Epicurean Encounters: Osaka Ramen, Denver

I have been eagerly anticipating the opening of Osaka Ramen ever since Iast summer. I am a huge fan of chef Jeff Osaka, formerly of the excellent Twelve on Larimer Street which was sadly shuttered last year. Although Osaka Ramen is a departure from the continental fare of Twelve, I had no doubt it would excel under chef Osaka's capable stewardship.

Osaka Ramen is currently in two locations. One in Cherry Creek and another in RiNo (River North). I chose the RiNo location for this review. Parking is a bit of a challenge even on a weekday lunch visit; however, there is complimentary valet. The restaurant is located below ground level and next to Park Burger, another popular RiNo destination. The space is long and narrow with an open kitchen and counter seating as well as numerous tables for two. Large parties may need to call ahead so they can accommodate you.

The menu is sectioned into Small Plates, Bento Boxes, and Ramen. We began with two small plates: the green beans and the tomago gohan. The green beans were blanched and shocked to retain their vibrant color. They were then tossed with a shoyu (Japanese for soy sauce) sesame dressing and chilled. Crisp and well flavored, this was a light and refreshing appetizer. A generous sprinkling of toasted black and white sesame seeds provided umami goodness.

The tomago gohan is a patty of rice, lightly battered, and fried to a golden crisp. It came topped with a coddled egg, daikon kimchi, and slivered scallions. It was a gorgeous plate and a clever way to use up leftover rice. I found the rice indeed crispy, however a bit on the large side. The daikon kimchi was delicious and provided pungency and kick. The poached egg served as a binder for all the ingredients. However, the abundant scallion garnish was a bit overwhelming.

My friend elected to go with a beef Bento box. A beautifully presented Japanese laquer box held the beef skewers in one section, rice, and a cabbage salad in others. The beef was thin sliced sirloin, lightly marinated, grilled, then rolled up and skewered. It was a flavorful cut of meat and toothsome, not overly tough or tender. The pickled Japanese radishes simultaneously sweet and tart. Unfortunately, the cabbage salad was lackluster.

My spicy miso ramen was lovely to behold and even more satisfying to taste. The broth was variegated in color, silky and rich in mouthfeel with great depth of flavor. The spicy ground pork was packed with flavor. The egg was a disc of poached perfection and further enriched the decadent broth. The noodles, although not made in house are customized by Sun Noodles for Osaka Ramen, were cooked al diente with a delightful chewiness. I am excited to finally find a great ramen house in Denver and can't wait to try the four other ramens on the menu.