This place always has a line. It is so popular and for good reason. It serves a spicy mabo tofu ramen fusion that's delicious. One rainy day, I noticed some empty seats and no line, so I quickly went in to give it a try. It was still mostly full, but I didn't have to wait. Lucky.

I ordered the regular-spicey mabo ramen with pork katsu on top. It was rich and deeply flavored, with tons of little mirepoix chunks, even tiny bits of what seemed like ground pork. There are tofu cubes throughout and a generous sprinkling of green onions. Plus, red chili peppers, obviously. The pictures don't do it justice. You can't see the noodles.

The katsu was great, I love the way the breading falls off and then soaks up all the broth. The broth is SPICY. Even at regular heat, I was sweating. I should've expected that since they have tissues in front of you to blow your nose as the heat from the broth makes it run. But the heat is not so much that it distracts or veils the flavor. You get a complex soup that's very filling and gut warming.

I also ordered a sake flight, which was kind of cool. It gave me a chance to see how one sake can taste so different from another. But it sort of felt like the wrong setting for a flight. It's a ramen counter so it's about slurping noodles quickly, not lingering to savor flavor subtleties.

The service was great. They have an English menu. And the minimalist, concrete and stainless steel aesthetic is a nice touch. I suspect I'll go back. Even if there's a line, it's worth the wait...as long as you like spicy food.