Poke Ramen Asian Soul Kitchen: A soulful yet delicate ramen that satisfies

BY ISABELLA MARCON

Poke Ramen Asian Soul Kitchen opened in the middle of February for its soft opening. A soft opening, for those who are not familiar with the restaurant industry, precedes the “grand opening” to the general public. While the term is fluid, generally, a soft opening is a trial run with a limited audience and a limited menu so that an establishment can hire staff and prepare for the rigors of serving the public.

As of the time of this review, the soft opening is still underway and Poke Ramen Asian Soul Kitchen has restricted its menu to focus on its signature ramen dishes— a wise choice because the ramen is some of the best in Broward County.

Ramen is generally a type of Japanese soup that is served with noodles and egg in a savory broth. Poke Ramen offers Classic Tonkotsu, Tonkotsu Shoyu, Spicy Miso Tonkotsu, Cilantro Lime Chicken, Shoyu Chicken and Spicy Miso Chicken.

The Spicy Miso Chicken Soup was bold in its strength, but far from overpowering. There is a tendency for soups to play it safe and simply allow each customer to spice their soup as their individual palate directs, however, this robs the dish of the vision and authenticity of the chef.  

Each dish is a meal in itself, and will likely be left at least partially unfinished, unless one brings friends and plans on sharing. Given the diverse and flavorful ramens that are available, this isn’t a bad idea.

At Poke Ramen, the owner/chef gets up before dawn and begins his preparation of the broth. The broth is then left to simmer for hours, slowly releasing its delicate flavors like secrets. When it is ready, the broth forms the base of the ramen. It is the beginning of the journey, and the attentive and excellent staff are the guides.

In the case of the Cilantro Lime Chicken ($11.95) and the Spicy Miso Chicken ($12.95), the excellent broth is only the beginning of a culinary masterpiece. The Cilantro Lime Chicken features chicken chashu, corn, bamboo shoot, cilantro, lime and nori. All of these flavors could easily overwhelm the dish in untrained hands.

But at Poke Ramen, the flavors all balance each other playfully and distinctly— each bite announces itself on the taste buds without any flavor overwhelming the rest. The chicken was soft and savory, not overly chewy as in some soups, and provided just a bit of resistance before melting into a comforting bite with light notes of salt, lime and cilantro.

Do not be deceived by the small size of this venue— the flavors are big, bold and beautiful. A sign inside promises to serve up a hearty “Ramen for the Soul,” and Poke Ramen delivers nothing less.

The Spicy Miso Chicken Soup was bold in its strength, but far from overpowering. There is a tendency for soups to play it safe and simply allow each customer to spice their soup as their individual palate directs, however, this robs the dish of the vision and authenticity of the chef.  

Here, the hours of preparation that went into the specially blended ramen broth were evident; the broth perfectly complemented the chicken chashu, bamboo shoot, seasoned egg, scallion, nori, chili strips and spicy bean sprouts. Even though some of these ingredients cross over from the Cilantro Lime Chicken dish, the two dishes taste nothing alike because the end result transcends the sum of its parts.

Poke Ramen is not exactly easy to find. It only recently opened on February 13, 2019 at its Tower Shops location on South University Drive in Davie, Florida, and is not visible from the road. It is around the corner from Michael’s and a few doors down from a popular Burger-Fi location.

Like a few of the other eateries in the same plaza, it is cozy and quaint on the inside, serving around 20 people with additional seating outside in a covered patio area. Do not be deceived by the small size of this venue— the flavors are big, bold and beautiful. A sign inside promises to serve up a hearty “Ramen for the Soul,” and Poke Ramen delivers nothing less.

Photo courtesy of Poke Ramen