You know why there are more and more restaurants selling ramen in Madison? It’s because ramen is inexpensive and delicious. Taking a simple bowl of noodles and adding textures and flavors is a winning recipe, and that recipe can be found at the newly opened Ramen Kid downtown.
All of the large bowls of ramen come with a soft-boiled egg, green onions, bamboo shoots and pork chashu (braised pork). The difference comes in the broth. For example, the Tonkotsu ($7.50) has a pork soup base and the Shoyu ($7.50) has a soy sauce soup base. I thoroughly enjoyed the spicy miso ($8), as the broth was hearty (but not spicy at all) yet it didn’t overwhelm the noodles.
Rice dishes, in both teriyaki and curry form, also are on the menu. The super-thick sauce in the pork cutlet curry ($7.75) reminded me of gravy in terms of texture, but it was still a very tasty curry, though light on spices. The pork cutlet had a 2-to-1 breading-to-meat ratio, yet I appreciated the texture contrast it brought to the dish.
Appetizers include edamame and gyoza. I couldn’t resist ordering the Takoyaki ($4.50), five crispy octopus dumplings (balls) with a small drizzle of mayo and tankatsu sauce. I appreciated that the Takoyaki wasn’t exploding-hot on the inside, as typical. Your mouth will consecutively enjoy crispy, then gooey and then the soft (not too-rubbery) octopus.
Ramen Kid is open every day for lunch and dinner. If you’re lucky, you can find meter parking on Gilman Street. Otherwise, park in the ramp on Frances Street.
