A big reason behind the success of Japanese ramen noodles has been the numerous regional varieties that have sprouted up in various parts of Japan. From the rich and creamy tonkotsu ramen created by street merchants in southwestern Japan to the ‘anything goes’ approach of Sapporo-style miso ramen in the north, each shop creates its own unique flavor signature. For many years these regional styles didn’t stray too far from their home-towns. Around the late 90s with the increased accessibility of the internet, knowledge of these regional ramen styles became more available to people. This sparked the first ‘ramen tourism’ in Japan. Fanatics of the dish would travel to very small towns just to have a particular bowl of ramen. This activity soon spread to other types of Japanese cuisine, and has in recent years, made the trip across the pacific to the United States. Shows like Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives are just a few Emmy-winning shows that romanticize the concept of food tourism in the U.S.
While it’s possible to travel the country in search of say, a regionally unique Mexican food or BBQ, the chances of finding regionally-distinct Japanese ramen in the U.S. could prove to be a daunting challenge. This however is not at all a bad thing as the American palate is expanding beyond what has mostly been instant noodles in a styrofoam cup. Most shops these days will offer one or multiple varieties of popular Japanese ramen styles, such as tonkotsu, shoyu (soy sauce), or miso.
The ramen-obsessed chefs at Uncle in Denver, Colorado do things a bit differently.Using both locally-sourced and seasonal Japanese flavors, their ramen has a regionally-authentic taste. Having been the restaurant that has formally introduced the city to great noodles and broth, don’t be surprised to find yourself having to wait for a table. Luckily for this review, fellow DreamLab staff member Amy Sawchak and myself were given the chance to leave the office early to be the first in line to grab a table. Only open for dinner-service, Uncle does not offer call-in reservations so you will have to show up before you can ask for a table, and at certain times this can mean up to a 90 minute wait or more on some nights. However, in all seriousness I would wait much longer for a bowl of their delicious ramen as it is well worth the wait. (Pro tip: We recommend going on a weeknight as the weekends are extremely busy, even better if you can arrive just before they open the doors at 5pm.)
Uncle offers a lot more than just ramen, which is a unique twist I welcome from American ramen shops. In Japan ramen is an institution built around getting in, eating and getting on with your busy day. Whereas the American shops tend to blend a gastro-pub or ‘Izakaya’ element in to the experience.This means good alcoholic drinks, appetizers, and of course ramen. Their beer and wine list features both local and Japanese options along with seasonal cocktails, all of which rotate seasonally. This visit we decided to get the special appetizer for the season, an heirloom tomato poké featuring cucumber, fresno peppers, and locally-grown Colorado melon. The mild heat of the fresno pepper complimented the freshness of the melon and cucumber, making it a perfect early dinner treat after a day in the Colorado sun.
While it may seem like they are always finding ways to diversify the menu Uncle does offer a host of signature mainstays I always find myself ordering time and time again. One of the most difficult choices you may have to make during your dining experience is picking which type of steamed bun to order. Choose from an option of: fried green tomato, pork belly, shrimp or soft shell crab, with two buns per order I would recommend picking two of their four options and having some fun trying the different kinds (if you’re with a friend or two). My favorite is their soft shell crab steamed bun, which is garnished with masago mayonnaise, avocado, and pickle. The contrasting textures of the crispy yet succulent crab and the soft steamed bun create a feeling a sheer bliss. Masago mayo and avocado provide a creamy, yet zesty undertone, the crunchy pickle at the end invokes memories of eating a Chik-Fil-a sandwhich, which is never a bad memory.
I visit Uncle quite often, so usually I find myself ordering a bowl of ramen and calling it a night. But if you’re lucky enough to have the time to sit down and have some of their delicious appetizers like we did, it only gets better from there. Uncle has five varieties of ramen all crafted in-house, but in my opinion one of those five stands out among the rest. Made using what they call a ‘spicy sesame broth’ their spicy chicken ramen is one of my favorite ramens of all time.
I feel like this is a big statement for me as I have been lucky enough to try a lot of good ramen, including some of the most famous establishments around Japan. By using local ingredients and Japanese flavors, Uncle has successfully created one of America’s first regional styles of ramen ‘Colorado-men’ if you will. Spicy ramen like this is called ‘tan-tan-men’ in Japan and draws more influence from Chinese cooking than it does Japanese. This however is much different from the tan-tan-men I’ve tried in Tokyo, as it has a rich sesame flavor and is topped with rotisserie chicken rather than roast pork. The Spicy Chicken Ramen has become so popular that Uncle has begun to offer the same taste for vegetarians by using their veggie-miso broth and is topped with fried tofu rather than chicken. Some friends I’ve gone with have said the taste I love so much is that of ‘tahini’, a sesame paste essential to middle eastern cooking, but I’m not going to make any attempts at guessing, I’d rather keep slurping my bowl in bliss.
Uncle is open Monday thru Saturday from 5pm to 10pm and is located in Denver’s hip and happening Highland neighborhood just northwest of the city-center. For more information about the shop, or their menu items check out their Official Website.
