Bōru Asian Eatery — Restaurant in Kansas City

I could write one of those grandstanding reviews full of anger and vitriol but that wouldn't serve anyone. Instead, I'll focus on my own experience and let you guys decide if you want to take the gamble.

Some of these reviews are really good, others are... not. One person specifically talked about the inconsistency of the restaurant, and I really wish I would have seen that before we tried to eat there tonight.

We ordered the Mushroom bowl, the Boru, and two kids chicken ramen with an Okonomiyaki appetizer. Let's talk about the food first:

The Okonomiyaki came out hot and fresh. There was quite a bit of cabbage and the bottom was crisp. I personally think there was too much mayonnaise but the flavor was good. Sadly, this was the best part of my meal.

My fiance's mushroom bowl and my Boru both had pickled mushrooms. This would be fine if they weren't SO STRONG that biting into one tasted like eating a sour candy soaked in soy sauce. We both had the "6 minute eggs" in our bowls (they come with it) and neither of them were even lukewarm. The middle of my egg was actually cold to the touch. Looking back at the menu, it does not mention that the Boru comes with soy-pickled shitake mushrooms but mine definitely had them.

Speaking of temperature, Ramen should come out STEAMING HOT. Our bowls were, at best, lukewarm on delivery.

The Boru had so many onions in it that I could not see the noodles and broth in the initial presentation. The Cha-shu on the top of the bowl did not look appetizing. Some people have described it as "grey meat" and this is a pretty fitting description. Flavor-wise the meat was not bad... but that's it. It was just not bad. Texture: the pork was definitely overcooked and dry. If not for the broth, I don't think the meat would have been moist at all.

On broth: The Boru is, at heart, a combination of Tonkotsu and clam broth which should have a deep flavor and somewhat milky consistency. This broth actually tasted like nothing. I'm not sure how they did that with the heavily flavored mushroom and the cold egg... but they did and it left me feeling full but unsatisfied.

The Mushroom Bowl tasted fine with the broth, but the Shimeji mushrooms had SOMETHING on them that didn't belong there. A shimeji mushroom should impart its flavor to the broth and then maintain its texture. These did not and had some strange aftertaste that neither my fiance or I can identify.

Immediately after consuming the mushroom soup my fiance began to feel ill. Probably a bad sign.

The children did eat their noodles and some of their broth. The chicken in their soup was also dry (I'm noticing a theme).

On Service: Our waitress was polite and attentive to our beverages and needs. We were sat on a wall away from the center of the restaurant because we had two children. This was a good move by the hostess. Her worst mistake was forgetting a straw. I was pleased with her.

The hostess on the other-hand needs a quick refresher on promptitude. When we first arrived she was on the phone with someone. We walked in through the front door and waited a full minute with her looking down before she even acknowledged our presence, and even then she didn't say a word to us until she was done on the phone. Not even a quick, "I'll be right with you." Nothing.

I lost track of the number of times I saw staff hanging out at the POS near the end of the bar, out of customer sight from the center of the restaurant, WATCHING THE MUSIC VIDEOS ON THE TELEVISIONS. Unacceptable.

Didn't visit the restroom so I can't comment on it. My fiance reports that the bathrooms were clean and in good repair.

Verdict: Understand that this is first and foremost a BAR. There are something like 8 televisions in the establishment. It is not exactly an intimate setting. I think this is part of where my disconnect with the eatery lies. The menu is about 60% alcohol and 40% food. Quality is not commiserate with price. The fusion did not work for me. I...

This was my first (and last) trip to Boru. It was a Friday night, so I expected a wait, but my date and I were seated right away and ordered as soon as our server came over to us. My date ordered ramen, and I ordered ramen with an extra egg. The server was a little pushy in asking me if I wanted to order more add-ons, which confused me, since I already ordered an add-on. A waiter came by about 15 minutes later and put some pork buns in front of my date and looked confused when I let him know that the buns were for a different table.

It took over 30 minutes to get our order. That gave us time to sample the chili oil, "ramen pepper," and spicy seasoning on the table. The spices were stale, and the oil had no flavor (but was hot). Our server came by about 15 minutes after we ordered with a set of silverware and told us that they were out of some of the correct sized silverware. I probably wouldn't have noticed if they didn't bring it up. In fact, I'm not sure what the right sized silverware would have even looked like.

When our orders finally arrived, my ramen, meat, and broth were all room temperature. There was a film over my broth from the fats firming up. The server likely would have noticed if the lighting in Boru were a little brighter. It's extremely dark in the restaurant, to the point where it's difficult to even read the menu.

I alerted the server, who took it back and brought me a new, warm bowl of ramen. I know it was not reheated (thankfully), because it was short one of the eggs that I had ordered. I reminded the server that I had ordered two eggs, but no longer wanted the second egg. They said they would bring one out anyway, and I politely declined. They still brought me an egg, which they charged me for.

The ramen was fine. It was a little saltier than I like, but otherwise unremarkable. My date said her meat had a strange flavor. As I ate my ramen, I heard the couple at the table behind me speak to their server about what was taking their order so long. They also ended up sending their orders back, as they were also cold.

I don't like to eavesdrop on people. I only know what my neighbors were talking about because the tables at Boru are so close together. The waitstaff was constantly bumping our table to get to the table behind us. There were plenty of open tables. I'm no fire marshal, but I'd say the way they have the tables packed together is probably a fire hazard.

The server was apologetic about my food and asked if I'd like a drink (I had a water). The server offered to pick up the tab on dessert, which we declined (the portions are huge, and we already had leftovers to take home). They didn't bother to comp the egg that I declined, though.

I expected the manager to come over after the check was dropped off and say something to us, but they were busy dealing with more entrees being sent back.

I don't have a reason to...

Today was my second time dining at Bōru and once again I loved the flavors of the dishes and drinks we got. This was my partner's first time here and both of our's first time dining during happy hour. The fabulous weather on the outdoor patio combined with the selection of happy hour items was great! My partner got a fantastic 'Bruce Lee' old fashion and I enjoyed a refreshing 'Lucky Lychee' gin, lychee, and lemon juice spritzy cocktail. Our server Matthew was very friendly and attentive. He checked in on us and was helpful making recommendations for other drinks we may like and got our food and drinks out in a timely fashion. So thank you for helping make this a great experience!

While the drinks were fantastic, we each tried a steamed Bao for the first time and I didn't super love mine. My boyfriend got the Togarashi Fried Chicken Bao and I got the King Mushroom Bao. The shell of these is extremely soft and each one is different. I didn't realize until after that mine had mayo on it so for round two I did not get mayo on there and it made it much better! We also got a couple different dipping sauces which gave them an even better flavor. However, even after the modifications and additions with the sauces I still found the mushroom to be a bit chewier than my preference. The other Bao styles may be a bit tastier for meat eaters but in either case I do recommend asking for their spicy chili oil or sweet glaze to tip these in and you are set!

I did also get an order of the shrimp dumplings and these were so tasty! Each one is hand rolled with a fresh shrimp mixture inside, pan fried slightly, and comes with fresh scallions in a soy blended sauce. Will definitely be ordering these again! Previously the first time I dined at Bōru I had a ramen bowl and just like the first time, today everything was made fresh to order with high quality ingredients so I appreciate the consistency. I found that the menu was very fluid in terms of offering plant-based and pescetarian options without sacrificing flavor or nutrition which is a top priority for me! Would definitely recommend and looking forward to trying a few new...