Review: Ramen Burger (By the JFGal!)
While in NYC for the Summer Fancy Food Show, the JFGal had her own side adventure at Smorgasburg, an outdoor food extravaganza that takes place on Saturdays in Brooklyn. And she got to try the Ramen Burger!
In my lifetime, I’ve personally tried two different ramen burgers, and they weren’t very good. The noodle bun was just meh. But the one in Brooklyn, created by Keizo Shimamoto and debuting in 2013, is the original. People used to stand in line for THREE HOURS to eat this thing. Was it worth it? I’ll let the JFGal tell you.
Today’s review: Ramen Burger!!
JFGal: “When I saw the booth for the Ramen Burger, the line was wrapped around the booth like a snake. Apparently my friend who lives in NYC says the line is always too long and it’s always so hot out she never wanted to wait in line. I told her I’M GETTING THAT BURGER. The line moved fast; we waited about 10 minutes.”
“The guys working inside the Ramen Burger booth, you could see, were super efficient. One person grilled patties, one person grilled the ramen buns, the dudes in the middle assembled and wrapped. The cooktop they used was REALLY hot; things were sizzling everywhere.”
“The Ramen Burger came wrapped in a cute little package and was super portable. It was also SUPER hot, despite being wrapped.”
“The Ramen Burger was composed of the ramen bun, a slice of melted cheese, a super tender beef patty, spinach greens or maybe arugula, raw scallions and hoisin soy sauce on top. The beef patty was super fresh tasting with a perfect crust and smokiness.”
“Eaten altogether, the Ramen Burger was delicious. The beef patty was well seasoned and salty and super juicy. The cheese worked; I wasn’t sure how cheese and noodles would go together, but it did. The ramen patties held up, we’re not mushy or too rubbery/hard. They also had a nice almost toasted crust. While the noodles themselves didn’t have much flavor, they absorbed the hoisin soy and scallion flavor really well. The bun didn’t drown out the burger at all.”
“It was a thick burger; a good hand size. It was so thick that I was barely able to get my mouth around to take a bite.”
“As I ate the burger, some bros came up to me and bro-ed out. They pointed and shouted ‘OOO IS THAT THE RAMEN BURGER??’ When I said yes, they asked where it was so I pointed. ‘YEAAAH GO THERE!!’ They yelled as they bro-bounded over to the booth.”
“The burger was $10, expensive, but delicious. Worth it.”
Purchased @: SMORGASBURG, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: $10 (jeez)
Sincerely,
The JFG
Discuss - 6 Comments
Congrats on your official new title, MRS JFG! I see no time has been wasted putting you to work in the family business. I hope you negotiated a healthy compensation package! I enjoyed your review. Good Luck!
“a good hand size. It was so thick that I was barely able to get my mouth around”
giggity.
That looks good but $10 OUCH! Better to make it yourself just use the ramen part and use a empty tuna can or small can to make a mold then do similar thing
this must have been pretty good – in the past JFGgal has had taste buds more similar to mine than JFG
I don’t think I get it. If the ramen doesn’t add anything, why not just use a bun? Far easier and I’m guessing neater. Novelty for novelty’s sake?
Yea I would definitely try this, apart from the actual burger, I think ramen and cheese together would be really nice. My only concern is would it not fall apart really easily when you’re eating it? Not sure on the price though, $10 ouch!