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Futatsuki Ramen

Futatsuki Ramen
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  • Futatsuki Ramen

    Post #1 - October 31st, 2016, 8:11 pm
    Post #1 - October 31st, 2016, 8:11 pm Post #1 - October 31st, 2016, 8:11 pm
    The newest ramen shop in town is located on a rapidly changing section of Broadway in Uptown. The tonkatsu broth has a good balance of flavor and is less salty than other versions I've had. Condiments include chili oil, shichimi togarashi, and a sesame seed grinder. You can add a soft boiled egg, cha-shu pork, pork kakuni, sweet corn and spinach. In addition, the restaurant serves Japanese comfort food favorites like Katsu Curry, Chicken Karaage, Gyoza, and Shrimp Tempura. As an added bonus, it's BYOB. I'll be back to explore more of the menu.

    Futatsuki Ramen
    4621 N. Broadway St.
    Chicago, IL 60640
    773.561.9999

    ImageFutatsuki

    ImageRamen

    ImageGyoza

    ImageKatsu Curry
  • Post #2 - November 1st, 2016, 12:41 pm
    Post #2 - November 1st, 2016, 12:41 pm Post #2 - November 1st, 2016, 12:41 pm
    Myself and several of my fellow Uptowners are excited about this new development. Uptown had a glut of Thai restaurants, so sacrificing one to get a ramen spot is of no big loss.
  • Post #3 - November 3rd, 2016, 10:25 am
    Post #3 - November 3rd, 2016, 10:25 am Post #3 - November 3rd, 2016, 10:25 am
    I went last night for a pre Cubs game meal, and I was not disappointed at all. I felt it was a little warm for ramen, so I decided to make my first trip all about the other comfort foods. I went with a Chicken Ka-Raa-Ge and Katsu Don. Both dishes came out rather quickly and I was not disappointed in the slightest. The meats, both chicken and pork, were juicy and succulent and the breading was crunchy but not greasy. I'm looking forward to many return visits. It doesn't hurt that it's located across the street from the Wilson CTA stop!
  • Post #4 - November 10th, 2016, 2:54 pm
    Post #4 - November 10th, 2016, 2:54 pm Post #4 - November 10th, 2016, 2:54 pm
    A delicious lunch with friends meant trying a variety of dishes on the menu. Chicken ka-raa-ge was moist and perfectly fried, seaweed salad was refreshing, and the asparagus enoki was a great combination. The ramen was even better than the last time I tried it and one of the more enjoyable bowls I've had. BYOB

    Imagechicken ka-raa-ge

    Imageseaweed salad

    Imageasparagus enoki

    Imageramen with pork kakuni

    Imagekatsu don
  • Post #5 - November 11th, 2016, 4:56 pm
    Post #5 - November 11th, 2016, 4:56 pm Post #5 - November 11th, 2016, 4:56 pm
    Mr. Python and I went to Futatsuki last weekend and had a very enjoyable meal. Started with a seaweed salad, which was a pretty typical example of the dish (fine with me, I love that stuff). We each got the tonkotsu ramen, mine with a soft-boiled egg and spicy paste, his with the pork kakuni. It was good! The broth was appropriately silky (my husband actually thought it verged on *too* silky), the other ingredients were on point. I thought the cha-shu pork was maybe slightly tough, but the pork kakuni was divine and worth the upcharge.

    All in all, Futatsuki's ramen was much better than the worst I've had (Table to Stix in Evanston), not quite as good as the best (Santouka at Mitsuwa), but certainly worth going back for (especially because of proximity).
    "If this sauce was a person, I'd get naked and make love to it." - Sophia Petrillo, The Golden Girls
  • Post #6 - June 18th, 2017, 4:38 pm
    Post #6 - June 18th, 2017, 4:38 pm Post #6 - June 18th, 2017, 4:38 pm
    Had a great meal at Futatsuki yesterday. Learned that they import their Hakata-style ramen noodles from Japan, which makes sense since the super low hydration style usually requires industrial-grade noodle machines to produce.

