HOUSTON – When it comes to spice, I can handle a pretty good heat. However, with my experience at Ramen Tatsu-ya: I left the restaurant sweating.
On the corner of California St. and Ridgewood St., you’ll find the “Nortious C-A-T” waving at you, hoping to get in you for some delicious Japanese food at Ramen Tatsu-ya. (Don’t ask about the cat’s name, that’s a whole other story.)
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Known for their Japanese soul food, Ramen Tatsu-ya is a casual ramen shop that serves authentic food, with a cool vibe. Inside of the ramen shop, you’ll find colorful Japanese graffiti all around the building, on the walls and even inside of their restrooms.
Originated in Austin, chef and partner Takuya “Tako” Matsumoto introduced Houstonians with this Japanese soul food in 2017.
Magnificent Mt. Fujiro
In 2020, Houston was introduced to Mt. Fujiro, a literal mountain of mung bean sprouts and Napa cabbage with cha-cha pork. What makes this bowl spicy? Well, it’s filled with a Spicy Tonkotsu Miso broth, contains spicy garlic furikake crown wavy noodles, seasoned with Aleppo peppers and has a bunch of other spices that are way too hot to handle. As for the name, it’s a mashup of Mt. Fuji and Jiro, a style of ramen.
Watch as I take on the Mt. Fujiro
Mt. Fujiro: 1 Carlos: -3
Look I’m Mexican and can handle the heat, but I had to admit, Mt. Fujiro won this round. Not only was the ramen delicious, and filled with lots of flavors, but every bite had a kick, that easily warmed up my stomach. I’m sure it had to do with the Aleppo peppers.
Good thing I had extra napkins, I had to prevent my running nose from dripping into my ramen. It was that spicy. I wasn’t alone, I glanced over at my neighbor as she was slurping on her ramen, and also had a stack of napkins and wiping her nose.
When I asked, Chef Tako how much it weighed, it was probably over a few pounds, after all, it needed two hands to carry.
As for the finished product, I completed 2/3 of the bowl.
Get it while it’s hot
The magnificent Mt. Fujiro ramen is only available for a limited time. The ramen will be on the menu for a few weeks in January, while supplies last. Head on over to Ramen Tatsu-Ya located at 1722 California St. in the Montrose district. For more information, you can visit their website here.