Taste Buds take on ramen
Allen and Ian journey across Johns Creek to find the best ramen shops
Design by Ian Sands & Allen Liu
Allen Liu, Copy Editor & Ian Sands, Photography Editor
Ramen is one of the staple foods that defines Johns Creek's culinary culture. People eat it all the time, whether it's instant noodles from H-Mart or high-class ramen at a fancy restaurant. People just can't get enough of the delicious noodles. So today, we went to three of the best ramen restaurants all over town to see which one can claim the throne.
The first stop was Oreno Ramen in H-Mart. Nestled in the back of the food court, this ramen spot is a hidden gem with many offerings. We ordered the standard Tonkatsu ramen so we could have an accurate comparison. The service was very good for the limited capacity of the restaurant, and the food came out in about seven minutes. Our first impressions were hopeful -- the broth seemed to have a good consistency, and the general presentation was great. As for taste, the pork was incredibly tender and just melted in our mouths. The noodles were good, but they were a little soft and would've benefited from more stiffness and bounciness. Overall, this spot was great, and we rate it a 7/10.
Our next stop was Kin No Tori Ramen Bar in Alpharetta. This hole-in-the-wall restaurant is sandwiched between a lengthy strip mall and a busy Crumbl Cookie, making it the perfect location for individuals looking for a hearty, warm bowl of ramen to escape the cold. Our waiter kindly greeted us in fluent Japanese, and we ordered yet another classic Tonkatsu ramen. In just under ten minutes, our bowl had arrived, and boy-oh-boy did its presentation look wondrous. The noodles lay over each other, resembling a cascading waterfall, while the rich, brown broth was brilliantly speckled with scallions. Upon biting into the noodles, we could instantly discern a difference in texture. Relative to Oreno's, Kin No Tori's noodles were much bouncier and contained a more al-dente mouth feel that went well with the umami-enriched broth. Our spirits at this point were high; however, the chashu pork fell flat. Its rubbery, chewy texture was night and day compared to the fall-off-the-bone, tender chashu at Oreno. The char on the pork was also noticeably inconsistent between the two bowls. All in all, Kin No Tori's ramen had exorbitant potential, but flopped in game seven with the chashu. Final rating? 6/10. In the words of Kobe Bryant: "Job's not finished."
Finally, we went to Aji Katsu, and right when we walked in the door, we could tell what kind of experience we were about to have. The decor and ambiance of the restaurant seemed very authentic and traditional, and the service was great. They took our order quickly, and the food didn't take long to arrive at our table. The presentation of the ramen was wonderful, and the taste was even better. The noodles were cooked to perfection with the exact right bounciness. The broth added to the taste without being overbearing. The meat was also delicious. It was a thin-cut compared to the other two restaurants and was crispier and smokier, which elevated the flavor in a unique way. However, because of the thinner portions, there was not enough meat for the entire meal, which left us unsatisfied. For that reason, we decided to rate it 8.5/10.
After visiting all three ramen shops, it's clear that Johns Creek is in no drought of great ramen. But the central question still stands: Which ramen is the best? From Ian and Allen's thorough, empirical, logical, and statistical analysis of the 3 top contenders for best ramen, it is clear that, at the end of the day, when it's all said and done, with the curtains closed and the lights shut off, Aji Katsu is the king of ramen in Johns Creek. With a beautiful, balanced, and umami-packed bowl, there was no doubt in deducing the winner of this edition's Taste Buds.
