Kiwami shiro ramen, a specialty, is a classic Japanese style made with long-simmered light-color broth in place of the standard dark soy-based version..\
Louisville seems to be having a ramen renaissance right now, and I am here for it.
Yes. we’ve had access to genuine ramen that didn’t come from a cheap supermarket packet for a while. Of course you can still get your ramen fix at full-service Japanese and other Asian restaurants. And we’re not even talking about all the tasty Vietnamese pho and Thai yum, which are delicious soups-as-a-meal too but entirely different.
But there’s no substitute for those memorable places where the chefs treat ramen as a calling, a spiritual experience that must be done properly and consumed with respect but quickly, before the broth cools.
“Spicy, steaming, slurpy ramen might be everyone’s favorite Japanese food,” Yuri Kageyama wrote in an Associated Press World News report. “In Tokyo, long lines circle around blocks, and waiting an hour for your ramen is normal. What awaits might be just a dive, but a hot bowl of ramen rarely fails to hit the spot.”
That’s ramen. It does hit the spot, and as Marie Kondo might say, it sparks joy. Ramen is about joy, and we’re starting to see a little burst of ramen houses popping up all over.
Joining Ramen House, in place since 2019 adjacent to Baxter Avenue Theaters. Hokkaido Ramen is new in Colonial Gardens. Renshoku Ramen was building a sterling reputation in Old Louisville until it was forced to close last after a car smashed into a tree out front, starting a fire that killed the driver and badly damaged Renshoku’s building. Repairs are under way, and if you’d like to help, they’re inviting friends to support the cause by purchasing digital gift cards.
And now there’s Kiwami Ramen, recently arrived in the Highlands space that housed Wild Ginger and, before that, Cafe Metro. Kiwami means "ultimate" or “extreme" in Japanese, and after inhaling a couple of outstanding ramens and compelling apps, I’ll go along with that. ...
Read my full review on LouisvilleHotBytes:
https://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/kiwami-ramen
You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section this week:
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/
Kiwami Ramen
1700 Bardstown Road
384-6412
https://kiwami-ramenbar.com
https://facebook.com/KiwamiRamenLouisville
https://instagram.com/kiwamiramenbar
Noise Level: A happy near-capacity crowd elevated the sound level to a conversation-crushing roar, with average levels at 78.4 dB and peaks to a near-painful 92.2 dB.
Accessibility: The restaurant and restrooms appear accessible to unassisted wheelchair users, with the exception of seats at the bar.