Downtown Ramen

Thursday, October 29th, 2015

Reviewed by Jonathan Layton-Nel

Do you want to get sick??? I surely didn't before I arrived here. Read this to find out more! I thought I would try out this restaurant, based on some feedback I had received on Zomato. After eating here, I don't know whether I should be more disappointed at the restaurant or the elevated reviews that people had made. Let me explain my experience. We arrived at the restaurant with a party of 5 rather early and it was quiet. Thus the ambiance was very relaxed. The place seemed quite dirty, especially the kitchen where I noticed a few electrical wires lying around - which is a huge safety hazard. But I felt like it should have been part and parcel of the experience. Hence the name Downtown Ramen. Before ordering our drinks we noticed that there was a small selection - but the waitress kindly said we could order drinks from the restaurant below. We opted for drinking their drinks. 3 of us ordered bottled water, one ordered a an Appletizer and the other a glass of Chardonnay. The Chardonnay was vinegar at that stage and had clearly been sitting for quite some time. To avoid making a scene we just left the wine and didn't drink it. Our waitress informed us that she had not tasted anything on the menu, as she was allergic to all the food. Which didn't help us when we decided to make our choices. Had I known then, what I was in for - I would also say that I was allergic to the food. When we went to wash our hands in the bathroom - we noticed dirty underwear on the floor. We decided to start off with Bao and three people at the table got it. The Bao was presented differently to what I am used too - but was acceptable. The flavours were there, but it felt like there was too much vinegar on the "pickles" that were placed on top of it. Then we received our mains. Four people at the table got the Shoyu and one got the Miso ramen. The presentation was good - although it must be noted that there was quite a bit of oil sitting on the top. I assumed that the pork may have been the cause of this. Once I tasted the Shoyu, my palate first noted the salt content was very high - which could be expected from a broth. I was expecting a flavour burst - once the saltiness had gone away - of meat, seaweed and broth. Sadly I never got this. The noodles were cooked nicely. The pork was very fatty and soft, it would have been better if the fat on top had been rendered - which would have brought a flavour burst to the broth. I had one taste of the pork and left the rest as I felt it was unpalatable. All the people who had the Shoyu quietly left theirs too after tasting it. I tasted the Miso ramen and actually enjoyed it. It was much tastier than the Shoyu and the meat had a well-rounded flavour. I left Downtown Ramen with a feeling of dissatisfaction in my mouth and the car trip home was rather quiet - which is unusual for 5 friends. When someone brought up the food - we all agreed that it was not satisfactory. About 3 hours after the night had come to a close - I started feeling rather sick and about 4 hours after my meal I was visiting the bathroom frequently. I had food poisoning and so did my other 2 housemates. The next day my other friend phoned to say that she had been up all night feeling incredibly sick. Could it be coincidence that we all ate the same thing from another place - highly unlikely when the only thing we ate together that day was the food at Downtown Ramen. As a consumer I understand that these things happen - as a chef and coming from the restaurant industry - I know that situations like these are unacceptable and are avoided at all costs. If you decide - I should go to Downtown Ramen and think "maybe they just had a bad night" know that the hygiene in the place is clearly unacceptable and bad nights can be avoided, especially if the restaurant is not full.