Takumi Sushi & Ramen — Restaurant in Houston

My husband and I went with my brother to Master X Ramen this afternoon and it did not disappoint. We ordered the Spicy Salmon tacos, Takoyaki, and Crispy Wings to start.

The Takoyaki was crisp on the outside and topped with wasabi mayo and eel sauce and lots of bonito flakes. Benito flakes move or “dance” when placed as toppings and have an umami, smoky, savory and slightly fishy flavor. They are wonderful and fun to watch as the Takoyaki cools.

The Crispy Wings with sweet chili sauce came next. The wings had thick, crisp breading and were scored to allow the sauces to get down to the bone for a deep flavor throughout the wings. These were even better than they look, and we thought they looked phenomenal.

Next came the Spicy Salmon Tacos. Spicy salmon was packed in a crispy fried seaweed “shell” on top of a thin layer of slightly pickled and topped with thinly sliced, fried scallions. The fried seaweed gave a pleasant texture change from the spicy salmon and the pickled cucumber (which sounded very strange to us in this dish) provided a fresh bite that worked in combination with everything.

The ramen followed. We ordered 2 Spicy Tonkotsu Ramens with one having all the toppings on the side, and one non-spicy Tonkotsu Ramen. These were served in a smaller portion that what we are used to, but filled with so many fresh ingredients and house-made, hand pulled noodles that we felt it was a good size for the value. The sides included chashu pork, seasoned egg, kikurage (a type of Japanese mushroom,) menma, (bambo,) (fish cake, scallions snd charred Brussels sprouts. The tonkotsu broth was strong and all the toppings were fresh. The yolk of the seasoned egg was cooked to custardy perfection.

The service was great and the food came out very quickly. My husband and I lived in a heavily influenced Japanese area for 29 years and this ramen could easily compete with ramen from that area. We live over 30 minutes away, but we will definitely be back when we are...

Overall great experience.

Good: The flavor of the spicy miso ramen was fantastic and they are not stingy with the toppings. Plenty of different flavors and customizations for ramen. The soft boiled eggs were the PERFECT custard-like consistency. The house sake was also tasty and you get a fair amount for the price. Just enough alcohol content for a nice warm feeling to go with your ramen.

Negative: The takoyaki was delicious but could've used a little bit more sweet sauce on top. It was also a little undercooked and mushy inside but this could also just be my personal preference. I like my takoyaki to be cooked longer so it's more firm. These kind of fell apart when I bit through the very thin crispy outside. My main complaint would be the lack of a smaller size ramen like most other places. When at a ramen shop I like to have a sake, appetizer, and smaller bowl of ramen but here the only option is the $16-$17 bowl, which made it a little pricey for a casual meal for my son and I.

We ordered 1 serving of sake, 1 coke, 1 edamame, 1 takoyaki, and 2 bowls of ramen (with 2 soft eggs). The total was $65ish plus the tip. Not an absurd price but for a ramen meal for 2 I usually pay in the $48 to $55 range. This would be remedied by offering a smaller size...

This review has been a long time coming. My boyfriend Dylan and I came here during their grand opening and were blown away. Our server Nicole was so welcoming and attentive. Great knowledge of the menu and just overall super personable. We then claimed this as the new “go to” spot. (Even better that it’s 5 min from our home)

Since then we have returned on a regular basis and are always greeted with a smile especially when Nicole is there (she remembered our names the next time we came back). My go to dish is the delicious X Mazemen. The flavor is just so jam packed and the noodles are divine. I love the side of rice served with it as the “finisher”(helps mix the remaining food with it, when done with noodles). My boyfriend is a fan of the Spicy Miso Ramen and we always order the gyoza or the edamame as an appetizer. Side note: smoothies are so good and big enough to share in my opinion.

This is worth the stars and deserves more hype and recognition! Our absolute favorite Ramen place in Clear Lake....