Silverlake Ramen — Restaurant in Charlotte

If I could be an accurate number to describe my experience at Silverlake, I would give it a 3.7. It was my first time at this location and to Silverlake in general.

I was excited to try ramen here as I'm an avid ramen lover and had seen many good ravings and reviews about this place on Google and Tiktok.

Overall, my experience wasn't bad. It just wasn't great. Staff was friendly. We were seated quickly however waited 10-15 minutes before anyone came over to ask us if we had been served. The hostess finally noticed and took our order. It was around 8pm on a Sunday. So it wasn't busy but not overly empty either.

We ordered the chicken karaage for an appetizer and I had the Garlic Truffle with pork while my fiancé had the Blaze with pork. I found myself being just whelmed. Not overwhelmed by the taste and flavour, but neither underwhelmed. Just...whelmed. The noodles are not your typical ramen noodles, for those of you expecting that classic ramen taste. If I had to guess, I'd say it tasted like regular noodles. Not that they were bad. Just not what I was expecting. My noodles were thicker and I believe were appropriate for the flavour of the Garlic Truffle. I wasn't happy with large chunks of raw garlic in the broth. The pork was a bit too salty. My fiancé was disappointed with the lack of "heat" in the Blaze but acknowledges a decent base flavour.

Overall in think the experience was what the kids call "a'ight." I wish it was better but it wasn't terrible. Would I go back? Probably not. But it wasn't a regrettable experience. If you're an avid and authentic ramen lover, you may find it a bit underwhelming. However if you're looking for a casual ramen experience, it may be worth a try.

I encourage you to try for yourself and see...

I honestly don't know where all these 5 stars are coming from. Granted, I did get this delivered so I may have a better experience dining in...idk. Here's a breakdown:

I ordered "The Veggie" Ramen.

The noodles seem thinner than I've had before but wasn't a big deal.

Ramen: The ramen broth was lacking so much flavor. It's like they just used a box of veggie broth from the grocery store. It was hard to finish. It was like I was eating nothing.

**Side Note: I hate soft tofu in general so I ate around it. No biggie. My rating is not based on the Tofu. However, I find soft (uncooked tofu) as a lazy ploy for restaurants to say they have a vegetarian/vegan option. It's like they literally took it out the pack and cut it into squares. I prefer restaurants that put in more effort and use wheat/seitan/pea protein based meats (impossible/ beyond/ quorn etc)...or at least fry the tofu for harmonious textural difference and balance.

• Another Side Note: What I've learned from living abroad is that the key component of all ramen is the broth. The broth must be hot and FULL of FLAVOR.

The noodles must be cold/cool or in a ice bath before being mixed in the the both so that the cooking process ends and they don't end up sticking together into a big blob. All the other condiments ONLY compliment the broth. BROTH = MVP at all times.

NONE of what I just mentioned was evident in my ramen. I think more research into the Japanese culture /flavor/ cooking would be helpful or research in vegan flavors such as umami/mushroom, miso, garlic oil bases...etc.

My overall feedback is: Food: Needs improvement/ expanded...

The food was excellent but I can't say the same about the service, we selected a white peach sake that was exquisite, all our dishes (pork bun and two different types of ramen) were full of flavor with more than enough portions (you probably will need a to go bowl) and the meat, noodles and vegetables were very tender but the host had a face that he has no choice but to work there, there was no welcome, a smile or gratitude gesture of any kind, no manners or good attitude; they need to hire more waiters or a buzzer or do something because the only waiter is running trying to do everything and ends up neglecting certain tables. I can definitely come back for the food but they need to train their staff more or hire new ones with a better attitude.

PD: I have been working in this area (I am a waitress) for 5 years and I feel sad and disappointed to see services like this when a simple smile, a thank you or kind gestures of any kind can be the key to get a happy and completely...