Ugly Duck Ramen

Found out about this place by word of mouth and figured I’d give it a try. Honestly, I was surprised to hear Omaha has some real ramen places, but the pictures of the food here on the Nite Owl Unilocal page look pretty authentic.
I got the Tonkotsu Ramen, which came with pork, pickles veggies, Japanese soft yolk egg, and noodles in a pork broth. It was $ 13 for a good sized bowl. So first, for $ 13 this is more expensive than in an authentic shop in Little Tokyo in LA, but less expensive than other hipstery ramen shops in LA. The noodles had a nice bite and flavor, the pickles veggies were a good textural addition, and the pork was nicely cooked and tender. However, the broth needed more umami flavor and spice. If they added soy, white pepper and mushrooms it would have been perfect. But as it was, it was lacking. Also, about ¹⁄₅ of the pork was really fatty and unpleasant, although the rest of it was good. The best part was the Japanese egg. The yolk was creamy and the soy flavor was pleasant.
Overall, it was a good experience. I didn’t expect to find good ramen in Omaha, but this place is pretty good. If they improve their broth a little, the ramen here would be comparable to authentic places.