“This is going to be exciting.” I thought to myself as TJ and I walked up the stairs to K. Ramen Burger and Beer in Glendale. It may have been a bit too early to tell, but it was easy to think that as we made our way into the secret pop-up restaurant of Katsuya at The Americana. Looking at the art in K. Ramen, you could tell it was in the same sultry aesthetic of Katsuya but the set up and décor showed it was much more casual than the popular counterpart. I was excited to be invited to the restaurant and couldn’t wait to try a few of their dishes.

To start the entire dinner, we had Tots with a Duck Fat Drizzle ($5). Anytime that I have tots, I immediately get transported back to standing in a cafeteria line in elementary school. The lunch lady with her grey hair in a net plops cold-mushy balls of potatoes onto my tray. I then walk off to a table to sit and imagine I’m eating anything other than what is in front of me. That’s the image of tater tots that come to mind the minute I see them on a menu. As reluctant as I was to try these, I was incredibly glad that I did. Here, the tots are crispy fried balls of soft potatoes that are drizzled with duck fat. They’re not tot too crispy and they’re also not too soft. The duck fat is subtle, but the moment you catch a taste of it you realize it’s the best part of the tot. My old lunch lady could learn a thing or two about making tater tots from the chef here.

After the tots, our waitress brought over a plate of Calamari with a Wasabi Cocktail Sauce ($8). The calamari didn’t taste as if they were submerged in batter and were evenly seasoned. As much as I would love to say the calamari itself, the main dish, was the part I enjoyed the most—it’s not the case. The best component of it all was the cocktail sauce. Strange, right? The small container of wasabi was a delightfully thin texture that was spicy at the first touch to your tongue but not overwhelming.

Next up, we had the poke. Poke is a dish that I’ve had once or twice before but not enough that I can properly critique it. With that, I like exploring it more and getting a better palate of it. On this night, we tried the Snapper & Kale Poke ($9). The snapper was so simple, gentle and was a nice dish overall. Once we delved into it, almost piece-by-piece with our chopsticks, I found that I loved the perfectly cooked rice and the kick of flavor from the red peppers. What made the parts of the bowl really come together was the yuzu ginger sauce. Since the poke doesn’t have a prominent flavor aside from the peppers, the in-house ginger sauce was where it came from!

The last main dish we split was the Lobster Ramen ($15). When the bowl was brought to the table, the first thing I noticed was that it was huge! Rightfully so as the description of it was almost a never-ending list of ingredients. The ramen was full of tasty lobster, golden chives, green onion, a marinated egg, and a half fish half chicken broth. I could see why it was their signature dish. In this bowl, the best part wasn’t the egg or the lobster. While both of those were lovely the best part was the broth. I loved that even though the evening was still warm, the hot soup didn’t make me any hotter. Instead, the only thing I felt was relaxed by it. In spite of being a thin broth, it was silky and had a slight spice to it that perked my tastebuds

To finish off all the food, we ordered dessert. The restaurant sells a few flavors of Coolhaus Ice Cream ($6, pint) and once I saw salted caramel as an option, that’s the one we ordered. I’ve had Coolhaus from their own stores before, but to have an entire pint was fun. The dessert is very creamy and the flavors create a delicious sweet and salted blend that are perfect for the person who loves the best of both worlds. The only disadvantage to buying the pint is if you don’t finish it or don’t go home after the dinner, the ice cream will melt and you may have to toss it. My suggestion, finish it all! That’s the sensible thing to do right?

Dinner at K. Ramen was delicious. I was surprised with how much I loved the simplest of appetizers. The tater tots took me back to high school in the best way possible and the calamari was paired with a sauce that would make me return weekly. Most of all, I’m glad I got to try their poke to get a better taste and understanding of the dish. From start to finish, this popup was a pleasant surprise that every one should experience.

Follow Them.
Address: 702 Americana Way Glendale, CA 91210
Phone: (818) 244-5900
Hours: Sunday to Thursday – 11:30am to 9:00pm, Friday and Saturday – 11:30am to 10:00pm
Social: Website and  Instagram.