Mirakutei vs. Biwa AKA apples and oranges when the apples are in season and the oranges are under ripe AKA this is a total cop out post from facebook

I was asked on Facebook to compare my first impressions of Mirakutei (a new Japanese restaurant touting their Ramen) with my favorite, Biwa:


Okay, First impressions on Mirakutei (and keep in mind that they just opened) aren't strong. The bowl of Ramen I had was the "Mirakutei Original Ramen" which on the Japanese language menu said was a Tonkotsu ramen. I would personally call it a hybrid; the broth had some of the richness of a true Tonkotsu, but really is more of a Shoyu broth. The toppings were a spartan selection of lean chashyu, bean sprout, sliced negi, and bamboo shoot. The noodles were, as far as I could tell, descent fresh chukasoba made in a factory.

Overall the Mirakutei Original Ramen was a simple, clean bowl of noodles. Nothing flashy, nothing to gush over. I felt the portion, though not small, didn't fill me. I was disappointed by the skimpy portions of the toppings. the price is eight dollars.

As far as I could tell, the rest of the menu is primarily sushi. I didn't have any, but I've eaten at Hiroshi (Mirakutei's parent restaurant) several times and the sushi there is my gold standard by which I measure all other sushi. So I can assume it's good at Mirakutei.

ALL THAT BEING SAID:

Biwa is the better restaurant. The Biwa ramen is also a hybrid, albeit totally different than mirakutei, so I can't claim they make a truer ramen (and in all honesty, that claim would probably go to mirakutei, shoyu broth being the original and most common style). For just a few more dollars Biwa gives you about twice the ramen, six times the (better) chashyu, a shoyu egg, and a pile of sliced green onion. Not to mention the nightly bar menu (9-10) where the ramen is only $5(!)

I must recall that I hated Biwa when they first opened, so I'll be giving Mirakutei another chance in the future.

The big selling point for me is the vast menu beyond the ramen at Biwa. What they offer is real Japanese food, unlike any I've seen offered anywhere in the US. Biwa is the shit.