I am a bit of a Ramen Snob. I am that guy who will speak repeatedly about “how I know good Ramen because I went to Japan for two weeks”. You know why? I went to Japan, I must be an authority! Ok, maybe I am not an expert, but I do know what’s enjoyable. Charlotte does not have great anything Ramen. In fact, the following comment might be shocking to some; it is safe to say it is pretty lacking in all Asian cuisine. That is why SOSU perked my interest. A hipster dish like Ramen, only less hipster than the Bah Mi sandwich, in the most Hipster area of the Queen city…sign me up! It is even on the more rugged side of plaza, near Eastway Dr., it must be great. So inspired my review of SOSU. Admittedly, I had high hopes for this place. This is Charlotte after all, as you may have guessed my dreams will be dashed.
I am not saying I hated SOSU in plaza Midwood, I think I am more confused by it. Confused by the location, confused by the vibe, the whole nine. Was the Ramen good, yes, but I am not sure if that is how Ramen is supposed to taste really. Did I like SOSU… yes and no. I think I need to dig into this a little further. Below is my review of SOSU in Plaza Midwood, a Charlotte Ramen spot.
The Experience
Located next to the SKrimp Shake, in a building with a shipping center feel is SOSU. Foolishly, I thought I would write a glowing review about this joint, reading the experiences of other eaters and given my love of Ramen. The fact that I still trust online reviews should make me run to a neurologist. SOSU is rumored to cater to the Hip Hop/Anime crowd (I kid you not) which makes sense when walking in. Makes me wonder why not cater to the … I don’t know, the I love Ramen crowd. But I digress.
So, we walk in the place, and it didn’t look authentic, as in if anyone from Japan ever stepped into that kitchen. The owner is rumored to be from Asia, but that is not guaranteeing he is from Kyoto. Ok, fine, this is America not Tokyo, so l will need to deal with it. I am not going to use the phrase, cultural appropriation… who does that? If it tastes good, it tastes good. The crowd itself is not your usual Plaza Midwood crew, if you need more explanation than that you have never been to Plaza Midwood. I will say less beards than normal. Half empty for 6ish on a Friday we are seated immediatly.
The Service
Here we go again, let me be gentle without being a jerk? The staff looked as if they just left a Phish concert. One could say I would not trust them behind the wheel of a car. They looked stoned, OK I said it… did you have to force it out of me? It was a long week and I wanted to be the one with a buzz, so I order a beer. Then I heard words that I have never heard in a restaurant before. “We are out of all alcohol.” Not we do not yet have our liquor license, no they ran out of everything. Kind of makes sense why the staff looks so out of their minds. Ok, so no beer for me. Not sure why they couldn’t run down to the store and buy a couple of cases. I know you can’t do that with hard liquor, but I thought you could with beer and wine.
The Food
Admittedly I am hungry, I hadn’t eaten all day in anticipation of this meal. Wish I would have known it was BYOB, but who cares let’s start eating. First order the Handmade Gyoza, which according to the menu it is in “limited Quantity daily.” Ohlala, exclusive! How about this, make enough every night to last you the night. They are served and they are, just fine. I mean it, good, not raving about it, I always like the thin wrapper of Gyoza and these well had that. What else can I say about a pretty fair food item?
The next was the Fire-Style Bao Buns, a Chicken Bao in a spicy sauce. This wasn’t as successful in my opinion. The sauce was not spicy, and the Bao was overly chewy. I ate it, but I wouldn’t order it again. So far, the food isn’t bad it just isn’t great (True Charlotte style). Still, we have the Ramen, which is the reason for SOSU in Plaza Midwood’s existence.
The Ramen in SOSU
OK, so the Ramen arrives, and it looks beautiful. I ordered the Pork Ichiraku, pro tip: always get the pork. Adding an extra Chashu (rolled pork) I went to town on this bowl. So how was it. I must admit it was flavorful and tasty. Was it the best Ramen in Charlotte? Not sure yet, probably not, still I liked it. Granted, it was rich as fuck and the extra Chacshu made it even heavier. It was also saltier than a mermaid’s rear end, but most Ramen has a high salt content. None of these two facts stopped me from downing the entire bowl.
I really like when places get the egg right, and SOSU did. It adds a creaminess to the Ramen. Looking back, I may have opted for not adding a piece of Chashu, because the dish ate heavy. Still, I can see myself returning maybe once a quarter for some Ramen. That is if I do not find any other places I like better, which I am likely to do.
The End of The Meal
In my review of SOSU, I need to mention an experience. Our waitress did something that irked me at the finale of the meal. Maybe I am being overly sensitive, but damn it I am not. As I am slurping my last noodle down, my buddy is barely halfway finished with his. I eat like a leopard who sees a bunch of lions coming, especially when starving. She floats to our table with mobile check reader in hand asking if we are ready to pay. There is hardly anyone else in the joint and she is rushing us out. I wasn’t even asked if I wanted dessert (of which they have two). Not sure if I did something, but it seems they wanted us out of there. I will blame it on the wacky Tobacky (do kids still say that?)
Conclusion: A Review of SOSU in Plaza Midwood
There is my review of SOSU in Charlotte. So, did I like SOSU? It was pretty good. I am not sure how to rank a place that was well, not bad. Actually, the place was bad had it not been for the Ramen which saved it. The service was not good, they didn’t have alcohol and the place look as if it was trying too hard. I guess the décor was OK, it just didn’t match the corporate feel of the outside. The food besides the Ramen was average, and the Ramen itself while good and flavorful, was not mind blowing. Maybe I just have fonder memories of Japan than reality. Or maybe I am just a cranky old man who likes to complain. I get that way when denied booze. So overall I give SOSU in Plaza Midwood a 6.2 out of 10 (I feel I am being nice). That is all you get.