I’ve always been a hopeless ramen-tic for a good bowl of ramen!
I have been ecstatic about the opening of Akira Ramen’s newest location in Columbia and was fortunate enough to be able to attend a pre-opening preview through Yelp! Let’s just hop right into it!
Apps
After mingling for a bit, the goods starting rolling out! We started with a sashimi salad of tuna, salmon, and I believe red snapper over a bed of greens. The dressing was similar to ponzu (could’ve been) and was very refreshing! The fish was also very fresh tasting which I appreciated!
Next, we each got a bowl of takoyaki and I believe some calamari pieces. I am a huge fan of calamari, so that was delicious. The takoyaki is a bit different than the other takoyaki’s I’ve had in the past. The texture and consistency is the same with a crispy outer shell and more mushy filling. However, they add ginger to theirs! I personally am not a fan of ginger, but if you are, then you’ll definitely love these! My favorite part as per usual is the bonito flakes on top!
Soba Noodle Demonstration
We were able to learn that the chefs at Akira Ramen traveled all the way to Japan to learn the art of noodle making. They brought their knowledge back here to the states and all of their noodles are made in house! We were fortunate enough to be able to watch one of the chefs make fresh soba noodles in front of us! This was definitely super interesting to witness because everything is measured out precisely and the work that goes into each batch is truly a work of art and a labor of love!
Ramen
After the noodle demonstration, we were able to try some of their ramen! This is their signature “Akira Volcano Ramen” with curly noodles! It’s curly noodles with a tonkatsu broth, chashu, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, egg, corn, etc. I loved how thick of a slice of cha shu they give you, so they definitely don’t skimp on that. The broth was very rich and all the flavors really worked well together. Fun fact: my favorite part of ramen is the little fish cake because it’s so cute!
We were also able to try their fresh soba noodles! I have actually never really tried soba noodles because I usually order ramen when I go to ramen shops, however, I definitely will start to now! Their soba noodle is served cold with a bit of wasabi, which I didn’t know until I took a whole bunch! Definitely refreshing for a hot summer day!
Photo Fun
Finally, we ended the night with some photo fun! They had an awesome photo booth set up by Honeybooth with props and all!
Huge thank you to Akira Ramen and Yelp Baltimore for having me out for the preview party, I had a great time learning more about Akira Ramen, how noodles are made, and mingling with fellow influencers! I actually ended up returning a few days later after they had opened and the wait was 2 hours! Unfortunately, we just didn’t have the time that night to wait, but I will definitely be returning again very soon!
MichelleMunches 
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