Posted March 3, 2016
By ZHIWEI XIA
The Ichimi Ramen, located in Coral Gables, is a comfortable and convenient Japanese restaurant for people to eat. No matter if diners go with a group of friends or go by themselves, they will eat with pleasure.
The dining room at Ichimi Ramen (Photos by Zhiwei Xia).
It is not difficult for people to find Ichimi Ramen, for the restaurant has a small but somehow eye-catching shop sign hanging outside.
The total area of this restaurant is not very large, but still can hold at least 60 people. Once the diners enter the restaurant, the waitresses will politely greet them, lead them to the table and provide them with a menu.
Although Ichimi only has two waitresses, the high-efficiency of their serving speed and the taste of the food will make up for the limitation. The customers will always receive their order fresh and hot. They can even see the steam arising from the food.
Above and below, the modern style dining areas and service space.
The interior design of this Ichimi Ramen restaurant has well-combined the modern style with the spirituality of Asian style. There were some simple wall paintings with soft lighting, forming a relaxed and happy eating atmosphere.
There is no shielding layer to isolate the kitchen from the customers. Customers can watch how their food is being created while they are just sitting at their tables. This will satisfy the customers’ curiosity and make them feel safe about the quality of the food.
The Craft Ramen is the Ichimi’s specialty. The restaurant also offers a lot of delicious Gyoza and Izakaya dishes. Ichimi has three different types of noodles, Ramen, Tsukemen, and cold Ramen.
One of the murals in the restaurant.
If the diner wants to order Ramen in a traditional way, they have four options that include Tonkotsu, Seafood, Veggie and Beef Brisket. The Tsukemens includes noodles with lobster broth, Shrooooms and an Italian variation Carbonara.
For cold ramen dishes, which means eaten like salads, the customers can order the Avocado, and Tonkatsu Demi, and Veggie. All of those dishes have one similarity that is taste good.
The ramen lovers will meet all different types of ramen here. Each of those dishes for dinner, which were listed above, are all less than $20. For lunch, the diner will spend on average prices of $15. The prices of Ichimi are basically affordable.
Izakaya B Rabbit.
Ichimi also features different beer, sake and wine. Unfortunately, Ichimi didn’t provide the beverages without the alcohol, such as teas or soft drinks.
But the water will be provided freely. Also, the restaurant probably has its own special sauce for every dish that has a uniform taste, a little bit sour and salty.
Under the list of Izakaya, the customers can order whatever they want based on the menu for each of them. They are not expensive and most important, they are delicious.
Don’t be afraid of mis-ordering. Too much options? Want to take home leftovers for the next meal? The Ichimi Ramen restaurant has the take-out service for people can enjoy more food without worrying they could not finish.
Izakaya chicken wings.
Ramen tonkotsu.
While the customers are waiting for their orders, they can surf the Internet or maybe find some reviews about Ichimi. They can use the free wi-fi of Ichimi, as long as they ask the waitresses for the password. There are many available outlets to charge phones, also.
Most of the music played by Ichimi are English songs (probably from the local radio). It is not bad, but does not suit the subject of the restaurant. Maybe some Japanese songs or Asian songs would give some feeling of being there to the customer.
The design style of Ichimi Ramen is good, simple and elegant. But there is only one restroom inside the restaurant and it is mixed-use. This probably will cause customers with some inconvenience, particularly during rush hour.
Ichimi Ramen has some shortcomings but overall, Ichimi will attract return consumers by the taste of its dishes. And this is a new restaurant that will make people expect they will fix the problems in the future.
In April, there will be another Ichimi Ramen restaurant to open at the Miami Beach location, which will offer the customers more options and more convenience.
The restaurant from Salzedo Street.
- Name: Ichimi
- Ramen
- Location: 2330 Salzedo St., Coral Gables, Fla.
- Phone: 305-960-7016
- Price Range: $11-$30
- Pay Method: Credit card and cash
- FYI: Free Wi-fi;
- Take-out
- Hour of Operation: Mondays and Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m.-12 a.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays, 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m., Sundays, 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m.
- Rating: (3.5)