Rolling with ramen
Daruma Ramen opens, Mu Dan and Zuma are next
The Stacy and Danny Zheng family has made a serious bet on Government Street, bringing a broad Asian menu to a Mid City spot that has seen enough failed concepts to qualify as a cautionary tale.
The details: Their new restaurant, Daruma Ramen, has opened in a remade building near Doe's Eat Place. That address has been a carousel of cuisines, which is the polite way to say a lot of places have not made it.
What makes this one different: The Zhengs did not dabble. They spent more than $1 million to purchase and rework the space, adding festive décor and a wide menu built to appeal to more than just ramen devotees. You can get baos, boba tea, dumplings, wings and sliders with a Daruma twist.
What we tried: On a recent visit, the baos were the softest we've had in town, with Korean bulgogi that leaned a bit sweet but worked. The beef ramen brought real spice, while the thin-sliced beef stayed impressively tender.
Yes, there's a robot: The crowd favorite may be the robot server, which rolls your order to the table. You can grab the food yourself or have a server bring it to your table. Servers were looking for a nickname for the robot. (May we suggest Roux-bot or Miso?)
What's next: The Zhengs are opening more places.
- Mu Dan, a dim sum restaurant, is expected to open in June in the former Southern Pearl Oyster House space on Perkins Road.
- Zuma, a revolving sushi restaurant on Government Street, is in the works but won't open before Mu Dan. It will be near South Foster.
The bottom line: Government Street has another restaurant, and the corridor continues to cement itself as a dining destination after a road diet attracted new investment. And Daruma looks built to last at what has long been a tricky address.
