Beyond Ramen & Kabob 江湖小馆 — Restaurant in Ellicott City

This restaurant is small but has a unique decor.

We visited on a Sunday afternoon around 4 PM, during the restaurant's quietest time. It felt quite stuffy as we entered, likely because the air conditioning wasn't fully on. However, as we were about to leave around 5 PM, a refreshing breeze indicated that the AC was finally at full blast.

We ordered a few dishes:

👎Roast Duck (the name of this dish is not confirmed): The dish wasn’t very fresh, with a slight sour smell indicating it might be off. The duck meat was tough, and it seemed like a pre-cooked dish that was reheated before serving.

👍Fired Rice Cake（爆浆糍粑）: These were very sticky with a molten brown sugar syrup inside. They weren’t overly sweet and tasted great.

👎Vegan Baked Gluten Salad （烤麸素什锦）: Extremely salty, with an overpowering soy sauce flavor that masked everything else. The daylilies were a bit mushy, and the wood ear mushrooms were not fresh, lacking crunchiness and feeling somewhat soft.

Durian Pastry（榴莲酥）: The outer layer was crispy, and the inside was soft and tender, with a good texture. However, it lacked the distinctive durian flavor.

👎Golden Croaker Fillet（椒盐去骨黄花鱼）：The batter coating the fish was very hard, with no crispiness at all. The fish meat was thin and didn't feel fresh.

👎Twice-Cooked Pork（回锅肉）: It was all fatty slices of meat, which we didn't eat.

👍Lamb Skewers（羊肉串）: The taste was good, with the meat being crispy on the outside and tender inside.

👍Prok Bun (潼关肉夹馍)**: The bun was crispy, the meat inside was juicy, and the flavor was great. The portion of meat was also generous.

Overall, I wouldn’t voluntarily return to this small restaurant, nor would I invite friends...

nice spot. everything came put hot always a plus. I enjoyed my chicken ramen it was flavored well and not salty. I could barely taste the salt. a huge plus for me. the satay beef and shrimp were too spicy for my taste buds, but my companion enjoyed them. he likes spicy. But they both were well seasoned well and the beef tender. the Chinese chashu buns were interesting. the bread part reminded me of a crescent roll, which was a plus, but the meat inside needed more flavor. I think I would add some peppers and mushrooms to it. But i would recommend this dish. I think i had a different variation of this dish at another place their buns were made differently. my companion had i believe the spicy tantan ramen. he enjoyed it. noodles cooked well. he said the right amount of spice and not salty. we also had not pictured chicken wings, which he said was bland no seasoned. and the chicken karage, which reminded me of the nuggets from Chick fil a only because of the shape. but these were seasoned well. I ate them without the sauce. and they give you plenty of this. u could actually eat this as a meal. also, I wonder how they would taste in the chicken ramen broth. u know now, I think of it. The breading on this chicken reminded me of Washington's chicken breading with less salt. all in all, a cozy spot to catch a good meal. Definitely...

This place is a new favorite of mine. Despite the name, the place is really an Asian fusion restaurant, serving Japanese and Chinese food. The waitstaff, and presumably back of the house staff, are Chinese. The food is very good - reasonable price, excellently seasoned, and served up as soon as it gets done. The ramen really is very good; my wife and I are both ramen lovers, and I've had ramen throughout Honshu in Japan, and I enjoyed it. The yakitori (skewers) are also very tasty, with a nice savory/spicy seasoning; recommend the beef (says fatty beef, 肥牛肉 on the menu - savory little bites of beef and well rendered, grilled beef fat) and pork. The chicken is also good - a review on here said it was somewhat underdone, which is incorrect. It's chicken thigh, and cooked perfectly it will be less dry and stringy like breast and a little fattier and chewier, which some may think means it's underdone. The gyoza and steamed dumplings (could also be boiled, I forget - 水饺) are both good, but the steamed dumplings are made by hand and served with a vinegar (I assume black vinegar) sauce that is very tasty. We also loved the five-spice peanuts and the chashi bun.

Anyway, long story short - go here, give them your business. You won't be...