Ramen Sho in Meridian has brought delicious bowls of the famous Japanese noodle soup to the Treasure Valley for a while now. Beginning with a location in the Capitol Terrance in downtown Boise, they have recently relocated the restaurant to Meridian, loosely connected to the popular Shige Express sushi bar. Parking is easily available with a nice lot and the location itself is very close to the I-84 Meridian Road exit. They also have a nice outside patio area that is perfect for a fall day or a warm summer’s evening. Inside, Ramen Sho has tables as well as a small bar area for diners. There is a nice range of drink options that include hot and cold sake, draft American beers plus Sapporo Japanese beer and wine, hot and iced tea as well as soft drinks.
Ramen Sho has a basic menu similar to many ramen shops, with a variety of noodle soups, rice bowls and some Japanese appetizers. Trying some of the appetizers are a must with some items that cannot otherwise be found at other Japanese restaurants here. The gyoza, a pan fried thin-dough dumpling filled with ground pork and veggies, is a nice way to start your meal. With a nice dipping sauce to dunk them in, they make a good start to the meal. Other appetizers include a crispy spring roll and a panko-encrusted shrimp skewer. Chicken kaarage, the crispy Japanese-style fried chicken bites, also makes a nice beginning to a meal.
A real treat on from the appetizers though is the takoyaki, an item that is not usually found here in local restaurants. Takoyaki is usually found in little stands, on carts or very traditional Japanese restaurants; and Ramen Sho makes a fine one. Little balls of wheat batter filled with diced octopus are cooked in a special pan designed only for that purpose. In many places, it is really fun to watch the cook drop the batter in the special pan, then deftly piercing the balls with a skewer, turning one and going to the next with incredible speed. The hot balls are topped with a dark, slightly sweet, tangy sauce and some special dried seasonings. The takoyaki are quite tasty and something that it is highly recommended to try as part of your meal at Ramen Sho in Meridian.
If your impression of ramen soup only comes from the instant ramen noodles popular as a cheap meal, you are in for a big surprise. Ramen Sho’s soups have a rich broth, filled with meltingly tender slices of pork belly, strips of nori seaweed, beni-shoga (pickled ginger) and a sliced hard-boiled egg. The ramen noodles are filling and delicious, soaking up the pork-based broth that has been cooked for over 10 hours. The basic soup is the Tonkatsu Ramen, a mild broth that is a good way for the uninitiated to start. Other choices include a Miso Ramen, a Curry Ramen, a Shoyu (soy sauce) Ramen and a Wasabi Shoyu Ramen. The menu also includes spicy options for the various broths if you like yours with heat. The Curry Ramen is delightful, with the Japanese curry sauce that is very different from any of the other Asian curries. It is something that should be tried since it is very popular in Japan, having become one of their favorite dishes. Finally, there is a miso-based Tan Tan Ramen with ground pork.
All the ramen soups also have options of adding extra noodles, pork belly, egg and even spicy kimchi pickled cabbage. The bowls themselves at Ramen Sho in Meridian are substantial and make a nice meal, especially when paired with an appetizer of two for sharing. With cold weather coming again, a nice bowl of ramen soup can make a hearty Japanese comfort-food meal. If you are not in a soup mood however, the other choice for a main course at Ramen Sho in Meridian is their Rice Bowls. These can come topped with the chicken kaarage or pork belly. For those wanting a lighter or vegetarian-based meal, the rice bowl can come topped with the Japanese Curry, or as a Vegetable Rice Bowl with a choice of five mild or spicy flavors. There is also a combination special, which includes a bowl of ramen as well as a rice bowl for a discounted price.
Having already picked up a following from the Boise location, Ramen Sho’s new location in Meridian looks to become quite popular. This is a casual, comfortable place and a nice choice when a bowl of hot soup is just what will warm your stomach and satisfy your taste buds.
Ramen Sho
520 S. Main Street
Meridian, ID 83642
(208) 922-6433
Ramen Sho website
