Ramen Ray- Revisit

Since COVID and quarantining began, we have developed a pretty regular list of places we get carry out from on a regular basis. Ramen Ray is one of these. They do a great job with carry out and even though it has to use a few more containers than is ideal, by keeping the noodles and everything else separate from the broth, it keeps the perfect consistency of the noodles and the eggs don’t get overcooked. And if I want to heat the broth up separately for a minute when I get it home to make it a bit warmer, I can easily do that too. My only complaint is they aren’t open Sunday nights which always seems to be the night we want ramen. They also do delivery through some of the third party services.

My regular order is a half order of miso ramen with an extra egg and chopped pork. The noodles are tender and great, the eggs are perfect and I really enjoy the chopped-up pork over the big slabs of pork which are more challenging to eat with a spoon and chopsticks. Hubby also gets the miso—sometimes a full order, sometimes half, depending on his mood. There is a spicy miso option as well, but last time I had it, it was so spicy, it was almost too much.

The kids both prefer the shoyu, which is a soy sauce type broth—and they also get an extra egg—which gives you three halves…just the right amount if you ask me. We also usually get at least one order of dumplings—you can get pork or veggie—we always get the pork. They are lightly pan fried and I like the vinegar/soy dipping sauce to give a little bite of acid to go with the rich ramen.

All in all, a solid experience—and the guy in there is starting to recognize me which shows you how much we get it. One of the things I like about it, is that it is carry out that isn’t pizza or fried food and feels a little healthier. So, let me know what your favorite slightly “healthier” options are these days. 

Actually, please tell me new and unusual places you have found good carry out. I need some new inspiration---but something I can carry out. At least for now. 

Ramen Ray

5628 East 71^st Street

Indy 46220

317-288-7120

https://ramenray.com/

Ramen Ray-Quick Revisit

Hubby wanted to try out Ramen Ray since I had gone with girl friends for my inaugural visit. And I was interested to see how the new opening hours would affect the wait time, etc. They now open at 11:00 for lunch, and we got there about 11:25 and walked right in and ordered right away. There were other people there, but not a lot. I have a feeling this change will greatly benefit the crowding issue.

I was also happy to see some additions to the menu. They have added a few new flavor combinations as well as the option of adding some ingredients. Hubby got the shio with the yuzu option and I got the spicy miso option with an extra egg (they give you a whole egg when you get an extra one, so I gave hubby half so we both ended up with one entire egg in each soup.

I really, really liked the spicy miso better than any of the first versions I had. It was, well, spicier. And just overall more flavorful. I also liked being able to add more egg, because that is my favorite bite—a bite of noodles with a little bit of the egg. And this broth was just more interesting. Not burn your mouth spicy at all, just more going on.

I was torn on hubby’s yuzu shio. I enjoyed the addition of the citrus flavor from the yuzu, but it was pretty subtle. And it seemed like this time the dish had a lot of seaweed in it, giving it a bit of a fishy flavor. He really enjoyed it, but it was a little dominating for me. I’m not sure if they add more with the yuzu variation or it was just a fluke, but I know what I would order on my next visit, and it’s the spicy miso. For sure.

Glad to see they are getting a handle on the business and offering a little more options and flexible hours. I know a bunch of you have been here—I’ve seen your pictures on instagram. So tell me what you think.

Ramen Ray

5628 East 71^st Street

Indy 46220

www.facebook.com/ramenrayindy

Ramen Ray

Ok, I broke my rule about waiting a couple weeks before going somewhere new here, but I figured with the massive amounts of business they’ve had, they probably have lots of practice by now right? Plus, this place is right by my house and I have been waiting patiently (or not) for months for it to open.

I went with two friends and we tried everything on the menu. There are only three choices on the menu, so it’s pretty easy to do. We each got one of the different flavors of ramen and I tried them all (the bowls are around $13 each). I had the shio broth (which means salt) and my friends had the shoyu (soy) and miso (which is fermented bean paste). I think the shio is kind of the purest of the forms maybe, and the most delicate of the flavors. I enjoyed it and all the little bits of pork that were in there mixed with the noodles, but if you are looking for that big slice of pork on top, this one doesn’t come with it. Instead, there’s a little slice of fish roll. The broth did have a nuanced flavor and the bites with the egg were superb, but if you’re looking for something more in your face flavor-wise, you might want to try one of the others.

shio

The miso (which contains fish sauce and peanuts for those with allergy concerns) tasted heavily of miso—you know, like the soup you get before your sushi. I happen to really enjoy miso soup, so I thought this one was good, and it was certainly a stronger flavor than mine. This one had the pork slice as well as the egg and it’s unique topping was corn, which I will have to say is not my favorite ramen ingredient.

miso

I tasted the shoyu last, and after eating mine for several minutes beforehand, the soy flavor really whopped me. It’s definitely a darker and stronger flavor. Also good. This one also has the egg and pork (and they all had fresh bean sprouts and noodles obviously) as well as some seaweed. Speaking of noodles, they import their noodles from Japan, and apparently age them in the front counter. The noodles were good—they had some toothiness to them and didn’t just kind of dissolve the way rice noodles do. The only option they were offering when we were there was to add extra noodles, but honestly, there were a lot of noodles and I don’t know how they could even fit more in the bowl. You really don’t need extra in my opinion. The half soft-boiled eggs were also just right, with a just set yolk. One friend also snuck in a jar of togarashi to jazz up the soup after reading that it was a good idea. It was. We all used it.

shoyu

So overall, what do I think? I think Ramen Ray is certainly some of the best ramen in Indy (along with Rook) not that there are really many other places to compare to. I enjoy a nice bowl of noodles as much as the next gal, but I still haven’t found a bowl of ramen in Indy that can compare to the ones I have had in New York and Chicago (honestly, the best so far being Yusho in Chicago). And judging by the enthusiasm and crowds at this place (the entire restaurant was full before they even started serving at noon), Indy is itching for more ramen choices. Hopefully this starts a trend.

I do think they would do themselves a favor opening earlier than noon (the current hours are 12-2:00 and then reopening at 5:00 for dinner). Allowing people to get there earlier than noon, when a lot of people are just starting a lunch break would break up the crush of people all arriving at the same time I think. They are very friendly in there though and do everything they can to keep things moving along. I will certainly go back at some point when the crowds die down, as it is so convenient for me. However one of my friends, who lives near Westfield, said she’d be hard-pressed to come all the way to this side of town for this meal again (she has eaten a lot of the ramen I have had in other cities right alongside me).

the line at noon

I’m sure they will do well though, and it’s a decent ramen option. And I love that they focus so much on just doing the three types of ramen. To me, that shows real passion for the actual product they are making by not overextending themselves into areas where they may not shine. 

On the other hand, if you get tired of waiting at Ramen Ray, head across 71^st Street to Long Thanh and get some great Vietnamese food (don’t get the Chinese food though) without any wait. They even have noodles.

Ramen Ray

5628 East 71^st Street

Indy 46220

Apparently no phone, no website, but they are on facebook