Slurping Turtle — Restaurant in Ann Arbor

To start with some good things about this restaurant before I go into the negatives. We went on a Saturday around 7pm(19:00). First, our actual server was super kind and he was really knowledgeable about the menu itself. He also gave some recommendations as it was our first time going to Slurping Turtle. He also offered to put in our appetizers in first, but we opted to have everything brought to us at once. Also, the hostess was also really kind. Even after our 45 minute wait she was really helpful in finding us a table to sit at rather than forcing us to sit at the bar just because we were only a party of two.

However, after she found us a table the male who took us to our table was extremely rude. He didn’t speak, didn’t smile, and pretty much threw our menus at us. He didn’t introduce himself so I don’t have his name however, I can describe him for you. He was pretty thin and tall, short hair, and he had tattoos on both arms. I don’t believe he had any piercings. He also had dark black hair. Now, asides from throwing our menus on the table he did the same thing when he brought us our cloth wrapped utensils. For a ramen shop using cloth to wrap chopsticks already makes it seem fancy compared to typical ramen shops you’ll find in Numazu, Aichi, Shizuoka, or in Tokyo on the corner of a busy street before the last train at night.

However, when you unroll the cloth you don’t find high quality chopsticks but disposable ones. Not, really a bad thing, however when your bill comes out to $70 you’re expecting at least high quality chopsticks.

In terms of the food, it wasn’t up to par at all from even some of the worst ramen shops I’ve been to in Japan. The worst thing on the menu that we ordered was the Gyoza by far.

For the Gyoza if we were to rate it, we would give it a 1/10. The meat was bland and they didn’t come out hot. They were lukewarm at best. We decided to give it a one simply because of how it was folded and fried. However, after closer inspection we are thinking that these could have been frozen/store bought gyoza. If that is the case, they are extremely low quality.

We also ordered the Negitoro maki. This was perfect. We would highly recommend it to those looking for a quick thing to eat while waiting for your food. 10/10.

Shoyu Ramen or as they call it Classic Tokyo Shoyu, had a very bland broth compared to what I have experienced this was very disappointing. While it is supposed to be light it still should have held some flavor. The noodles were clearly made in house. Which I was very pleased with personally. Also they definitely give a lot of toppings. I’m assuming to make up for the horrible soup. The cuts of pork belly is definitely larger than anything you will get from a ramen shop in Japan. 5/10 is the overall score I’d give it.

The Tonkotsu ramen or as the menu calls it: Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen. It had an actual flavor to the broth and again the toppings amount was really nice. Compared to the Shoyu ramen, this one is the most authentic to what you’ll find in Japan. There were some flavors that was missing but it was still pretty close to the “real” thing. 8.5/10

Another small thing is the fact they charged for hot tea. At any typical ramen place in Japan hot tea is usually free and typically they leave the powder on the table and you just add the hot water from the machine attached to the table. If it isn’t there they typically bring it to you without any problem. If there is a charge it typically isn’t more than $1.

Lastly, the seating. Now, given the fact we went during a busy time frame their island tables in the center of the restaurant is not the best idea especially if you are on a date or meeting somewhere for a business meeting. We unfortunately got sat next to a very large and loud group that didn’t know how to control their volume and lack spatial awareness which had them either bumping us or awkwardly waiting for us to move over more rather than asking or them moving themselves.

The tables definitely need to be...

I stopped in last Saturday. It is my third time dining here. There were three in my party. My first time was a few years ago. I had a decent experience, the food was great. I have ordered the same meal each visit. My second and third visit, not so much. First off, last week, we waited for about 40 minutes to get seated, which was not an issue at all. We then waited for over an hour to get our food, which was ramen, pho, and stir fried rice. The server forgot to bring my appetizer, which after I reminded her, it was close to the time we were served our meal, which at that point I should have just cancelled it. Beyond that, she never came back to even inform us about the status of our dinner. We just waited, waited, and waited. When I inquired about why our dinner was taking so long, she advised that it was because of the time that it takes to cook the molten egg that came with the ramen. Huh? I can fully boil an egg in twelve minutes flat. Cooking a partially runny egg should never take over an hour. The fried rice was burned. To send it back would most likely take another hour so we just dealt with it. The pho bowl was not the same. The flavor was off, the color was not even the same as in the past. I could not eat it. My niece could not eat her fried rice. My sister did eat her ramen, but what a waste of time and money. We could have gone to Chipotle and got a better experience. To add… After we complained about the timing, the server never even apologized for the delay, nor did she contact the manager. At least, my last visit (prior to last Saturday) the server automatically contacted the manager to address a situation that I never even complained about. That was over a year ago. The bartender actually had an issue with the my service (I dined in at the bar). I honestly was just going to move on. But, he did have enough insight to know that my service was unacceptable. After last week, I will never return to this place, as customer service, and the food seemingly gets...

TLDR: excellent food/service, slightly pricey, highly recommend!

Review:

I wish I took photos of the amazing presentation of the food. The Tonkotsu Ramen was fresh, hot, and so flavorful, it was my own fault I burned my mouth, I couldn't stop eating! Tip: Double check how much “stuff” Is in your ramen. I ordered extra pork belly and I definitely did not need it. Although this is a ramen bar, the Dragon Roll was absolutely perfect as well. Crunchy, not overly saucy, and perfectly stuffed. My only complaint was that some of the pork belly pieces were very fatty, while others were absolutely perfect.

Wonderful service from my server Mason, she boxed and bagged my food with care, and even separated the broth from the noodles in my ramen, so it wouldn't be soggy!

Ambience was great too. Everyone was hard at work, yet still had time to smile and greet guests. There was one worker (possibly management) who would make rounds and check on every single guest/party.

Now this next part is to be expected, but it is slightly pricey, especially when you include a well deserved tip. One bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen and a Dragon Roll with a suggested tip ran me about $50. But, for once in a while, treat, I would definitely suggest this location!

Side note, on a previous trip to this restaurant, my party of six, and I were given a hefty discount due to a promotion...