Asuka Ramen Poke - ARVADA — Restaurant in Arvada

So far I have batted 1/3 for visits here. One good visit and two bleh visits. When I order I always order the same thing - the rainbow poke bowl. The first time there was so much rice and very little tuna or salmon. I swore never to come back. This was a take out order.

The second time my boyfriend wanted to try the place so we ate in and I ordered the rainbow poke bowl again but with the 1/2 rice/ 1/2 spring mix and I really enjoyed my meal. It was the perfect combination of tuna and salmon to rice/spring mix.

Yesterday, while working from home I ordered the rainbow poke bowl for lunch. After picking it up I came home and opened the package. All I could see was tofu. There was very little salmon or tuna in comparison. I pulled out all of the tofu and salmon and tuna so I could count the pieces. Tofu greatly outnumbered the tuna and salmon. I found even more tofu mixed in the rice and spring mix while I was eating. I did not order a TOFU bowl I ordered a RAINBOW bowl. I WILL NOT BE RETURNING TO EAT HERE AGAIN. The rice was also dry and not very tasty.

This place is so disappointing. I was excited for it to open in my...

I was really looking forward to some local Poke bowl and yakisoba. I ordered a BYO bowl with yellow tail and shrimp. The ingredients seemed fine except the yellow tail. I'm a big fan of yellow tail and order it often. That why I was so surprised when I bit into a piece that was so firm it was borderline crunchy. I set the piece aside but after the 4th crunchy bit of meat and the intense fishy flavor I lost the battle to my gag reflex. I couldn't finish my meal and I could eat Poke every day of the week. I hope it was an isolated event and maybe a less than satisfactory filet was diced up. The chicken yakisoba was just underwhelming. The noodles were mushy and the chicken was tough. For the price we may not give it a second chance after being burned on 2 dishes already. On a positive note the red bean sesame balls were delicious! Maybe we'll give Asuka a try in a year after they've been established longer. Being able to provide fresh quality ingredients is going to be key for a Poke restaurant. Especially with competition like Motomaki just a hop...

Asuka is easily in the top-three bowls of ramen in the Denver area (and I've probably had 20? 30? as of writing this) I tried both the Tonkatsu and the Duck Ramen and both were delicious and rich, with thick cuts of meat and perfectly-thick al dente ramen noodles. Bowls come with a few veggies and a "poached" egg, but I'd say it's a perfect mix between a poached egg and a ramen egg. Not too goopy, not too cooked. Perfect.

Alongside the ramen we had the karaage which was a bit of a let down - it wasn't crispy, though the seasoning and portion size were both good. And the Thai Tea, Strawberry, and Milk Tea Boba Smoothies (yes, smoothie) The smoothies tasted great but I'll admit...I wish it was just thai tea/milk tea. The smoothie consistency was sort of...bizarre, though I might change my tune on a hot summer day.

Overall, Asuka was a no-frills, great value for the price. At $15 for a bowl of Tonkatsu when other locations sell it for $18+, I'd come here frequently for a weekly lunch if I were in the...