Maru Ichi in Mountain View, CA

368 Castro Street
Mountain View, CA
650.564.9931
M-Th: 11:30 - 14:30 / 17:00 - 22:00
F: 11:30 - 14:30 / 17:00 - 23:00
Sat: 11:30 - 22:30
Sun: 11:30 - 21:00

While doing a web search, I came across this name recently. It seems the shop is really new. It probably opened this year, or December last year at the earliest.

I've heard that it is run by the same guy who runs Sushi Maru, so I guess this means that more people see the opportunity and maybe this will make restaurant ramen more popular.

MaruIchi Noodle House is in downtown Mountain View, where Ryowa Ramen is. It's a bit away from Ryowa and since it is new, it doesn't seem to draw as many people yet.

The location used to be a Vietnamese restaurant and it seems they've inherited most of the stuff. Although it has several TVs showing some taped Japanese programs, the decor is definitely not traditional. There is no "bar" as one might expect and it is all tables.

One nice thing is that most of those seatings are diner-like booth seats. There are about 13 or so booth seatings with some regular tables, so the seating wouldn't be a much problem.

Its main menu is, of course, ramen that comes in three flavors (tonkotsu/pork, shouyu/soy sauce, and miso/soy bean paste). You can add several toppings for a buck or two. The soup is, I think, on par with Ryowa. But I liked Maru Ichi's selection of toppings.

They also have Maruichi Ramen, which is a tonkotsu ramen with stewed pork (as well as regular chashu) and spice cod roes. I think the stewed pork if very good and those who like the same thing from Santa should enjoy it as well. (But if you like some other soup flavor, for the same price you can add stewed pork and spicy cod roes to the basic ramen.) Anyway, this probably means that I don't have to drive up to Santa as much. :)

Other than ramen and some set menus, they have udon and stuff, but I haven't tried them. All their menu price includes sales tax, which I though was a good thing.

Each table has a container of kimchee a la Ryowa. It is less spicy Japanese stuff, not the real Korean ones, but it's good not to be charged extra. There is also a bottle of roasted shavings of garlic that you can put in the soup. I thought this was an excellent idea.

The food is good and the ramen is good. I don't mind the non-traditional decor and stuff. My problem is that the shop is not visible from outside! The shop name is on top of the entrance, but there is small roof (?) that blocks it unless you are on the other side of the street.

I think they can do a lot better business by putting up the rod and the shop "curtain" thingy (I don't know what that's called) outside the entrance. Maybe put "RAMEN" on the window or something.