RAKKAN Ramen - Westchase — Restaurant in Houston

This place was not our first option as we really wanted to go to Toyori, but after reading a few bad recent reviews at Toyori, I decided to come here instead. Let me just say....Wow! Had dinner on a Saturday evening around 7 pm. The place was not packed, but there were a few customers there. We were greeted by Mark (I think that was his name) and our party of 5 was quickly seated. A round of water was brought out for each of us along with canned drinks. In my opinion, fountain drinks taste better, so I had unsweetened green tea. We looked over the menu and since it was our first time having Ramen, we relied on Mark to guide us through the dishes and flavors. He recommended the Asian Spicy Ramen and we did not need much convincing. My niece isn't into spice, so she decided on the "Garnet" which was similar to Miso Soup broth. We also ordered Crispy Spicy Beef Gyoza, Crispy Pork Gyoza and Chicken Buns. Our appetizers were quickly served followed by our Ramen. Gyoza is served with a dipping sauce which was good. The chicken buns were delicious as well. The right amount of crisp on the chicken and the softness of the bun was the perfect combination. The star of the show was truly our Ramen. The broth was excellent! The right amount of heat, flavorful and served hot. However, for the price you're paying, the portion of the meat was small. The egg and noodles were cooked perfectly. I don't like soft soggy noodles and these were the complete opposite. Overall for our first time, we enjoyed the food, the atmosphere and...

Marc Anthony was an amazing server!

The Gyoza was really amazing, and it was breaded really nicely. It’s the type of Gyoza that has a cabbage/pork filling and not just a pork meatball, how some places do it.

Now onto the Ramen. I’m very simple when it comes to Ramen. As long as it’s not flavorless (a creamy water broth), it’s hard to make me dislike it. And this Ramen was very flavorful and creamy just how I like it… pause lol. Now, it did have some cons, and that was that the bamboo shoots tasted overcooked, the pork was not necessarily a stand out, but it was also far from the worst pork I ever tasted. About the spice in the spicy quartz, I could tell that they used a type of crawfish seasoning. I don’t think it would be noticeable to most, but I am from Louisiana and I have eaten many a great deal of crawfish. I was having all types of nostalgia, and at the same time, it kind of threw me off since it wasn’t crawfish, but instead a noodle soup. May I suggest instead Tony Chachere.

I think this is a California based restaurant, so they already had a spicy chili oil in a packet, and boy, does that thing pack a punch! I could only use 1/3 of the packet and it was already really spicy, which I love!

Tried the regular quartz at the Heights and it was good too… a little bit above mid, nothing really to distinguish the regular quartz from any other ramen restaurant. I must say I love the seasonings in the spicy quartz. If only they tweaked the seasonings they used a little.

Out of 10 stars, I give the ramen...

Quick Review - Solid Ramen prices around 15.00 a bowl. Great service and relaxed atmosphere. Overall nice place to get a good meal.

Long Review - I tried this place for the first time today. Overall I have to say I really liked the place. That said let me break down why below.

Food - They primarily offer ramen but have a few other options. They do not have tonkatsu ramen options. However the soup bases they do have are all really well done. I enjoyed their Amber ramen and the ramen was delicious. They used thin noodles for the dish and they were quite tasty. I also got their fried brussel salad they offer and it is definitely worth getting.

Service - my waitress today was Angie. It has been several years since I have had a waitress that was as friendly and cheerful as Angie was. She did a fantastic job not only with some food recommendations but keeping drinks filled and clearing plates as they were finished. She was attentive without hovering or being intrusive. The restaurant definitely has an amazing waitress with her and she made a good meal great!

Atmosphere - The place is lightly decorated and clean. They had music at a nice level and it gives a comfy nice vibe to enjoy a meal at. Date wise it would be a nice place for a first date as it has a good atmosphere without any expectations.

Final thoughts - loved my first visit and the restaurant. I will definitely return again. If you haven't tried here yet I would recommend...