Samurai Noodle - Heights in Houston

Giving my review a little 0.5 star boost because Samurai Noodle is a local spot. Overall, I would say the Samurai Noodle Ramen is solid/good. The dishes came out hot and fresh. My thoughts on the broth is written below. We had the... (1) Korroke Appetizer (Japanese Potato Croquettes) - which was a very good starter choice (2) The Spicy Miso Tonkotsu - which was my favorite of the two ramens we ordered (3) The Spicy Garlic Shouyu - which was good, not as solid as the Tonkotsu in my opinion, but my partner preferred this one (4) The Samurai Armor - which was a side dish including some of the most popular toppings to add to your ramen My two cents... I thought the richness level was appropriate for both broths, a good balance of light and not too heavy, that being said I did feel like it could have used an inch more umami. Additionally, the spicy broths were not as spicy as they really could be for a Houston joint. I would say it felt toned down compared to what I would expect for a dish marketed as spicy. The noodles themselves were just fine, not as chewy as I would have liked. Plus, I was a little bummed that the Samurai Armor toppings were delivered cold (meaning you would need to add them to your soup to warm them up, thus taking away from the steamy goodness from the dish).

I came here with a friend and tried the Shiro Tonkotsu. It was pretty decent but the broth did not taste as creamy as I had hoped. I wished there were a little bit more toppings included already without having to add it as an extra charge, like a marinated egg, for example. It was also a bit saltier than what I'm used to from other ramen that I've tried.

I started coming here after starting a new job and this place has become an almost weekly stop, I get the vegan stir-fry with the garlic chili oil on the side. Hands down my favorite meal and favorite ramen spot!