Foodie alert! A must-eat in Orange County, HiroNori Craft Ramen has achieved near cult status and is arguably the best ramen restaurant in the OC. Since their opening in mid-2017, it was evident that HiroNori Craft Ramen possessed hardcore ramen noodle shop game. Located in the same center as TRADE food hall and acclaimed sushi restaurant Ootoro Sushi, the queue of hungry noodle fiends is ever present, beginning every day around 11:00 a.m. to secure one of the tiny restaurant’s 35 seats when a friendly server unlocks the door to noodle nirvana at 11:30.
Tonkotsu Ramen at HiroNiro Craft Ramen, Irvine, CA. ©Priscilla Willis
Three Types of Ramen at HiroNori
The true star at HiroNori is the Tonkotsu Ramen – or pork bone ramen — the ultimate comfort food ramen. The stock for this famous Japanese noodle soup is made from pork bones, which are boiled for hours, breaking down the collagen, marrow and fat, resulting in a broth that is rich, unctuous — yes, creaminess and slightly fatty at the same time which imparts a velvety mouthfeel – and a white-ish to caramel color depending on the method and how long the broth was cooked down. HiroNori’s tonkotsu is boiled for 24 hours to achieve its richness and taste.
The menu is focused on ramen with three varieties available: a pork-bone tonkotsu broth, a soy-based shoyu broth, and a miso-based vegan broth. HiroNori’s Tonkotsu broth is infused with so much collagen that it yields a cream-colored, almost white, incredibly satisfying fatty broth. Your bowl of noodles (select from thin or HiroNori’s original thick noodle) arrives steaming hot adorned with a thick slice of charred chashu (slow-roasted pork belly) draped over a mound of fresh spinach along with bean sprouts, green onions, and crisp seaweed, balancing the fattiness of the broth and bringing added texture and flavor for a perfect bowl of ramen.
Shoyu ramen with spinach, bamboo, green onion, kaiware sprouts, and half egg. ©Priscilla Willis
The Shoyu ramen broth possesses complex umami flavors (thankfully, is not overly salty as many shoyu broths can be), generous slices of chasu pork with spinach, bamboo, kaiware sprouts, and half an egg.
HiroNori’s Vegan Ramen in a sesame miso broth is a revelation of textures and flavors. ©Priscilla Willis
HiroNori’s vegan ramen is a delight for anyone craving veggies, vegan or otherwise. Noodles in a light sesame miso broth (also surprisingly unsalty) are piled high with charred broccolini, tofu cubes, bean sprouts, soy meat crumbles, baby kale, and drops of chili oil.
Of course, you’re there for the ramen, but guests can also enjoy bowls (spicy tuna, salmon, chicken, pork), and sides of edamame, green salad, cucumber crab salad (highly recommend!), crispy chicken (karaage), crispy rice with spicy tuna, and pork buns. Prices range from $12.50 to $10.30 for ramen, $6.60 to $10.00 for bowls, and $3.50 to $5.50 for sides.
HiroNori is small with approximately 35 seats between a communal high table, low tables and a window counter, the space is modern minimalist, the vibe is low key, and the staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. Two tips for you: tipping is not allowed, rather service is factored into the bill, which is the norm in Japan. And, in regard to the wait, I overheard that you can check in on Yelp to decrease the average wait time of 30 minutes or more. Or, head over to TRADE and have a cocktail at Center Hub!
HiroNori’s Success Has Everything To Do With Co-Owners
The combined passion of co-owners Hiromichi Igarashi and Tadanori Akasaka, along with their ramen and restaurant expertise has been a recipe for success. Ten years ago, Hiromichi moved to the U.S. from Fukushima, Japan with the idea of “making a great ramen restaurant”. Hiro and Nori met at Mottainai ramen restaurant (closed in 2015) in Gardena. Nori was president of the company and they knew if they combined their passion and ramen industry expertise, they could make something great. When Hiro is not trying to feed a packed dining room at Irvine’s TRADE food hall, he likes to teach others how to make authentic Japanese ramen as well as give future ramen restauranteurs business pointers on operating a successful ramen restaurant. Beyond making good ramen, OC Weekly reports that Hiro offers “advice {on how} to make a successful ramen business such as location, concept, target, taste, menu items, recipes, management, kitchen operation, customer service, accounting, etc.”
HiroNori Craft Ramen
2222 Michelson Drive
Irvine, CA
Phone: 949-536-5800
Lunch and dinner daily.
https://hironoricraftramen.com
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