Orenchi Ramen is the sister restaurant of Sumika (review here). I was pretty surprised when we got to the restaurant, it was located in some run down strip mall (with a bunch of closed down stores).
The interior looked decent though. There was a 25 minute wait when we got there at about 6 pm. I heard that usual waits during lunch/dinner or weekends were over an hour. When we left at about 7, there was over 8 people waiting for a table.
The menu was simple :
They offer Shoyu, Shio and Orenchi ramen. Their signature Orenchi Ramen is an interpretation of the Tonkotsu Ramen from Kyushu, Japan. Their tonkotsu ramen broth is a heavy thick soup made from simmering Kurobuta, freerange chicken, seafood and vegetables for approximately 18 hours. Kyushu ramen is typically a pork broth based ramen with thin straight noodles but Orenchi decided to use the standard “curly” version.
Other menu items include a whole range of appetisers to share. Menu here.
.
We both ordered:
Orenchi Ramen $9 ( 2 orders)
Pork broth with soft boiled seasoned egg, pork, green onion, bamboo shoot, mushroom, sesame and nori seaweed
I was surprised at how much body this broth had without feeling way too oily or salty. The egg has a nice gooey yolk and a perfect compliment. Pork was so tender n tasty but they were very stingy w it – one slice! 
The noodles are thicker than the usual ramen and cooked to a perfect chewy consistency.
.
Orenchi Salad $8
Romaine lettuce, mizuna, red cabbage, baby corn, tomatoes, mushroom, chicken, fried noodles topped with a sesame dressing
This salad was pretty close to the Sumika Salad that we had. I guess they just changed a couple items and tweaked the sauce a little. A little overdressed but it was still pretty darn good.
.
.
Total damage: $27 (w tax n tip)
Personal rating : 3.5 out of 5 (Good)
In terms for value for money, service and other items it pretty darn satisfying, reasonable meal. But don’t take my word for it, since I have not had a chance to try the other ramen or side dishes.
.
.
3540 Homestead Rd
Santa Clara, CA 95051(408) 246-2955
Posted in 
Tags: 
