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Robin Garr

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Mirin gets ramen right

by Robin Garr » Wed May 10, 2017 10:32 am

Mirin gets ramen right

LEO's Eats with Robin Garr

“Veggie II” Ramen, new on the menu at Mirin.
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About a half-mile away from Chik’n & Mi, in the heart of Clifton, the guys at Mirin get ramen right. I needn’t repeat my recent glowing review (Jan. 11, 2017), but news of lunch hours and an expanded menu drew me back for a revisit the other day. I still love it just as hard.

The noodles menu has expanded to six choices ($11 to $16), including two vegetarian options, one featuring Mirin’s remarkable fried tofu, a crack-like preparation that’s guaranteed to make tofu-lovers out of tofu-haters. The Veggie II ramen ($11) brings together three types of mushroom with roasted tomatoes, pea sprouts and bean sprouts in a remarkable umami-laden broth that calls you to lift the bowl in order to savor every last drop.

Tuna tataki ($10) is a bit like a large serving of sashimi. Thinly sliced, delicious sashimi grade tuna had been grilled on the outside but raw in the middle, its flavors kicked up with house-made seafood-based XO sauce and crisp, fine-chopped pickled daikon.

You could call Bao ($2), two-bite Asian tacos: Thick rounds of white steamed bun wrap around crispy tofu, chicken or pork and a shmear of creamy-herbal sakura cheese from Hokkaido, Japan.

A memorable lunch rang the bell at $26.50, plus a $6.95 tip.

Mirin
2013 Frankfort Ave.
742-8911
Facebook: bit.ly/mirin502
Robin Garr's rating: 92 points

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/mirin ... amen-right

You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly’s Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/
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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by Steve Eslinger » Wed May 10, 2017 10:52 am

Finally got over there this weekend, and yes, the ramen is fantastic. I had the Tonkotsu and my wife had the chicken soryu. That pork was divine! As good as the Tonkotsu was, I think I liked the soryu broth even more. While I'm still learning the finer points of real ramen, I have a hard time imagining that they are not hitting all the right notes. In other words, if someone does it better, please tell!
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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by Mike D » Thu May 11, 2017 4:47 pm

Steve Eslinger wrote:Finally got over there this weekend, and yes, the ramen is fantastic. I had the Tonkotsu and my wife had the chicken soryu. That pork was divine! As good as the Tonkotsu was, I think I liked the soryu broth even more. While I'm still learning the finer points of real ramen, I have a hard time imagining that they are not hitting all the right notes. In other words, if someone does it better, please tell!


Nobody does it better. Actually, nobody else is even close.
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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by Heather L » Thu May 25, 2017 10:04 am

Finally made it to Mirin last night - it was the perfect rainy, cool night for some ramen! I am absolutely not a ramen expert, but I can tell you that we both loved every bite! I had the veggie ramen and a tofu bao. My husband had the shoyu ramen and a chicken bao. We both ate every single bit of it all and went home stuffed. Loved the egg, the tofu was firm and the noodles were amazing! Can't wait to go back.
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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by Mike D » Thu May 25, 2017 4:23 pm

I was there last night also. Had the Veggie Ramen, as always. It was the perfect dish for a cool rainy night. For me, that dish is the best vegetarian dish in town. Everything in it is perfect, and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And that shoyu egg...heavenly.
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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by Iggy C » Fri Dec 20, 2019 12:44 pm

In case anyone wants to support some of the Mirin staff who quit in protest this week, this is a way one might help them get through the holidays.

https://fundly.com/help-save-christmas-2
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Robin Garr

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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by Robin Garr » Fri Dec 20, 2019 1:27 pm

Sad all the way around. :(

Thanks for the post, Iggy.
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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by SilvioM » Sun Dec 22, 2019 12:43 pm

Now closed. Comments section is active. https://www.wdrb.com/news/business/mirin-popular-louisville-ramen-restaurant-unexpectedly-closes/article_a37e172a-2464-11ea-bebf-73ac89c061a3.html

I never went due to his posts slagging other local restaurants. For those who liked his fare, I'll suggest the Asian-American owned and operated Ramen House, next to Baxter Ave. Theatres.
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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by Kim H » Sun Dec 22, 2019 1:26 pm

I must have missed it - what were the staff protesting?
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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by Robin Garr » Sun Dec 22, 2019 1:38 pm

Kim, the link that Silvio posted just above yours gives a thorough overview. TL;DR, Griffin, the owner, posted and then deleted a long (well, Medium) post that significantly overshared the details of his marital breakup in a way that made it easy not to take his side.
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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by Mark R. » Mon Dec 23, 2019 12:11 am

Robin Garr wrote:Kim, the link that Silvio posted just above yours gives a thorough overview. TL;DR, Griffin, the owner, posted and then deleted a long (well, Medium) post that significantly overshared the details of his marital breakup in a way that made it easy not to take his side.

His post must've been modified because it doesn't say anything about the reason. It's a very short article with no details at all.
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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by Kim H » Mon Dec 23, 2019 9:11 am

The WDRB article is very short with no explanation at all. But in the comments, there is a link to the archived post that he deleted. It's long. (this is a perfect example of how once you put something on the web, you may not be able to take it back)
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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by JustinHammond » Thu Dec 26, 2019 4:58 pm

Is that the last of the Roux/Rumplings crews' shops to close?

Roux
Rumplings
Epic Sandwich
America - The Diner
Over the 9
Ten Tables
Gospel Bird
Hull and Highwater

Am I missing any?
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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by Jerry C » Thu Dec 26, 2019 7:02 pm

JustinHammond wrote:Is that the last of the Roux/Rumplings crews' shops to close?

Roux
Rumplings
Epic Sandwich
America - The Diner
Over the 9
Ten Tables
Gospel Bird
Hull and Highwater

Am I missing any?


And I believe all (or most) of these were in the last few years!

Fool me once...
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Robin Garr

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Re: Mirin gets ramen right

by Robin Garr » Fri Dec 27, 2019 8:04 am

Jerry C wrote:Fool me once...

For the record, though, I liked most of those places. They were fun, they were edgy, and ultimately they were high-risk. But they were good while they lasted :cry:
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