PaoPao Ramen Factory & BoBa — Restaurant in Decatur

I wish I could give 3.5 stars. To break down the Spicy Garlic Tonkotsu, I’ll use the usual category of broth, noodles, and toppings.

In this case, the noodles were perfectly fine, not much else to do to them as they were the right ramen noodles.

When it came to the broth, the spice level was adequate, enough to give a bit of spice but not too much to overwhelm everything else. The broth itself was underwhelming with a lack of richness and flavour.

Now to the toppings, I ordered extra black mushroom, other places have it listed as black fungus, but it’s usually the same. I would have preferred it a bit more cooked as it tastes a bit like kombu that has been slightly undercooked.

The pork was not tender and did not melt in the mouth like a slice of pork braised for tonkotsu usually would; you can see a piece sitting on top of the photo with a lack of braising or colour to identify any marinated or seared aspect. Strangely they put Japanese fish cake, otherwise known as kamaboko, on the side, which didn’t go perfectly with the other toppings, maybe for appearances, but it was no issue. There was a piece of what I believe to be pickled radish on the side and something slightly pickled. The bean sprouts were a nice touch of freshness in the ramen, though. As for the flavour of garlic, it was somewhat underwhelming, with no garlic creaminess, and the prominent flavour was the slight spice and okay broth. Unfortunately, the egg was overcooked and was not that golden gooey centre marinated in soy sauce; it was firm and looked more hard-boiled.

I can not speak as to what my girlfriend had, the miso chicken Katsu ramen. The waiter advised the chicken was fried and would taste best over rice, but it was ordered regardless. Strange idea of Katsu chicken in a broth, the liquid would usually melt away any breading and spread the oil throughout. But in this case, the stars are solely dependent on my experience, not on the other meal ordered.

Now the redeeming factors came down to the service of the gentleman and the fresh edamame. The edamame was perfectly steamed and with the right amount of salt sprinkled over it. I would pause eating the ramen for a bit of edamame here and there as it was plenty of edamame to share between the two.

There is also a rolled ice cream in the shop and boba, which may entertain those who want all three or a mixture of a meal and a dessert. Pao Pao is nicely decorated, and everything else was comfortable. But when it comes to the food, it lacks the flavour of an authentic tonkotsu, and the toppings fell short of how great they could taste.

For spicy ramen, I would also recommend something like stir-fried ground beef or pork (or chicken if there are dietary restrictions). As toppings aside from the protein, some seared corn and bok-choy, with a healthy helping of spring onions or chives, some lightly seared mushrooms may also be lovely. A rich bone broth could be poured over the soy sauce and Rayu to spread the spice throughout. If the broth at Pao Pao had been more flavorful, my outlook might have improved, but I would be keen to try it again in a few months and see if the quality of ramen is the same.

There are many types of ramen at this shop, some leaning on Chinese style of ramen and others leaning on Japanese, but it never truly hits either spot properly. It seems it’s a fusion of several southeastern Asian countries; I would recommend going down and perfecting each individual region before combining several styles and toppings into one. A tip for the owner if they ever read this, there is a Chinese ramen that is delicious for summer time. It involves a cold broth, not hot. Stripped and slightly pickled cucumber. Seared stripped ham or whatever topping is wanted along with seared corn. A golden egg and some kimchi on the side. The broth is clear but usually when drank refreshes the throat...

This place is heavily overrated. The food is really good I won’t try and take that away but the experience around it made it totally not worth it. First things first, I think it’s worth mentioning that the online menu prices are way off. A lot of the food is $5-$10 more expensive in store and the drink prices are off by a few dollars, just all around misleading… Upon ordering our food my friends and I each had various issues with our food. One claimed that his food was really salty, one of my friends who had entered before us didn’t enjoy her tea at all, and none of the rest of our drinks came. We were halfway done eating when we realized we just never got the drinks we ordered and finally my other friend received simply a can of sprite no cup no ice not an apology for the wait just unprofessionalism. Finally, for the experience portion of this review another mention is that there was another customer seated at the table next to us who was also very displeased. I couldn’t hear her full complaint but I heard her saying she would go to Pao Pao all the time and this was not a satisfactory experience for her… As previously stated my food was quite good (after pouring multiple extra cups of sauce) but then we get to the payment. Our waitress returns ready to take payment and she informs my friend that they do not take cash because they didn’t have change?? At a restaurant?? So she had to add her food onto my tab just to cover herself. Together we had two basic plates of fried rice, ONE appetizer of crab rangoon, and two drinks… one of which was the mango fruit tea and the other, a small can of sprite. We got only ONE appetizer and no desserts just two meals with drinks and our total came out to be $79.55. At checkout I requested a receipt and for the first time in my life the waitress told me no she couldnt print me out a receipt. This is a big problem in itself. She told me that she would have to go back into her system and pull it up which was apparently way too much work for her to do and on top of that it’s not like she offered me my receipt when she had it pulled up. I tipped 10% and at the time i left the store i had been charged $69.55, but later on they removed another $10 off my card claiming it was for the tip. Upon looking at the menu online again there’s still about $20 that are unaccounted for and in no situation should that food have costed that much money. In my opinion this is experience was extremely disappointing and I am heavily dissatisfied. I want every cent back and I urge you to...

Decided to order using their online to-go order website. The process was straight forward enough with menu options and prices clearly stated. However when I went to pick up my meal, the final price was different than the amount stated in my confirmation email. When I asked about the price difference , I was told that the prices online aren’t updated so some items actually cost more. Then the check had an automatic tip added- for a to-go order. When I asked about it , I was told it was really a service fee. Finally , the extra item for an add-on for my soup wasn’t even in the container. My problems are- as a business , online order pricing should be reflective of the cost. To not be updated online is lack if accountability on your part. It’s like ordering in person from the menu in the dining room with prices printed and the bill coming with different prices and telling me -oh the menu prices haven’t been updated and the real price is more. But you’ve ordered ,now obligated to pay and the business hasn’t taken responsibility for ensuring that you’ve told the customer what the real cost is at the time of order. As a customer , I felt deceived with my online order. Please take responsibility for your online order pricing or put a disclaimer to say “prices may differ “. Then - the mandatory “tip” added for a to-go order is not good business. A tip is at the discretion of a customer - unless you’ve clearly stated it will be added before a customer orders( like if you’re servicing a large party in dining room). If it’s really a service fee - have it show up as a service fee and clearly state that I will be charged a fee - when I order. With all of that to finally see the meal and then that an item that I truly did agree to pay extra for , wasn’t included just left me with a bad experience. These are tough times (pandemic). Everyone’s trying (hopefully) to do their part. Supporting a business is also included in that since you probably shut down in the earlier part of the year. But please consider being fair to the customers you rely on by being truthful about what you charge for services. A customer - when finally deciding the venture out to pay for a meal shouldn’t leave feeling deceived. The food was ok - hence the stars , but the service and business practices need...