Ramen Bull Pops up at BreadBar with Beef and Oxtail Ramen

BREADBAR and Chef Noriyuki Sugie of Ironnori brings back ramen to BREADBAR's 3rd Street location. Not the pork-based tonkotsu ramen, but beef ramen, dubbed Ramen Bull. The menu is simple but diverse (as far as beef go). There's the oxtail, beef tongue, spicy ground beef, even a vegetarian ramen.

Oxtail Ramen

I was recently invited to taste chef Nori's ramen creations. I had gotten there early and my +1 was running late, so I ordered a plate of Corned Beef ($6) to munch on.

The slices of corned beef was topped with charcoal oil, adding to the flavor. Texture-wise, I prefer the tender beef tongue that comes next.

I originally was set on the beef tongue ramen but then we couldn't let go of the spicy ramen and oxtail ramen when we contemplated the menu, so we got the tongue as a side instead.

Beef Tongue ($5)

The tongue was topped with charcoal oil and ginger scallion dressing. We both loved these tender and fatty slices!

They're also serving two housemade sodas: hibiscus tea and pineapple ($4 each), both of which are delicious! Refreshing and lightly sweet.


Now, on to the ramen.
Oxtail Ramen ($16). I know what you're thinking, $16 for a ramen?? But when you see the giant piece of oxtail they had put in there, all of a sudden $16 seems like a perfectly good deal. It's still not cheap, but for West Hollywood it's not bad. Plus, they give you the toppings you'd normally have to pay extra for (like the poached egg and various mushrooms).

Chef Nori uses a different type of noodle with each ramen. The one for the oxtail ramen is a thinner style (almost Hakata-style, but curly). The big piece of oxtail was the star, the meat fall-off-the-bone tender. The broth was rich, flavorful, but not overly decadent. The broth is again drizzled with charcoal oil (seems like he likes that quite a bit). This reminded me of the black garlic ramen at Hide-chan in New York, but while that one seemed overly oily, this one did not. Overall, a very enjoyable bowl of ramen.

Esther ordered the Spicy Ramen ($14), which featured a thicker, even curlier noodles and ground beef. I tried a spoonful but it was too spicy for me, so I let her have it all! She seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.

Truth be told, I was somewhat skeptical coming in. A ramen popup in West Hollywood, and Noriyuki Sugie doesn't typically do ramen. But Chef Nori means business. Granted I really only tried one of the ramen since the spicy was too spicy, but the oxtail ramen was a pleasant surprise. It wasn't only the tender meat on the oxtail, the noodles and broth were also done well. If you live in the Beverly Hills and West Hollywood are and craving ramen, Ramen Bull would hit the spot.

Ramen Bull is available at BREADBAR's 3rd Street location on Monday-Saturday (dinner only) until September 30.

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BREADBAR West Hollywood
8718 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310.205.0124

Disclosure: this meal was hosted