Ramen Wasabi

Ramen Wasabi Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant & décor: Generous windows stream light into this intimate restaurant on busy Milwaukee Avenue. By day, it's a quiet lunch spot; by night, a bustling, sexy hang for solo diners or duos. Two-top tables and bar seating in dark wood occupy the angular space. Service is friendly and timely.

Likes: Well-edited menu; speedy service.
Dislikes: None.

Food & Drinks: Chef/owner Satoko Takeyama brings his brand of Japanese small plates plus signature ramen to Logan Square. The house ramen bears thin noodles and broth made from boiling pork bones for days. The original tonkotsu warms with earthy notes rooted in marinated bamboo shoots, black wood ear mushroom and fall-apart Berkshire pork belly. For a lighter flavor, order the Tokyo Classic Shoyu with egg noodle, Berkshire pork and delicate cage-free chicken broth. In lieu of or in addition to the ramen, savor the fried chicken or pork buns or pork dumplings. Dessert is a single option: mochi ice cream. Japanese whiskey and house cocktails enhance the menu. If wine is a must, go with plum.