The Otaku Ramen Experience
Yummy Poki is the McDonalds of ramen shops; the ramen lacks the soul of authentic dedication. Like, it’s where people take you when they’ve only ever had cup noodles. You can’t help comparing it to Otaku Ramen, because once you’ve had the best, your former “go-to spot” is called into question. Sarah Gavigan has famously stated “Otaku Represents Obsession”. Of course, the two places have different specialties, so the comparison is unnecessary. However, an unnecessary comparison is often the most valuable. Otaku ramen is a must try if you can appreciate a good bowl of ramen. They offer a wide array of ramen, dumplings, and beverages. The restaurant is a hidden gem tucked away in the corner of the factory at franklin and is their first expansion outside of Nashville. The founder Sarah Gavigan is a self-taught ramen chef who was apparently sickened by the lack of authentic ramen in Nashville, so she launched her own dedicated restaurant in 2015. This weekend I decided to review the branch location situated in The Factory at Franklin, located at 230 Franklin Rd. As someone with a background in culinary arts and who has tried a variety of different ramen dishes around TN, I can say with confidence that the key to a good bowl of ramen is the experience, the food should move you, the service should be inviting, and the environment should be culturally unique and that’s why I wanted to see if obsession truly makes a good bowl of ramen.
Upon first glance, the Factory is your typical 20th century mall, but to the trained eye, the building offers a rustic blend of modernity and rugged industrialization. Tucked into the corner, Otaku Ramen rests like a hidden gem or an afterthought, who knows? One thing is for sure its vibe is uniquely its own. I arrived around 4:00 PM, the sweet spot after the lunch rush but before the dinner crowd. The kitchen was humming, though the front counter stood hauntingly, empty until my server emerged from behind the heavy cloth blinds. He bore a sharp resemblance to Sanji played by Taz Skyler in the live action One Piece. His hair was the color of the summer sunrise offset by his black T-shirt. His speech and enthusiasm gave him an air of approachability masked only by his dedication to fast service. His obsession to his work reflects the character of Sanji’s and his dedication to keeping his crew fed. Compared to the vibrancy of Yummy Poki’s sunlight-rich atmosphere, Otaku Ramen offers a more quaint feeling through a dark and quiet ambiance that projects a sense of privacy where there is none.
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I’ve made a habit of asking for the server recommendation everywhere I go to gauge the attitudes and taste of my server. A simple technique I picked up from culinary arts textbooks to help gauge the relationship between the front of the house and the back. The overall consensus among the servers is that the shoyu broth is the best for its deep, rich flavor. The server recommended the classic ramen with shoyu base, chicken gyoza, and boba milk tea. He told me my meal would be brought to me and encouraged me to sit wherever I like, which felt like a luxury afforded the midafternoon dinner. The interior of the dining room was dimly lit and gave off an air of authentic modernistic Japanese design casual but opulent. At the very end of the dining area sat an older couple just out of earshot carrying on what seemed to be a riveting conversation. Directly in front of me a younger friend group whose conversation was drowned out by the mall’s ambiance. My food arrived quickly followed by my enthusiastic server, who quickly scurried off to continue busying himself. The steam from the bowl was mesmerizing.
Authentic Ramen… Simple in essence. Powerful in flavor- Akito Takahashi. The Classic Ramen is like your dad’s twin brother. He sounds the same, looks the same, but his soul is different. The broth was rich and refreshing; Noodles were springy yet firm by far the freshest I’ve had in Tennessee. Overall, I would give it a five 4.5/5. It’s the classic, it is better than the rest but for Otaku it’s just the gateway into their menu. By this point the other diners had cycled out, and the server seemed surprised that I was asking for seconds. I have a history with the tonkotsu ramen, so I had to get a serving before I left. The broth is richer than the classic and offers a more polished flavor. The pork patty was tender, and the sides offered a unique but welcome flavor which earned it a satisfying 5/5 stars. Yummy Poki and Otaku ramen both serve ramen, but Otaku Ramen has mastered the art form that Yummy Poki doesn’t offer a second thought toward. The chicken and dumplings were slightly oily but fresh and came with a vinegar sauce that was light and refreshing. The sauce cut the oiliness and gave the dumplings a cleaner flavor, like the answer to a question. Broth is the soul of ramen without good broth; the dish falls apart.
The first time I visited Franklin Mall was a melancholy experience, I was there to watch a play for my Theatre class. The problem was that I had underestimated the amount of traffic that I had to contend with on a Saturday afternoon. I rushed into the mall like the love interest objecting to an arranged wedding. Unfortunately, the doors were closed on the play and not having any company, I sat alone for some time in the silence of my anxiety. That was until the janitor stopped beside me looking as jolly as St Nicholas a portly man in an all-blue jump suit. His smile and friendly demeanor were disarming in what seemed like the end to your stereotypical bad day. He asked me, “Why aren’t you inside enjoying the mall?” in a firm yet friendly tone. And as I gazed back at this happy-go-luck fellow, it dawned on me that missing the play wasn’t the end of a bad day; it was but the midpoint of a great story. So I went back into the mall, and Otaku Ramen caught my eye with its big, bright neon sign. I walked in to see and conversed with the man at the counter, and I told him, “This is my first time here.” He recommended the Tennessee Tonkatsu with the shoyu broth, which I promptly ordered and took a seat. The place was surprisingly empty, probably because everyone was watching Dracula, the play I had paid for but could not attend. “What is the point if I’ve already missed the first half anyway?” I thought to myself as I waited. When it finally came, I was surprised by how picturesque the bowl was. Everything closely adhered to the picture on the menu, as if meticulously recreated by the hands of an artist. The whole experience made it possible for me to leave The Factory with a smile on my face. As Sarah Gavigan once said, “When you have something so different from anything you know and it gives you an emotion, you want to chase it right?”
Otaku Ramen offers an inviting environment with a uniquely Japanese atmosphere and food that knocks you off your feet. While they do not claim the food will make you smarter like Honey Brains, their obsession with the perfect bowl of ramen is worthy of study. The restaurant’s continued success is a testament to the quality and value of a good bowl of ramen. That is why, I would urge ramen lovers and anime fans to try Otaku Ramen, because the experience is a mixture of Japanese and Western culture while sticking to the roots of what made it great in the first place. The average price per bowl is around $20 while sides and drinks are between $5 and $10, which is still somewhat reasonable considering the effort. The restaurant is corporately owned, but the owner has stressed that further expansion will not compromise the quality of the service. So, I guess Sarah Gavigan was right: “Obsession does make a good bowl of ramen.”
