A few years ago, the food world was all abuzz about the Vietnamese noodle soup pho.
These days, the noodle soup-obsessed have shifted their allegiance to Japanese-style ramen. Once associated with dorm rooms and starving artists, ramen has come into its own in America, inspiring food trucks, pop-ups and bona fide restaurants from coast to coast.
Here in Baltimore, we have not been immune to the trend. The latest opening in Charm City's ramen surge, Ejji Ramen, pairs a friendly wait staff with serious kitchen talent. The menu might be hitched to ramen's rising star, but Ejji's excellent food makes it feel like much more than a flash in the pan.
Scene & Decor Ejji is located along the back wall of Belvedere Square's market, between Neopol Savory Smokery and Hex Ferments. Cheery lanterns and bright colors set the restaurant's upbeat tone, which is a good fit for the market's busy, festive atmosphere.
The restaurant offers table service at a low bar in front of the open kitchen and a few nearby tables. If those seats are full — as they were during our Wednesday night visit — diners can order and pay at the counter, then grab a table somewhere else in the market. Someone from Ejji will call your cell phone when your order is ready.
Appetizer Though ramen is the focus at Ejji, the menu incorporates the casual foods of several Asian cultures. We started with an order of chicken satay ($8). Cooked nicely and with a likeable nutty flavor, the chicken was an auspicious start to the meal.
We liked another appetizer, the roti canai ($6), just as much. Ejji's take on this Malaysian flatbread dish was light and puffy, and the curried lentil sauce served on the side blew us away.
Entrees Ramen seekers have the option of mixing and matching ingredients to create their own bowl or choosing one of the menu's three pre-set options. We opted for Ejji's tonkatsu ramen ($11), a bowl of pork broth topped with pulled pork, pork belly, a miso-marinated soft-boiled egg and scallions.
During our visit, the kitchen had run out of pork belly, so they suggested an extra helping of pulled pork, which worked well enough that we didn't miss the fattier cut.
With any noodle soup, really great stock is key — and Ejji makes really great stock. The combination of flavors and textures in that bowl was fabulous and satisfying.
A Malaysian-inspired bowl of beef short rib rendang ($15) — tender, marinated short ribs served with tomatoes over slightly sweet coconut rice — was also impressive. Doctored with a few scoops of Ejji's moderately spicy green sambal, a chunky sauce made with green Thai chili peppers and lime, the bowl was even better.
Drinks Ejji carries a small list of beers, including Echigo Beer's Koshihikari ($11), a Japanese rice lager served in a hefty bottle. The brew was light enough to be easily drinkable and a good match for the spicier sauces on our table, but it also had enough malt to have some real flavor.
Desserts Though Ejji Ramen doesn't offer desserts, Belvedere Square is sweets central. Some of our favorites include the gluten-free treats at Pure Chocolate by Jinji, Tooloulou's pecan pie (when they have it) and the lemony "bright and sunny" cake from Atwaters.
Service Given how busy Ejji was during our entire visit, we would have forgiven a few frazzled looks from the staff. But even as she explained (and re-explained) the process to a line of diners, the woman taking orders was upbeat and as friendly as could be.
About 15 minutes after ordering, our food was ready; the same woman called our phone to let us know. Seeing that we found a table not too far from Ejji's counter, she helped us carry our meals and drinks and, after the restaurant started to slow down around 8 o'clock, she stopped back at our table to collect trash and see if we needed anything. (Diners are responsible for handling their own trash and dishes at the market's shared tables.)
At that point, we were all set, finishing our meals and satisfied. But we were happy to have the opportunity to say goodbye — and see you again soon.