Tamashi Ramen Sushi- Silber Spring Branch — Restaurant in Houston

I really tried to give this ramen restaurant a chance. I really did. Which included holding off this review for a few months while I went back and tried, and tried. This review is for both the Bellaire location and the Silber location.

Got the tonkotsu spicy ramen at the Bellaire location. Extremely salty that I had a head rush. No flavor other than salty. I feel like this ramen single-handedly gave me my high blood pressure (joking joking). They barely filled up the bowl which was okay because the only way I was able to finish the ramen was by putting some of my water in it. Atmosphere was amazing, service was amazing. But simply cannot go back because of the saltiness.

Now, as far as the Silber location, I stay in the area, so I really wanted to make this my go to restaurant. Immediately when you walk in, you are hit with a strong sulfur smell (basically smells like someone is passing gas constantly). Likely coming from the restroom drains. Which is a quick fix. I used to work in a restaurant as well. Anytime it got that smell, we just poured half a jug of bleach down the drain in the restrooms. Problem solved. Unfortunately, even though I know the culprit and how innocuous it is (because the restaurant I worked in was brand spanking new, and it was literally not due to lack of cleanliness), it still makes one look at the restaurant a little careless on the cleanliness especially when there’s no countermeasures employed (I.E. Febreeze, Lysol, no bleach smell, no Fabuloso smell, no plug-in, incense, air freshener, leaving the door open, etc).

Everybody knows I like the tonkotsu, but tried the spicy miso ramen for fear of saltiness of the tonkotsu, and it was an okay flavor, just not the flavor for me. It was a little sweet and I did not like it. Ramen was super cheap, so I charged it to the game. Yet again, tried to give the restaurant another chance. I went back, but this time I ordered to go. Finally got my tonkotsu spicy. Opened it and… the smell of the bamboo shoots were so RANCID. It was so rancid that it did not even smell like bamboo anymore, it smelled more so like apple cider vinegar. I ordered this for my lunch at work, and yes, it was kept in a refrigerator. So I decided to take out the bamboo shoots and still try it. It wasn’t as salty as the other location. The pork was hard meaning it was probably old. It stunk up my whole work area with the smell of the rancid bamboo shoots. It was on par, or even worse than warming up fish. The reason I feel that the quality of the food was so bad is because I have ordered to go from my favorite ramen restaurant, kept the ramen in the fridge for two days, warmed it up, and it still tasted just as good. No bad smell or anything. Wish the broth was a little creamy, but it’s more so water-based.

Although I see major potential in this restaurant chain, I can no longer waste my time on this restaurant anymore or any of its...

I'll start by saying it was strange walking into a ramen-ya/izakaya without being assaulted with, “irrashaimase.” Still determining how I felt about that. TL;DR: I'll check out other places before coming back and trying their unique menu items. I had my go-to order of takoyaki and shoyu ramen (and a sapporo but not too consequential for the review), the standard by which I judge ramen restaurants by. Service was minimal. I didn't mind too much as they were pretty busy: no open tables. I sat at the bar. It felt crowded as the space is cozy and all to go orders, restroom visitors, and servers have to squeeze behind bar sitters. At least I had a good view of the chefs making sushi. My ramen came out before the takoyaki, which I expected as an appetizer. Not something too concerning for me though. For the ramen: I think it could have come out a bit hotter. It wasn't luke-warm or anything, but hotter would have been good. The broth was ok. I wouldn't say it was watery necessarily, but for a shoyu broth I think it could have been both saltier and sweeter. A good broth I'll drink up, and I left what was leftover in the bowl here. The noodles I thought were perfectly cooked. Just the right amount of firmness. My biggest fault of the meal was with everything else in the bowl. All the veggies were a bit undercooked: the cabbage, the bamboo shoots, everything. Maybe this had something to do with the broth not being as hot as I expected. Meanwhile, the pork chashu was a bit dried out. The flavors still worked of course being a ramen, but the textures were notable. The takoyaki was markedly better by comparison, though it burned my mouth when I first bit into it. I had to open all of them up to let them cool down. The flavors were excellently balanced, though personally I would have preferred just a bit less mayo on mine. Overall: I am interested in trying their Curry Tsukemen and sushi (those chefs made it look good), but not before checking out some of the city's other...

I visited Tamashi Ramen and Sushi on a Friday night with my girlfriend. We were going to watch a movie at the nearby theater and wanted to eat something beforehand. It seems like most of the restaurants in the area are fast food, so we were trying to explore a little bit deeper. We figured we would give Tamashi Ramen and Sushi a try.

When we arrived, we noticed how empty the parking lot was. We were afraid that the restaurant would be empty on a Friday night, and it would be a completely awkward experience. However, when we opened the door, we saw that it was actually almost full of customers. It’s a small, square space with about 10 tiny tables. There’s a sushi bar at the back with a TV.

We were seated right away at one of the mini side booths that could fit two people total. We were in the mood for ramen, so I ordered the Spicy Tonkotsu for $9, and my girlfriend ordered the Spicy Miso for $9. I also ordered a Coke to drink. Our waitress arrived with a can of Coke and an empty glass with ice, so don’t expect any refills here!

When our ramen arrived, we noticed instantly how similar our soups looked. I felt that the broth in my Spicy Tonkotsu had a decent spice to it, and it tasted fine. My girlfriend felt the same way, but she didn’t enjoy the egg that was in it. She said she wished the egg was boiled in broth beforehand because it tasted just like a normal hard-boiled egg dropped in the ramen before serving.

Overall, this place is okay. We only came because of the movie theater nearby. If you don’t want to eat any of the fast food in the area, this is one good option that won’t destroy your bank account. However, if you’re looking for great food, don’t go out of your way just to come here. There are many other great ramen...