It was a clear day in sunny Florida and it’s time for another chapter of the Ramen Saga! This time, we are visiting Kinya Ramen. A well-presented establishment that we ended up choosing rather last minute. Caleb and I got to restaurant before Mohan did and we took the time to look around and get ourselves situated.
First Impressions
The Establishment
The decorum was one of my favorites I had come across in the various ramen joints I’d been blessed with patronizing. I appreciated the dark color palette throughout the building, the bold accent colors, and the cleanliness of the restaurant. Top notch. The lighting gave it a cozy and intimate quality and I enjoyed seeing the prolific use of wooden fixtures and decorations. The walls were a ribbed, dark grey pattern and the floor featured a stone that was also grey with brown effects. This was offset with choice use of orange accent walls and interesting ceiling fixtures. Despite all the demure colors everything worked well together and didn’t feel dreary or depressing. I had no complaints
This location had more prominent branding than I had seen elsewhere. As I learned that this was a franchise, the branding started to make more sense. The Kinya logo was noticeable everywhere, from the paper lanterns over the kitchen to the ramen bowls on our table! Sometimes the logo was subtle and sometimes balant. As someone who has been involved with his fair share of marketing, I find a good brand can go a long way. I think they have a pleasant logo and the branding efforts were well done.
We spoke with the staff to learn a little more about the background of the restaurant. This restaurant is owned by 5 friends, and there are apparently two locations, however I later discovered that there were more locations up north. The staff were helpful and informative and the lighting was inviting and intimate. The whole place had a clean and cozy feel.
The bathrooms were nicely kept. Everything was nice but not necessarily notable. A grey color scheme dominated this room as well. Black marble tile and blue grey slate tile walls worked well together. The brass sink faucet was rather unique. Everything worked as it should. The music was louder in the restroom than it was in the main dining area, presumably for privacy. Again, no complaints.
The staff was a little aloof compared to some of the places we had been to, they were still friendly and helped where they could. But, for example, they didn’t provide coasters and our drinks were sweating all over the table! Compelled to courtesy, we used a number of napkins to keep things clean. We could tell that the employees were doing the best they could, despite being understaffed. When we were able to speak with them, they gave us good suggestions for the menu items and were versed in the history of the restaurant.
Mohan joined us and recounted his travels back and forth to India. Three weddings dominated the majority of his trip, but we were just glad to have him back. We had put off doing another chapter of the ramen saga until he could join us again, plus, I had suffered a small injury to my hand in the weeks prior which would have made typing rather difficult. Now that it was all better and the gang was back together we were back on track with the Ramen Saga!
The music was a selection of classical tunes, which I greatly prefer to the usual pop offerings that many places default to. Dulcet piano tones rose above the general noise of the conversations of those around us, and set the mood of a more refined location. I appreciated the soundscape. Mohan suggested that one could come here just for the music, and I was inclined to agree. In the end it seemd like the usual spotify playlist, I could hear some audio glitches as a result and the typical style change after a period of time. This seems to be the case more often than not these days, and it’s hard to complain but I would personally prefer more businesses move away from cloud-based music streaming for those occasional problems it brings.
The Menu
First Course - Drinks and Appetizers
The appetizers here weren’t particularly unique, so we ended up choosing items that served as a reference of quality compared to other ramen joints. We ordered the Okonomiyaki, the Lamb Yakitori, the Takoyaki, and the Fried Pork Gyoza.
Okonomiyaki – Seafood Pancake
This was served quartered and coated in bonito flakes. The flakes would move with the heat coming off the dish creating an interesting effect, almost as if it was alive. Mohan preferred the pancake to the takoyaki. The bonito flakes were a bit messy but the flavor they added was very noticeable. There was a crunchy shell concealing a creamy texture. a sauce was drizzled over the top in a organized fashion. Very sweet finish and creamy consistency to the dish amidst a bit of chunky meaty texture. Normally I dont like pancakes but this was marvelous.. I would order this again.
Lamb Yakitori – Served with 2 skewers
Very smokey, this came through in the aroma as well. it had a delightfully smoky taste and very meaty with lots of flavor. I wished I could order my ramen with the lamb as it was delightful in both texture and flavor.
Takoyaki – Octopus Ball served with 6 pieces
Lots and lots of bonito flakes on both the takoyaki and the okonomiyaki! The flakes dominated the presentation. Scallions were underneath. A bit of crunch with the chewiness. Served quite hot, the bonito was like dust but created a lot of flavor. The pairing of meat and dough was much better than I had enjoyed elsewhere. perhaps even my favorite version of this dish. Caleb said that it tastes amazing, and he loved it. Fresh and hot, lots of flavor, a lot of filling for very little meat. The octopus was a thin slice within rather than a chunk, but very good flavor.
