Tonari Ramen — Restaurant in Stockholm

Edit: Return, I did. 2nd time around, the ramen was consistent and I had the Shoyu ramen this time around. Unfortunately I have to deduct 2 stars due to an unfortunate incident where the yolk of the ramen egg tasted funky and sour, signalling to me that something was off. I informed the waiter of the situation but he was insisting that the the yolk was meant to taste ‘like that’ and insisted that the current batch of eggs are all the same and that if he were to replace the ramen egg, it will taste exactly the same — sour.

When I mentioned that I was a return customer and that during my previous visit, the egg tasted perfectly fine – slightly savoury, sweet and umami flavoured, he then casually mentioned that they must have served me an ‘unfinished’ product during my previous visit. It was only upon insisting that the egg was off for the umpteenth time, did he then replaced the egg, with a ‘unfinished’ product to taste where the egg was not fully marinated. Needless to say, the ‘unfinished’ product tasted nothing like what I had on my first visit.

I was disappointed then but what made me extremely disappointed during my 2nd visit was during payment where the waiter then casually mentioned that ‘next time if you don’t like the egg, you can remove it instead’.

Astounding 🤨. —————

Pleasantly surprised. 5/5 will return.

Popped in for a quick dinner over the weekend where it was quite quiet. Came in with 0 expectations, but was immediately blown away. Having ordered the spicy miso ramen, the broth was thick, rich and most importantly not too salty as compared to the other more ‘popular’ ramen places in Stockholm.

The ramen egg was nicely marinated and cooked to perfection. The same can be said for the ramen noodles which were springy and not mushy.

The greatest and most pleasant surprise was the charshu, which was slightly caramelised on one side, giving it an extra smoky flavour.

Portion size was ok and price point was good. All in all, I...

This was a pretty alright ramen! The noodles are of excellent quality with a nice chew to them, the egg is just perfectly cooked, and finally the chasu was just at that perfect temperature when the fat has just started dissolving, but the meatier parts were still juicy and not dried out. The service was a little lack-luster and dismissive, but it wasn’t rude so that doesn’t really change my opinion about the experience.

The only thing that didn’t really stand out was the broth. Even though it was spicy, it lacked a bit of a stinger; but more importantly, it was lacking a general punch to its taste. Something to give a little more umami would’ve been perfect. That sensation of all the ingredients synchronizing with the broth and the experience of slurping a delicious broth in the end just wasn’t there, and it was truly a shame since the ingredients themselves really were on the high calibre level of being able to absorb a flavorful broth, but, it just wasn’t there. Normally I would let the other quite amazingly well-executed ingredients lift this to a four, but I feel because the broth is so essential to the idea of ramen, it has to knock it...

The ramen menu here is relatively small but the food they serve is so delicious. I especially enjoyed my tori paitan ramen. I have not seen this ramen in other ramen restaurants in Stockholm but this ramen does remind me of the authentic Japanese ramen made by the Japanese. The broth has a silky smooth and creamy texture, at least I have not tried any ramen broth as good as this one in Stockholm. My partner ordered the spicy miso ramen, which is quite common and loved by the locals here. I tasted the broth and it was good too. From ordering to getting our food, it took a few minutes. Service is fast. I would definitely revisit this place again if I crave for a "more authentic"...