Review: Where does San Franciscos Marufuku fit into OCs already vibrant ramen scene?
Orange County is the epicenter of California’s Japanese ramen scene. What started as a concentration of ramen restaurants gathered along Costa Mesa’s ramen row (Baker Street) has morphed into a county-wide saturation of Japanese noodle bars, many of which are very, very good and getting better all the time.
The latest contender to join the fray is San Francisco-based Marufuku Ramen, which recently opened in Irvine at Los Olivos Marketplace. Tough neighborhood. That’s directly across the freeway from Silverlake Ramen. Game on.
Marufuku serves Hakata-style tonkotsu (slow-simmered pork-bone broth served with fatty braised pork) and paitan (chicken-bone broth with poached chicken breast). The broths are rich and creamy, infused with ample amounts of marrow and collagen. The noodles are extra-thin and toothsome. Both the pork and chicken chashu are appropriately tender. Maybe it’s the pandemic (they currently offer takeout/delivery only), or maybe they just underestimated the competition down here, but neither of these soups stands out. The ramen scene in Orange County is formidable, and Marufuku appears outmatched.
If you live in the Los Olivos area, you’ll be happy to have another perfectly decent neighborhood option. But if you’re looking for destination ramen worthy of a cross-county drive, this isn’t that.
Marufuku Ramen
Where: 8543 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine
When: Lunch and dinner daily
Phone: 949-418-7448
Online: marufukuramen.com/irvine
This post first appeared on ocregister.com
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