The Other Critics

Patty U.’s Delighted By Ramen Shop; Bauer Impressed With the Food, Not the Flatware, at Roxy’s

Ramen Shop
Ramen Shop Photo: Lara Hoke

Ever the connoisseur of Asian cuisines, Patricia Unterman finally made her way to Ramen Shop in Oakland, and she says, “Everything I put in my mouth … delighted me.” She says the light shio ramen with clams, spit-roasted pork, egg, and shungiko greens was her “ultimate ramen,” but she says the miso ramen with ground pork belly is great too, and “reminded me of spaghetti Bolognese.” She also adores an appetizer of sardine filets with Japanese pickles, and a “pastel salad” with black cod, shaved fennel, and citrus. Also, she adds, the cocktails go great with the food, and the staff is very “attentive.” [Unterman on Food, Bauer’s Earlier Take]

Michael Bauer made his requisite three visits to Roxy’s Café, where Manny Torres Gimenez relocated after a landlord dispute at Mr. Pollo. What he finds is a downscale environment with “tinny flatware and two thin paper napkins,” where they only take reservations by text, and what amounts to “a perfect confluence of factors to attract Mission hipsters.” He’s nevertheless impressed by most of the food, complimenting many of Gimenez’s dishes, including some chitarra pasta made with plantains and an amuse of avocado and tuna sashimi. There’s a $25 four-course option, but Bauer says that the chef’s “real talent is on display with the 10-course menu,” for $75, which begins with a series of Japanese dishes. All told, with slightly amateur service and zero atmosphere, despite great food, he gives it two stars. [Chron, Roth’s Earlier Take]

Patty U.’s Delighted By Ramen Shop; Bauer Impressed With the Food, Not the