Let’s say you’re in the holiday-shopping trenches searching for the right gift at Liberty Place. All the retail action has got you a bit puckish, if not ravenous. What will satiate that hunger and keep you going on your merry consumer way?
Ramen.
Yeah, you heard us. Ramen!
Ai Ramen, 1625 Chestnut St., in the food court at The Shops at Liberty Place, is a fast and casual eatery from the folks who brought us Hai Street Kitchen. It serves up ramen, bao, buns and sushi with the efficiency rivaling most fast-food chains.
Ai Ramen’s offerings range from veggie ($7.95) to spicy miso ($9.75), all of which can be augmented with an egg half ($.50), Chashu pork, veggie or extra noodles ($1.99). We opted for the spicy miso ramen, which hit the spot with black mushroom, red ginger and scallions. The broth was aromatic and flavorful and the noodles were plentiful and satisfying. For something a little more rich and decadent, try the miso butter ramen ($9) with corn, port and garlic butter.
If the ramen is too involved for your dine-and-dash purposes, the bao buns are well done, available with Chashu pork, shrimp tempura with spicy mayo or grilled chicken ($4 each). The tempura bao bun was tender and crunchy, with an excellent kick.
Freshly made daily, the sushi rolls do the job as well as one can expect in a mall setting, with picks like spicy tuna avocado ($8.49), California ($6.79) and salmon avocado ($7.99).
You won’t find any of the usual name-brand soft drinks at Ai Ramen, but they do make their own iced teas, from the unsweetened Chinese oolong tea to the lightly sweet hibiscus tea ($2.38).
If you’re on the go this shopping season and typical food-court fare isn’t going to cut it, warm your body and your palette with a quick and easy trip to Ai Ramen.