Merry Christmas!
In yesterday's post I shared with you my family's annual Christmas tradition of going to the movies and eating Chinese food. This year, we decided to switch it up a bit and instead of going to our usual Chinese spot, we ventured to a ramen restaurant instead.
Momi Ramen is located in Miami's Mary Brickell Village. It's a small space that seats maybe 25 people at most.
Inside, the exposed brick walls are lined with bottles - potions for making the perfect bowl of ramen.
When we walked in, the owner greeted us and picked us out a prime table. He said, "I have just the spot for you."
He then brought over three little menus. The Momi menu is small, but each dish is prepared with expert precision.
Before we had a chance to think about what we might want, the owner began to quiz us on our likes and dislikes - flavors, ingredients, preparations - and then he recommended a dish for each of us. The experience reminded me of some of the North End restaurants in Boston where the Italian owners pepper you with questions so they can recommend the best dish.
While the kitchen was hard at work on our food, we enjoyed some drinks. My mom and I ordered iced green tea which came in a plastic bottle, as if from a Japanese convenience store.
My dad ordered a Sapporo, which came in its signature silver can.
Before he could pop the top, the owner whizzed over and said, "Wait! Before you try that, I want you to try this." He placed a glass beer bottle in from of my dad and continued, "This is a special beer from Japan. Please try it. On me." How nice!
My dad took one sip, raised his eye brows, smiled and said, "Oooooo. That's good."
Soon after the drinks, our appetizer arrived, the pork and vegetable jiaozi. These are steamed dumplings.
My parents each picked up a dumpling delicately with their chopsticks and then popped them into their mouths. After a few disappeared from the plate, I asked what they thought. My dad described, "These are like light potstickers. The wrapper is very thin and they are steamed, so they aren't chewy like Chinese dumplings."
Then it was ramen time!
Momi's ramen is made with such care. The noodles are cooked each day with wheat flour imported from Japan. Their signature ramen broth, called Tonktosu, is flavored with pork bone and kettle simmered for 18 hours. The soup is filtered five times during the cooking process. Momi explains, "The bone marrow gives a natural gelatinous texture and flavor to our broth. Eating our ramen, every bite will have our delicious soup glued to every strand, naturally."
My dad's bowl landed on the table first. He had chosen the pork belly ramen. It arrived in a silver bowl, much like the bowls I grew up using for baking. It felt like the type of bowl you'd whisk in. Maybe they do whisk all the ramen ingredients together right in that bowl and then take it straight to your table.
After a few slurps, I asked for his thoughts on the dish. He shared, "The broth is almost creamy, which pairs perfectly with the crunchy noodles. The egg and asparagus both add a depth of flavor. The pork is more like roast pork. This is a very hearty meal."
My dad is too cute. After a few more bites he said, "Hey, Mol. Want an action shot?" With his willingness to pose, I was able to snap this picture:
My mom had selected the mushroom and vegetable ramen. She raved, "This is an endless bowl of ramen! It is clear it's made with love. The broth is so flavorful and the mushrooms taste delicious."
When we had ordered, I mentioned to the owner that I was vegetarian. He said, "All our ramen, even the veggie ramen, has bone marrow broth, so if you don't want to eat that, I can replace it with miso broth." Before I even had a chance to answer, he said, "Actually, if you are open to it, I will make you a special vegetarian dish. Just like what we eat in Japan." Honored that he would go to such lengths, I accepted his generous offer.
He disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a small silver bowl of noodles and egg coated with a brown sauce. He explained, "This is a traditional Japanese dish. We usually eat this for breakfast. It's noodles mixed with fermented beans and sesame. I hope you like it. If not, I will make you whatever you like."
Nervously I took my first bite and I was excited to discover I really enjoyed this new taste. The sauce was a similar texture to peanut sauce and it thickly coated each and ever inch of noodle. The scallions added a nice bite.
Everything was so delicious that we were shoveling noodles into our mouths at record speed. As we started to slow down and get full, the owner came by with three shots of sake. He said, "A holiday treat for you. Thank you for coming in tonight." How sweet is that?
As we got ready to walk back home (yes, Momi is walking distance from my parents' place) I could tell my parents were in that ramen-specific food coma where the broth is sloshing around in your belly.
Our trip to Momi Ramen was such a special one. The owner is super passionate about what he does and it comes through with every gesture and in every bite of food. It was so kind and generous of him to prepare me a special vegetarian dish, especially on such a busy night.
Momi Ramen is open 24 hours a day. Yes, really. In fact, their busiest time is on the weekends around 5:00am when all the club kids coming pouring out into the streets.
One heads up, Momi is cash only, so be sure to hit the ATM first. Each ramen bowl is about $23.00 dollars.
Vist Momi Ramen at 5 SW 11th Street, Miami, FL 33130.
