Shojin Ramen & Sushi — Restaurant in Fort Myers

Overall: A nice, small, comfy bowl that's a little more expensive than what I'm used to seeing.

Details: I've heard about this place from a coworker who gave it a pretty good recommendation. Having had ramen in both Austin, TX and Japan, I had to temper my expectations a bit before checking it out.

I got an order of gyoza and their house special. Granted if I wanted to do a base comparison, a basic tonkotsu would have been better but I was curious and it was expensive for a basic bowl.

The gyoza came out looking and smelling pretty good. They're no Japanese style gyoza which are usually flatter and crispier. These are more Chinese style with a much nicer crisp around the edges and fairly plump than the usual. It came with some mayo and Lao Gan Ma which went well with it. The green onions were a nice touch.

The ramen later came and immediately noticed a few things. The pork seem to be the kind you would see in a stir fry, the egg seemed lightly fried after being boiled, a small assortment of vegetables were on the side, and the broth seemed to be in low tide. It's like a mixture of pho, Chinese stir fry, and ramen. Not a typical bowl but wouldn't be unusual in the more experimental parts of Tokyo that use chocolate, milk, or bugs in their ramen. And even straight up mapo tofu with a very thick sauce. The pork was very well done and juicy. The noodles were a familiar kind which I suspect is the same kind most ramen shops use.

The things that threw me off were the egg, veggies, and broth. The egg is hardboiled, a little over cooked even. This was a bit disappointing. Usually ramen eggs are soft boiled at least. I'm not sure if this is caution on the part of the owner with food safety, regular customers not liking soft boiled eggs, or something else. Hopefully the owner will consider adding the option of a soft boiled ramen egg especially since the menu already strangely has options for noodles that isn't used in ramen.

The veggies were a little strange here. By the time I got to the bottom, mixing the veggies and broth made it feel like I was eating a fusion of pho and ramen. Not that you'd find corn in pho, but it still felt that way.

The broth was the biggest mystery. It was nice and creamy. Comforting even. Literally nothing wrong with it except there wasn't enough of it. In most shops, the broth would fill the bowl near to the top. In the one I ordered, it barely filled the bottom. Maybe it's different with the other bowls, but it was a lot less than what I usually see unless it was tsukemen which is more concentrated and meant to be dipped in. I wonder if it's because there's usually a lot of broth wasted after someone finishes a bowl. I can understand that since most people don't finish off the broth. As a broth lover and one who believes the broth is the essence of a bowl, I can only be left wondering and wanting a little more.

Overall, it's nice and comforting with some very obvious fusion of Japanese and Chinese noodle bowl styles at least for their house special. Maybe the other bowls are more traditional. Very worthy of respect for the area it's in. Just a tad expensive for what you get, but what's not...

My boyfriend and I came here for a late-night date while on vacation. He’s a pretty picky eater and doesn’t like most foods, but I love sushi, so we decided to give this place a try. It was one of the only restaurants open at 11 PM, and we were craving something good.

When we got there, we were a little nervous because the area looked rough, but as soon as we stepped inside, we felt more at ease. The restaurant wasn’t fancy, but it had an authentic and homey feel, like a hidden gem you’re glad you found.

The best part of our experience was the chef—he was incredibly kind and funny, and it really felt like he put love into his cooking. We ordered ramen, sushi, and gyoza, and everything was cooked so well. You could tell the food was made with care, and it had that warm, comforting quality that made it even better.

Since we were the only ones there, the service was amazing, but beyond that, the chef’s kindness really made the night special. We appreciated him so much that we tipped him $20 because he genuinely made the experience memorable for us.

If you’re looking for a late-night sushi spot with heart, this place is absolutely worth visiting. It may not be in the best area, but the food, the atmosphere, and the wonderful service make it feel like a special find. We’re really glad we gave it...

Authentic and tasty Asian fusion cuisine here. I went in for lunch and see the store is under new ownership. The menu features a variety of Asian foods, such as ramen, dim sum, stir fry, and sushi. I was impressed with dinner if there sushi offerings, such as monk fish liver, which I'll have too try on a future visit. For this visit I ordered the ramen and a white tuna (escolar) roll with kimchi and daikon (white giant radish). The ramen was outstanding! You get a choice of noodles (egg, rice, or udon) and choice of protein (pork, chicken, beef, or tofu). I recommend the traditional egg noodles...and I also got the beef. The ingredients were fresh and tasty. It even included the traditional soft cooked egg (fried in this case). The broth was right and there whole dish was put together just right! The sushi roll was a combination I've never had before, and the flavor combination was perfect! The owner brought out accompaniments, including kimchee, wasabi, hot sesame oil, Sriracha, and of course, soy sauce. The atmosphere is casual.... Order at the counter and they bring the food to you. It's small and clean, I counted 22 chairs. This gem is a must try for anyone who enjoys exploring Asian fusion cuisine. I know I...