07/30/17
Tonkotsu at Ten Ramen in Dallas, TX. The ramen at Ten Ramen is the best I have found in Dallas and a distant second behind Ippudo Ginza in Tokyo. The seating, or lack thereof, at Ten Ramen is interesting. It’s a hole in the wall place with about twelve standing-room only spaces at a bar with the chefs cooking the ramen behind the counter. I always get the Tonkotsu when trying a new ramen place. It’s a good benchmark to get an across-the-board comparison.
The Tonkotsu at Ten Ramen has some of the best pork belly I’ve ever had. It's grilled to a nice char on the outside and has a sweet finish. It doesn’t get soggy and fall apart in the broth like a lot of other pork belly does. The noodles are medium thickness and a little firm, not chewy or flimsy. I really like the mild broth here. Not overpowered with salt and not too heavy like some of the creamier, darker broths. You can also order the Tonkotsu spicy or add the chili oil yourself at the bar, which really brings out the flavor in the mild broth. And I usually add a poached egg, which is a little bit different than most ramen places that do a soft-boiled egg. In the end, the pork belly is what keeps me coming back.