    The chicken karaage was very moist and well-seasoned; however, it did seem to lack a satisfying crispiness that one expects from karaage. This paired very well with my Two Hearted Ale (don't forget they're BYOB if you care to dine in!).
    Futatsuki (1 of 3).jpg Chicken karaage

    The ramen itself is a very light tonkotsu cut with chicken (rather than pork) fat, which adds to the savoriness without overwhelming you with richness. The toppings were great, with the exception of the menma (overly briny and not marinated long enough). The ajitama was one of the best I've had in Chicago and it appears that they use an equilibrium brine to flavor the egg. The noodles were firm, Hakata-style ramen, which is very typical with this style of tonkotsu. They were cooked beautifully (with this low hydration, they tend to only need 20-30 seconds in boiling water before overcooking) and came out quick. Their kaedama was a bargain at $2.50 so I ordered it as I was finishing up my original portion of noodles.
    Futatsuki (2 of 3).jpg Tonkotsu ramen with ajitama

    Futatsuki (3 of 3).jpg Hakata-style ramen shot

    Overall, a great meal and I'll be coming back often. I'll eventually try some of their rice bowls and curry since I've seen lots of good reviews about them.
  • Post #7 - August 1st, 2017, 8:36 pm
    Post #7 - August 1st, 2017, 8:36 pm Post #7 - August 1st, 2017, 8:36 pm
    I'm going to publish another print issue of "Japan Jaunt" before I go back there at the end of September (for the 'Blue Note Jazz Festival in Yokohama headlined by Donald Fagen). It will have a bigger article about Ramen in Japan. But given that; I really have to shake my head about ramen shacks in Chicago importing their noodles from Japan. I am certain you have seen that episode of "Bizarre Foods" where Andrew Zimmern gets the tour of Sun Noodle in New Jersey. Those are the noodles Keizo Shimamoto uses for both his ramen, and the still popular RamenBurger®. :)
    Sometimes, I contemplate this is the excuse the Chicago ramen shack puts up for why its ramen costs that much.
    Valuable links for survival, without the monetization attempt: https://pqrs-ltd.xyz/bookmark4.html
  • Post #8 - August 5th, 2018, 7:17 pm
    Post #8 - August 5th, 2018, 7:17 pm Post #8 - August 5th, 2018, 7:17 pm
    Went on Friday and I was pretty disappointed. Tonkotsu broth was lacking any depth of flavor and wasn't a big fan of the thin noodles. While they were fine when served, they eventually were overcooked halfway thru the bowl.

    Was hoping for another good ramen option in the city but I don't think I'll return. Dang.
  • Post #9 - August 5th, 2018, 7:50 pm
    Post #9 - August 5th, 2018, 7:50 pm Post #9 - August 5th, 2018, 7:50 pm
    WhyBeeSea wrote:Went on Friday and I was pretty disappointed. Tonkotsu broth was lacking any depth of flavor and wasn't a big fan of the thin noodles. While they were fine when served, they eventually were overcooked halfway thru the bowl.

    Was hoping for another good ramen option in the city but I don't think I'll return. Dang.

    Not offering commentary on the ramen since I haven't tried it, but even thicker noodles will be overcooked not long after your bowl of ramen is delivered. In Japan, observe people eating ramen and you'll quickly notice that noodles vanish from a bowl of ramen faster than you can say ramen -- slurped up at astonishing speed and with plenty of slurping noise, face never lifted far above the bowl so long as noodles remain, only to slow down once all the noodles are gone at which time you're ready to move on to the rest of the bowl.
  • Post #10 - August 6th, 2018, 6:34 am
    Post #10 - August 6th, 2018, 6:34 am Post #10 - August 6th, 2018, 6:34 am
    BR wrote:
    WhyBeeSea wrote:Went on Friday and I was pretty disappointed. Tonkotsu broth was lacking any depth of flavor and wasn't a big fan of the thin noodles. While they were fine when served, they eventually were overcooked halfway thru the bowl.

    Was hoping for another good ramen option in the city but I don't think I'll return. Dang.

    Not offering commentary on the ramen since I haven't tried it, but even thicker noodles will be overcooked not long after your bowl of ramen is delivered. In Japan, observe people eating ramen and you'll quickly notice that noodles vanish from a bowl of ramen faster than you can say ramen -- slurped up at astonishing speed and with plenty of slurping noise, face never lifted far above the bowl so long as noodles remain, only to slow down once all the noodles are gone at which time you're ready to move on to the rest of the bowl.


    Understood. I ate pretty fast and the noodles still became overcooked. I wasn't a fan.
  • Post #11 - December 11th, 2018, 6:31 am
    Post #11 - December 11th, 2018, 6:31 am Post #11 - December 11th, 2018, 6:31 am
    Had been meaning to post itt because i've enjoyed a number a nice meals here recently.

    I like the ramen (w/spicy paste) but the cooked dishes are absolutely worth trying, especially the katsu curry and yakisoba.

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