Pork Gyoza – Served with 6 pieces
A bit on the small side but the presentation was very good. There were 6 pieces and they were very uniform in presentation. Served on a bed of lettuce which gave a splash of green color to offset the red sauce and brown shells. Delightful aroma, a spicy quality came through even through the fried shell. A lovely crunch with a meaty texture that paired the flavors together well. The sauce pairing brought it all together. There was a light sense of spiciness within, but not overwhelming either. a lovely dish. Caleb was impressed by the sauce. He felt it had good flavor, lots of meat, proper amount of crunch versus filling.
Second Course - Entrees
Kinya Ramen with Pork – Michael
Pork broth with black garlic oil, topped with bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, seasoned boiled egg, scallions, narutomaki fish cake, nori, 24k edible gold. Served with golden noodles and pork chashu.
I was blown away by the stark presentation of gold in the center of my dish. Very soft texture and bold flavor in the broth. The scallions came through in spades and the thinly sliced pork was very flavorful. Not too fatty either. The egg was creamy and delightful, I wished I could have more. Naruto worked with the pork to provide a complete sensation of meaty flavor. The noodles had a bit of a umami aroma along with a vegetable overtone. A good quantity of noodles did not leave me feeling famished. The gold itself didn’t provide much flavor but I wished I could have more, as I am personally a big fan of the ethereal metal. I would order the Kinya Ramen again!
Chintan Ramen with Chicken – Mohan
Clear chicken broth and fish broth with light soy sauce flavor, topped with fish cake, chopped scallions, nori seaweed, bean sprouts, black mushroom, and a seasoned boiled egg. Served with golden noodles and chicken.
This was a nice and creamy broth, very filling liquid. Mohan liked that the naruto was plentiful and added a lot to the dish. The chicken was cut in a smooth slice, almost like a lunch meat. Satisfying flavor, cooked well and there was no complaints on the finish or taste. The seaweed was presented in a delightful way as well.
Kinya fried rice with beef – Caleb
Fried rice, eggs, carrots, onions, scallions, and beef. Cooked with Kinya sauce, butter, and garlic.
This dish had a nice prsentation as it was served over a banana leaf. Everything is well cooked, with a nice crust on the outside. The beef has a good and prominent flavor. The banana leaf was a nice touch but everything gets caught underneath it which can be a little annoying. Some of the meat pices were a bit too large, but the thinly sliced texture made it more palatable.
Third Course - Desserts
We decided to go next door to a place called “Mochinut” which served a sort of ice cream donut rather than have dessert at Kinya Ramen. That being said, there were dessert options provided, but we were too enticed by the idea of what the next door had. We got a broad selection of all their available flavors. The waiter at Kinya actually recommended we check out the available options next door, especially since both locations were owned by the same people.
The name suggested that these donuts were ice cream filled, especially since the donuts had a beaded ring shape that was reminiscent of mochi. However this disappointment wasn’t enough to damper our spirits as we still enjoyed the dessert.
Here, Caleb told us about his hatred of coconut. He had a teacher in the 5th grade who overdid the coconut in a perfume and it forever ruined the flavor for him. I could relate with my distaste for lavender, I had also experienced an overdose of the aroma once and the memory alone keeps me from feeling anything less than sick when I smell it nearby.
Caleb found that there was a doughy consistency to the donuts, with emphasis on the doughy. The powdered sugar was a bit tough on the throat, but brought the flavor together.
Mohan felt that the flavors tasted like they were supposed to. The strawberry tasted like strawberry, and the Nutella tasted like Nutella. The doughy base served as a good vehicle for the sauce that gave each variety their namesake. Overall we were happy to have chosen this dessert over the restaurant’s own options.
Final Thoughts
We left Kinya Ramen feeling very full and satifsfied. The food was delightful and the meats didn’t leave any complaints in my palate. Even Mohan’s chicken was well done without issue.
I later learned that these were franchises that shared the same owner, and it gave me some pause for my review. However the experience was overall quite pleasant, and I could see why this franchise had found some success. However it is difficult to attribute the efficacy of the dishes to the in-house chefs. Obviously they did a great job, but without having crafted the dishes themselves, I tend to have some bias towards the mom-and-pop ramen restaurants I’ve enjoyed. This was a great experience, and perhaps an interesting change from the smaller businesses we typically review.
My final take is that the establishment was clean and well presented, but you should come for the golden ramen alone!
