Rayaki Ramen Franklin Mall — Restaurant in Philadelphia

My recent visit to this restaurant left much to be desired. Despite my anticipation for a satisfying dining experience, I was ultimately disappointed by various aspects that fell short of my expectations.

Let's start with the atmosphere, which was uncomfortably hot. I understand that hotpot restaurants are supposed to create a warm ambiance, but this was beyond that. The heat was suffocating from the moment we stepped inside, making it difficult to enjoy our meal comfortably.

Moving on to the food, I must say it was a mixed bag. The chicken dish was a letdown as it contained beef broth instead of the expected chicken broth. Moreover, the steak peppercorns dish was a disappointment, with the steak being overcooked. The chicken in the chicken hotpot was overly salty, rendering it practically inedible. However, I must give credit where it's due—the fried chicken appetizer was excellent, and the drinks were delightful.

Unfortunately, the service did not make up for the culinary disappointments. Although the servers were polite, they lacked the initiative to go the extra mile. When we expressed our dissatisfaction with the food and the excessive heat, their response was simply an apologetic "sorry." It would have been more appropriate for them to take action, such as adjusting the air conditioning to alleviate the discomfort.

Considering my overall experience, I cannot recommend this restaurant. The oppressive heat, underwhelming food quality, and lackluster service make it difficult for me to justify revisiting or recommending this...

We stopped on a last minute dinner plan when the previous stop had a long wait. I was very satisfied with the result.

First off, if you are an anime fan, this place has the perfect atmosphere. The walls have a ton of art from Demon Slayer, and other shows referenced all over. They even had One Piece on the tv when we visited.

The service was great. The servers were very attentive. They continously kept an eye on the tables and were right there as soon as you were ready or needed something.

The food was great. We order 2 appetizers, a sticky rice balls, and the karaage chicken. The rice balls were delicious. I found the chicken to be a tad over seasoned, but still tasty. And the portion sizes for an appetizer were much larger than expected...did not plan of taking appetizers home in a box. 😅 we also ordered the eel bao buns and they were very good. I order the tonkotsu ramen and my girlfriend ordered a ramen that i cant recall. The ramen was also delicious. As someone who loves trying different ramen places, I was a huge fan of the dish. The pork was some of the best quality I've had, and the broth was also very flavorful.

For a last minute change of plans, I am satisfied with how the night went. We came in from out of town, but this may be must visit if we're ever in...

Rayaki Chapter 5 finally open! My husband and I have been waiting when will they ever be open especially due to Covid, their process got delayed. It's possible that both of us were having a higher expectation on Rayaki that today's visit actually wasn't as great as we thought. We both have been to the Cottman (Chapter 4) location and have returned a few times. That location wasn't too bad when we tried out. But this Franklin Mill (Chapter 5) was quite disappointing.

I liked the interior design but not so much of the food quality and service. Quality was only so so. My husband ordered a Beef ramen. The beef is not too bad, but the soup base was a bit too salty. I had the black garlic ramen. The cha siu was pretty good, the soup base was acceptable, but it was not hot enough. It's like the soup was being kept warm instead. I also ordered their soft shell crab bao to try. The sauce is good but I feel like the bao is lacking some other ingredients besides the sauce, half a soft shell crab and a piece if lettuce with the bun. Other places might add a little texture like onion, cucumber, or even a slice of tomato. Something to make the taste stand out more. I believe there are room for improvement on both the quality and...