RAKKAN Ramen - Houston Heights — Restaurant in Houston

All of the ramens are similar in being both bland, yet possessing a strange artificial taste that eludes description. When it comes to the differences between them, they are insignificant enough that none of them stand out as much better than the others. The pearl ramen has a thin film of oil on it, the garnet tastes like the dishwater from a pot used to make French onion soup, and the amber has a fishy taste that turns out to be caused by… you guessed it, fish. Turns out that 100% vegan thing was a lie, yet even when cheating by using an animal product for flavor, Rakkan still manages to be less flavorful than instant ramen from the gas station. The worst ramen, however, is the quartz. It is quite thick and creamy. Don’t make the mistake of asking your server how this is achieved using vegan ingredients. They don’t want to tell you and you don’t want to know. In fact, nearly every question seems to put the waiters on edge. Ask about the noodles and they will tell you that handmade actually means manufactured in a warehouse and shipped in. Ask for your ramen egg to be cooked more or less and they will admit the eggs are boiled in massive batches in the morning and kept in a giant, refrigerated tub until it's time to be served. Ask about cross contamination for your food allergy and they will fearfully tell you they can promise nothing. Anything else you can think to ask will probably result in a two dollar upcharge, like if you want more than two of the sad pieces of pork chashu that float dispassionately in your soup. So the ramen is a bust, but it’s okay, because those appetizers are finally coming out and the presentation is pretty good. The gyoza, which can only be ordered fried, come in a veggie and a pork variety. The steamed shumai are filled with shrimp. Both taste decent, but also hauntingly familiar to the identical versions of themselves that are sold in bulk in the frozen aisle of Costco… The fried chicken karage was a decent mix of juicy and crispy on your first few visits. However, a change in recipe (or, more likely a change in frozen food supplier) has resulted in the breading attaining a sawdust-esque texture, and the whole plate gaining a predominant taste of burnt fryer oil. The sushi is about as fresh as the restaurant’s decor (there is none, just plain gray stone walls with the blue RAKKAN logo scattered around) and tastes like food poisoning waiting to happen. All meals at Rakkan are quick, since the waiters seem desperate to push you out the door. The general atmosphere in Rakkan is one where everybody is shoveling their frozen gruel down as fast as possible after taking photos of the misleadingly aesthetic presentation. Nobody, from the skittish waiters, to the cooks complaining loudly in the kitchen, to the patrons, seemingly want to be there, and if you go, you probably won’t either. And yet, the cause of your disappointing dinner has a whopping 4.8 stars on Google. Something fishy is going on here, and it’s not just the discoloured scallops… Finally, you walk out with your check. Make sure you’ve read the receipt, because the waiters will often overcharge you for miscellaneous things you did not order, like a side of spicy miso paste that you never knew existed. You take a deep breath, feeling vaguely queasy, but there is one more surprise- one could say the cherry on top, though here they would probably charge you three dollars extra for that. Right before you leave, a cockroach scatters across the floor and into the kitchen. You inform the waiter and are candidly told that since their opening, they have had an infestation. While disgusting, it is nice that at least one species on this planet enjoys Rakkan’s food. When you first spotted this quiet ramen spot with its stunningly good reviews and mouthwatering photos, you wondered if it was a hidden gem among a row of overbearing restaurants. After visiting, though, you realize it is more fitting to describe it as a hidden cockroach among a row of places infinitely more...

I went to this place on two separate occasions on a afternoon after a doctors appointment and in the morning the day after. It is that good.

Place was not crowded at either at these times which is preferable as seating is limited. I will say about 20 to 25 persons inside and maybe 16 person outside the reaturant.

Google maps will take you to the parking lot nearest Shepherd. Dont do that. Go down Sixth street and and take the second left to to the other parking lot and drive until you see the building in the photos enclosed below.

The appetizers I tried were the shu mai and the takoyaki (6.5 each). Shu mai is much like the frozen types you buy in the store. It is filled with shrimp and pork lard. I would put the taste this way. It is like eating frozen white castle burgers and eating one fresh from a resturant. The flavours are more pronounced and there is a slight textural difference. I would prefer the takoyaki. It is well fried not greasy and is served with a more flavourful sauce.

For the main course I went for the limited time combo where you get a rice bowl with protein and a ramen bowl ($18)

My first visit I got a spicy tuna bowl. It was ok but it was just spicy tuna plopped on top on rice and garnished with onion sesame seeds and kombu. The second time I had the chicken bowl. That was the better choice. They were chicken thigh chunks in a crispy batter. Meat was juicy and well seasoned.

I had the spice creamy ramen both times as I really enjoyed it when I first chose it. The noddles were firm: very good. The char siu belly slices were the freshest and tastiest I ever had. There was no warmed over taste like most ramen resturants. Even more important it actually had a roasted flavour. I was shocked - It was that good.

Now for the broth. Excellent. Thats really it. The creaminess and the fullness of the broth almost mimics pork tonkonsu broth. It just missing the stickness of marrow, but for a vegetarian broth it is AMAZING.

Note it you ask for garlic you might have to press yourself.

Please go here if you can soon if you even like ramen as the kitchen staff are REAL Japanese and who knows how long they will stay here...

Quaint little restaurant tucked in a strip mall on 6th and Shepherd. Be careful when driving on 6th St as it could be a bit tight going in and out since there were cars parked on both side at the time we visited (5 pmish). We were greeted when we walked in and was directed to sit anywhere. It was happy hour and ordered chicken karage and beef gyoza. Chicken karage came with an in house made creamy Sriracha sauce which had a nice kick enough to make my nose run. Both apps came out fresh and hot...very tasty too. My son enjoyed the sushi flight which contained Aburi Salmon and Aburi Hotate (scallops).

The star of our evening dinner were the ramen bowl. Each of my family ordered different ramen bowl. I ordered the Garnet substituted thick for thin noodles. My family ordered the shoyu, Ruby and Spicy Ruby. For my ramen bowl, the broth was rich and flavorful with a seasoned egg (slightly creamy yolk), 2 thin slices of pork chashu (not as tender as i thought it would be), small pieces of cabbage and raw onions, few bean sprouts, and topped with green onions and fried onions. I should have added veggies but forgot. Overall I did enjoy the ramen but when I got home it didn't sit right (if you know what I mean). Service was friendly and attentive but I have mixed feelings about returning since my family also had the same issue when we...