What does "bōzu" mean in English?

It means "Buddhist Priest," a "closely shaven head," or, basically, "bald."

What does BŌZU mean to a Niigata ramen lover???

In a word, SUPERDANK!

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Last weekend @boxcarblue and I had our monthly daddy/kids sleepover and next day play time, where we meet up and our kids play, and we chat and have a couple beers, on a day or night when our wives are busy, out of the house, or otherwise preoccupied. The kids had a blast, and though it is always taxing to be in charge of "the crew" without the wonderful mommas around, we always have a good time, and it is a great way to bond with the kids, and spend some time with a good friend.

This time, before we parted ways after the sleepover, we all went over the to local Chinese food and noodle shop, BŌZU, to see what it was all about. We were very pleasantly surprised.

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The shop is small and cozy, and we were promptly shown to our own private section, which was a small tatami-floored room, surrounded by three walls and a sliding door. It was our own little space. This is not uncommon in Japanese restaurants, but also isn't something one runs into every day, either. I was stoked. I love the privacy these kind of seating arrangements provide.

As you can see, the menu is very simple. Elliot (@boxcarblue) and I both ordered the Iwanori ramen (second from the top) which consists of a soy-sauce based, thick, fatty broth, with wild harvested seaweed, thick chāshū (sliced pork), onions, and fat, firm, homemade noodles. All this is set off and complemented by fresh, deep green bok-choy. It was fuckin' unreal yummy man. For the kids we ordered the standard Chinese noodles (first on the menu). This ramen was also excellent, featuring a lighter soup, thin noodles, and a nice, zesty taste, almost like chicken noodle soup or chicken dumpling soup at times.

@boxcarblue digging in.

Show me the noods!

Look at the fat in that broth. OOOOOHHHHHHH * incoherent drooling

Basically, this bowl of ramen was a dank flavor explosion, perfect for the uncharacteristically cold and intermittently snowy April day in Niigata, Japan. Though I am usually not a fan of futomen (thick ramen noodles), these were very good, and almost reminiscent of the consistency of a doughy chicken dumpling. I think the flavor punch packed by the broth may have been too much for a thinner noodle. The chopped onions and fresh green bok-choy set everything off beautifully. Tying it all together was the wild-harvested black nori, or seaweed. I could still taste the sea salt and smell of the sea life in it. Amazing.

On top of all this the service was exceptional. The staff was friendly and personable, and even brought out the soup flavor/sauce in a separate small bowl for the kids, when they realized that they wanted to cool the noodles off with water in their smaller bowls. Our server had a small, visible tattoo on her wrist which is extremely rare here, and the owner, who I got the impression may have been her husband or boyfriend, was a big bald guy (the namesake of the shop!?!???) who looked pretty tough, but was kind as well, in a very cool and genuine way. Before we left we all ended up talking a bit and practicing some English with them, and a little boy there (maybe the owner's nephew or something) at another table.

The boys chilling at BŌZU.

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An all-around exceptional bowl of ramen.

FINAL RATING:

Atmosphere: 10/10

The private room was nice, and customer service second to none. (Very kid-friendly as well!)

Broth "Dankness"/Flavor: 10/10

Booyah. Pork fat. Shōyū (soy sauce) and fresh seaweed flavor explosion.

Noodles: 9/10

Homemade flavor (might be made in shop), great consistency (firm and yet almost doughy), and even though I don't usually favor futomen, these were excellent!

Bok-choy Bonus: .3

FINAL SCORE: 9.9/10 Ramens! Ah...Fuck it. 10 Ramens! You gotta visit this shop and get your slurp on, folks!

~*~

(Thanks for stopping by! If you missed the last Steemy Ramen Review, Vol. IV: "Kinshai-tei, Niigata City," you can find that HERE. Thanks!)

~KafkA

!

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Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as DTube and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)