to be desired. In retrospect, we should have sent them back even if they weren't going to replace them. But instead, we stupidly forced ourselves to shove them all down in cowardly silence, then ordered another round of wagyu just to make us feel a little better about it. Yes, we weren't smart as customers. But if the restaurant is going to charge $100++ per person (after tax and tip), someone from the kitchen should have known better than pushing this thing out for customers to deal with. In their defense, yes, the uni itself was still "edible" in a sense that it didn't make us sick, but I'd maintain that better judgment should have been made. Once the shell was cracked open and you see this pale-gray yellow mush, it should have been decided that it is better repurposed, than be served straight to your customers as your star/featured product. As seen in other diners' experiences, it could just have been a one-off mishap, so I'm not knocking them entirely. But I do hope the restaurant would improve on their QC accordingly. It was such a disappointing low point in an otherwise wonderful meal.

Wow! What a wonderful experience. We came on a Sunday, a little afternoon. There was a 15 minute…read morewait, but once we were seated things moved quickly. It wasn't large inside, but the high ceilings and windows made it feel spacious. Our server was friendly and helpful, with the perfect balance of checking in and letting us enjoy our meal. The vegetable mazesoba was incredible--and I appreciated how as we ate up the noodles, they offered us rice (no exfra charge!) to mix in so we could finish up the broth and toppings easily. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a delicious, reasonably priced vegan meal :) I would definitely come again!

Extremely quick but a satisfying meal! I've never tried mazesoba before so I didn't know what to…read moreexpect. We ordered the yuzu shio and tan tan mazesoba. While I preferred the yuzu shio as it was first served, once we were offered rice towards the end of the meal and mixed it into the remaining sauce, I preferred the tan tan mazesoba. I'd try it again but I might not actively seek it out on a regular basis.