Queen Of Ramen: Dairyu Ramen & Curry

I discovered Dairyu Ramen & Curry on one of my excursions to Palama Supermarket. Having heard of a Dairyu Ramen shop that used to be on King Street a while back, I was curious to see if this new ramenya that opened in October 2008 had some kind of connection with the old Dairyu.

When we walked into Dairyu, a waitress quickly greeted and seated us. The menu was huge, with a large selections of ramen, curry combinations, udon, friend noodles, cold noodles and Ramen combination sets (the whole menu can be viewed at their website). I needed a little more time then usual to navigate the large menu. Seeing that I needed a little help making a decision, the waitress came over and gave me some suggestions. Since we were the only customers in the restaurant, I took the opportunity to ask about the shop. The waitress informed us that the owner of this Dairyu, who is currently retired in Japan, was also the owner of the Dairyu on King Street.

I may have been a bit overwhelmed by the huge menu, but in the end, Isteered clear of being adventurous and order the Ramen Combination #1 ($6.75) which came with a bowl of ramen (shoyu, miso, shio, or butter) and fried rice.

The ramen tasted like a typical mild shoyu ramen, however at the suggestion of the waitress, I added in the house special Hot oil paste and boy was that yummy. A bit of sesame and hot pepper paste gave the ramen a excellent kick and added flavor.

The fried rice on the other hand needed no additions and was full of flavor. The serving size was also very generous.

With all combination sets, you can add 4 gyoza for just $1, a deal too good to pass up. Fried to perfection, they were well worth my dollar. As usual my eyes were bigger than my stomach and i ended up taking home half of my fried rice and two pieces of gyoza.

My friend also had more than enough food in his Udon Combination ($7.25) that came with a bowl of udon, a bowl of rice and chicken katsu, and a dish of kimchee. The udon had a shoyu base with a hint of sweetness. The katsu was juicy on the inside and very crunchy one the outside. And the kimchee was a nice addition to the meal.

While Dairyu Ramen & Curry is little out of the way, its huge menu and great prices make it a great stop before or after a trip to Palama supermarket.