Seating is fairly limited at Ramen Tatsu-ya, which might contribute to their long lines. Most of the tables are "community" tables where the people dining next to you could be strangers (allowing for a bonding opportunity with other Austinites who love ramen). There are a few tables against the wall where a couple could sit by themselves, but at really busy times, you might be asked if you would mind joining another couple willing to share their table. (You can, of course, refuse and wait for the next available table while the next group in line gets the opportunity to sit with strangers.) One last comment about their space is that either due to poor ventilation or the size of their kitchen and dining areas, the smell of charring chashu permeates the air. It's a wonderful smokey and savory smell that gets your saliva going as you stand in line and brings wonderful and pleasant thoughts to mind... but lingers on your clothes and hair until you wash them.
Seven months after serving their last bowl of ramen from the food truck, Michi Ramen (6519 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX) opened the doors to their restaurant and started their soft opening. I ate there three times in their first 13 days and could not be happier that they had maintained the quality of their superb broth.
Since a food coma inducing super rich and hearty broth isn't for everyone, Michi Ramen offers three different levels of richness: stout (their richest full-bodied broth that is most similar to what was served at the food truck), regular (a rich broth), and light (a full flavored but less fatty broth). I plan on making a trip to eat both Michi Ramen and Ramen Tatsu-ya on the same night so I can properly compare the broths, but, making a judgement based on my taste memory, I would place Ramen Tatsu-ya's broth richness somewhere between Michi Ramen's regular and light.
Seven months after serving their last bowl of ramen from the food truck, Michi Ramen (6519 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX) opened the doors to their restaurant and started their soft opening. I ate there three times in their first 13 days and could not be happier that they had maintained the quality of their superb broth.
Here are my ramen posts:
http://madbetty.com/?s=ramen
I love Paul Qui, so it pains me greatly to say that the only time I've been to East Side King Hole in the Wall it was extremely underwhelming for me. My noodles were overcooked and super soft and mushy (no springiness whatsoever) and the broths just didn't work for me with too many dominating flavors (super salty, tasted like powdered spices, and in the tortilla soup overly strong lemongrass and keffir lime leaves) that weren't melding / blending. The eggs were phenomenal and the soft tofu served with the kimchee ramen was great. However, I honestly preferred the texture and flavor of the instant noodles they served at The Grackle and also preferred the broth there.
In either case, it's not really a fair comparison with the other ramen-ya in town since it's mostly just ramen in name. I'll visit again some time as it is possible that I hit them on a bad night.
I'm not sure you read the article... guessing you just read the title and then commented? I'm pretty sure I never say all the ramen in Austin is "good" and they aren't. There's only two worth eating at.