Tonkotsu Ramen Bar — Restaurant in West Valley City

I really didn’t know what to expect when I decided to come here for dinner tonight. When I think of Ramen usually what comes to mind are myriad recipies with hamburger meat and frozen veggies in my college days on a budget. The other thought that I had in mind was a Pho alternative but nothing unique really. I’ll be the first to tell you when I’m wrong, and I was wrong on both counts.

I was greeted very warmly at the door by the entire serving staff which had the feeling of walking into the home of a very hospitable family. Being the newbie at ramen dishes I was not only given a tour of the menu, but also shown full size pictures of all of their main dishes so I could see what I was ordering. They have a very cozy dining room with cool lighting for dinner as well as a ramen bar seating area. I am a sucker for the bar seating because I can see the prep area and converse with the staff.

As a matter of simple principle I always order the house special or the namesake whichever it happens to be called for my first visit. I ordered a side of Edamame to start with and some hot green tea with a touch of ginger. I couldn’t help but notice the very traditional style eating utensiles that are provided which give the meal an authentic feel.

On to the main dish.

Tonkotsu is Japanese for “Pork Broth” as Kim, one of the owners, told me as I was asking him about the place. You can order your soup with varying amounts of flavoring. I was always told go big or go home, so I opted for the dark pork broth which has a full flavor. Damn…. It’s very good here. The soup was served with a whole soft boiled marinated egg which I personally found to be a very nice touch. When I cracked the egg the yolk mixed with the broth adding a nice flavor and also giving it a creamy consistency. The soup had traditional ramen noodles, lots of green onion, kikurage which is chopped wood ear mushrooms, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and the star of the dish, a nice big hunk of pork belly. Honestly I could have eaten five or six bowls of this ramen. And not because the portions were shotty, they aren’t. In fact they are very well balanced. It’s just so good I would eat like a goldfish for until I burst.

I topped of the dish with moochi ice cream which is a ball of ice cream that is coated in a flavored rice flour which gives the ice cream a chewy consistency like taffy. It’s simple and delicious.

So I haven’t set up my rating system yet so I’m going to wing this one. Here are the ratings:

Location - 8 It’s kind of hard to spot if you don’t know it’s there, and 3300 is a busy road so access can be interesting. However it’s right off of 215 and just a shot from the Embassy Suites and West Valley Fair Mall. Only 10 minutes from downtown SLC. Not to bad at all.

Atmosphere - 10 It’s a very cozy place. It’s not the Ritz, but I wasn’t looking for the Ritz. I was looking for a nice local place to relax and get some good food. It’s warm inside, it smells great, the music they play is good, the staff is happy and laughs a lot. It’s a good place to be for awhile.

Service - 10 The service was as good as the food. Not only did I get a chance to speak with each server I also met the owners which are also the cooks so you know they are going to give you the best they can. I love smiles and laughter, so when I go into a place where they everyone is happy to be there, then I am happy to be part of it!

Food - 10 I don’t have anything to compare this Ramen too, but know when something tastes good, and this was good. I can’t wait to come back and try the chefs recommendation!! The food was traditional, flavorfull, and not to salty. Just great in my opinion.

Price - 10 The price was perfect. I had a three course meal for $16 and I am very satisfied with what I recieved...

After several days without noodles, I really needed to address my withdrawal symptoms and find some good ramen. A quick search yielded this place on the west side of Salt Lake City, which came with glowing reviews. We showed up at 6pm to an empty parking lot, which should have been a clue. After we were seated, the first thing I noticed was a very loud pop music station playing being used for the ambient music. Okay, I can forgive this, I thought. But it immediately started getting worse from here. Besides the cook, the entire restaurant was staffed by one girl, who served as hostess, waitress, and bus, and she was in a bad mood. The obligatory QR code was taped to each table, which took us to a broken link. We asked for real menus instead. She wasn't happy. Whatever, I thought. Most of us just got the signature Tonkotsu ramen. Can't lose, right? One of us made the mistake of ordering the Katsu chicken. It was abysmal and inedible. At the risk of upsetting her further, we begged to get something else. To her credit, she agreed, but the udon replacement was barely passable. Back to the signature dish. When what was supposed to be the Ajitsuke tamago egg came whole and uncut, this was another clue. It was simply a hard boiled egg floating in some nasty salty water, posing as Tonkotsu broth. The char siu was ok, probably the best thing in the ramen. Other than some bean sprouts and green onions, there was none other of the required ingredients in this dish. I should have just picked up a few Cup O Noodles instead, it would have tasted better. To the reviewers who say this is the best ramen ever, assuming they were not posted by the owner, please do yourself a favor and go to a real ramen bar, it will change your life. For me though, I was so sad, and so...

So for many years this was my favorite Ramen in the Valley, tops by far. Their broth was rich and complex, their protein’s were quality and always cooked/fried perfectly. Service was, and still is, top notch friendly and efficient. Since opening back up after COVID closure it’s been a different restaurant. The product suffered a real decline. A year and a half later, I’m absolutely done.

Today I gave them my last dollar for these reasons; My favorite dish, the Udon Tori Karage Curry which advertises fried chicken thighs was once again served with poorly breaded small pieces of dry chewy chicken breast. Not the beautiful and flavorful juicy fried pieces of thigh of years ago. The interior constantly smells of kitchen solvent and an old towel sort of smell. Today at 11:30am, the bathroom remakes of vomit, which makes sense since there was dried vomit all over the toilet. And then while I was eating my bland soup with dried out chicken bites…. The cook from the adjoining restaurant, Tonkotsu Shabu Shabu, sauntered through the dining room in his kitchen apron carrying a toilet plunger. He went into the Ramen Kitchen and just hung out with it in his hands. In a professional kitchen!!! Holding it up, while he talked with his hands and concerned with the Ramen cook. Then slow strolled through the dining room, back into the Shabu dining room….. I’m sorry, this used to be a near weekly destination for me. I’m a former sous chef, and have worked in a variety of kitchens. It’s all to much. I’m grossed out and done. I’ve given them at least 8 chances this past year, and this is pretty much the delivery of product every time.

The server was wonderful though, and embarrassed when I mentioned the dried vomit all over...