Menya Hosaki Ramen (Pop-Up)
We pulled into the parking lot of a dull brown office building. Company logos like Dell, Parsons, and obligatory letters followed by “-tech” surround us. The parking lot is empty except for a small group of cars just outside a door with a green awning labelled Junction Deli. You would never guess that right here is where you can get a great bowl of ramen.
When we first heard of this place from a friend, Me and the Mrs. couldn’t wait to try it out. We are suckers for tonkotsu broth so we got the classic tonkotsu. The noodles were firm and chewy. The egg perfectly cooked. What really caught my eye was the thick cuts of pork with a slight char on one side. And when I say thick I mean sink your teeth in and make a mouth guard thick. All in all, a satisfying ramen option just inside county lines.
One thing to note, there’s nothing else except for ramen, so any non-ramen slurpers in your party will be out of luck. Little Nom couldn’t get their staple ramen appetizer, gyoza (dumplings). Their selection of broth types were limited to shoyu, tonkotsu, and a weekly special noodle. Quality over Quantity though.
Afterwards, the giant glass door drink refrigerators of the deli were making Mrs. Nom Nom thirsty. We were pretty sure it was off limits. Luckily, you can help yourself to as much free iced cold green tea.
The bathroom is a shared bathroom in the office building. Walking down the hallways of the building left me wondering if I should be going back to work (who wants to be reminded of work, right?).
It’s refreshing to see the start of this restaurant’s journey. They’ll be moving to their DC home (Petworth) in 7-8 months so their time in Howard County will be short. Let’s hope that they reconsider and stay. Nevertheless, catch them while they’re still here.
Have you had ramen before? What do you prefer… shio, shoyu, miso, or tonkotsu? Have you been here before? How’d it go? Comment below.
More Links of Menya Hosaki Ramen (Pop-Up)
Do you have any news on upcoming restaurants? Or are you the owner opening a restaurant in Howard County? Let me know in the comments below or contact me at hoconomnom@gmail.com.