They are planning to put up a patio cover and do some additional improvements to their patio area:



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/tamashii121916a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/tamashii121916b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/tamashii121916c.jpg


Hopefully that includes leveling it off. Feels kind of weird eating on a slanted table.

Good to see this! This is one of my favorite places in Midtown and I had been wondering why the patio area seemed half-finished.

I ate there two weekends ago. It was crowded and we were seated near the door which was constantly opened and let in the cold air. Very unpleasant. Server took our orders and walked away before I could put mine in (she 'zoned out'). Ramen was good but I had better at the ramen place in the Plaza District. Not a good first impression for me.

I have eaten at both Tamashii and Goro and personally I preferred Tamashii. Goro was very good, I just really enjoyed the spicy ramen at here.

Tamashii is better in my opinion, although I had a similar experience with the service there. Not the best.

The noodles at Tamashii are thicker and absorb more flavor than at Goro. It's also barely cheaper and you get more of it.

If you're into the spicy ramen at Tamashii, get the regular ramen at Goro and get the garlic/chili bomb. The regular ramen at Goro has better ingredients in general compared to their spicy.

They're making a killing during the cold weather. I come in at 1:30 (they close at 2) and the place is still packed. If I weren't by myself I'd be waiting a long time.

I think the overall quality of a basic entry-level ramen bowl is better at Goro than Tamashii. Tamashii serves a greasier product, in an environment that is kind of harsh with not so good customer service experience. Goro has more quality in its ingredients, and a better environment. I do think Goro has some management issues which are worked out over time, they are not consistent with their customer service. Some of the food at Goro is over-seasoned, to me. But I would prefer over-seasoned food to bland, greasy food.

I think the overall quality of a basic entry-level ramen bowl is better at Goro than Tamashii. Tamashii serves a greasier product, in an environment that is kind of harsh with not so good customer service experience. Goro has more quality in its ingredients, and a better environment. I do think Goro has some management issues which are worked out over time, they are not consistent with their customer service. Some of the food at Goro is over-seasoned, to me. But I would prefer over-seasoned food to bland, greasy food.

It's been a long time since we had Tamashii, so I don't know if it has improved or not. But this was how I felt with my first visit to Goro. Not necessarily bland, but extremely greasy. It's even been longer since I've had Kaiteki, but I felt like that was my favorite ramen in town. And to be honest, all 3 don't compare to other places throughout the country. But then again, I'm no ramen expert. Just one man's opinion.

If you guys ever head down to Dallas, hit up Monta in Richardson and report back here and compare it to what we've got here.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/monta-ramen-richardson

Checking out their website, it looks more like what I had in Tokyo than the places here.

I've been to Monta once with a group of friends and truthfully, I wasn't that impressed... Had the spicy tonkotsu ramen and added a nitamago. I was not a fan of the noodles (they tasted too flour-y) and then the next day a couple of us woke up with really bad food poisoning. Maybe they're not as authentic, but I like the ramen at Tamashii better. That said, the appetizers that we had on the table were darn good... The Chashu Buns and the Takoyaki were delicious! So maybe it was just an off night for them or something.

Tamashii is just incredible - IMO far more authentic than Goro. Goro fits for plaza district though, but tamashii has a far more Japanese feel to it. Have never had a problem with service there - but then again my wife and I are regulars so many of the staff know us.

Tamashii's Japanese curry is absolutely to die for. I have not had anything that delicious since Kyoto. Incredible. Goro's food seems to come out lukewarm, not hit - a HUGE no-no when it comes to Ramen!

Tamashii is just incredible - IMO far more authentic than Goro. Goro fits for plaza district though, but tamashii has a far more Japanese feel to it. Have never had a problem with service there - but then again my wife and I are regulars so many of the staff know us.

Tamashii's Japanese curry is absolutely to die for. I have not had anything that delicious since Kyoto. Incredible. Goro's food seems to come out lukewarm, not hit - a HUGE no-no when it comes to Ramen!
The curry was just a special, right? I love Japanese curry but Tokyo's the only restaurant I know of in the city that has it on the menu permanently. I'd love to see Tamashii bring it back more often.

The curry was just a special, right? I love Japanese curry but Tokyo's the only restaurant I know of in the city that has it on the menu permanently. I'd love to see Tamashii bring it back more often.

There is a place in L.A. called Hurry Curry of Tokyo that has about a dozen variations of Japanese curry and I loved that place.

They have a Tokyo curry which is ground beef and veggies over rice, made to any level of spiciness. I haven't found anything remotely similar in OKC.

https://d3lawkbdj6aabd.cloudfront.net/singleplatform/image/upload/h_432,c_fit,c_limit/2bb2c0382643abd75f015d89b9eaf2c884dbb702.jpg

A guy on the Oklahoma's Chefs/Cooks Facebook page just posted that he is looking for work because the place he was previously employed closed their doors yesterday. He listed himself as the GM of Tamashii Ramen. Anybody know if there's truth to his statement?

Not according to their fb page.

He likely hasn't updated his profile in a while; I was just there a few days ago, all seemed well.

He likely hasn't updated his profile in a while; I was just there a few days ago, all seemed well.

Yes, that is,exactly the case. Got it confirmed through a TR employee. Now I wonder what it was that actually closed.

There is a place in L.A. called Hurry Curry of Tokyo that has about a dozen variations of Japanese curry and I loved that place.

They have a Tokyo curry which is ground beef and veggies over rice, made to any level of spiciness. I haven't found anything remotely similar in OKC.

https://d3lawkbdj6aabd.cloudfront.net/singleplatform/image/upload/h_432,c_fit,c_limit/2bb2c0382643abd75f015d89b9eaf2c884dbb702.jpg

I imagine you're asking for a restaurant that serves authentic curry, but curry is actually quite easy to make at home and you can buy most curry roux bars online. Then, just add your choice of protein and vegetables and serve with short grain white rice.

House Foods and S&B Foods both make roux bars and even ready-to-eat curry that taste very authentic.

Yes, that is,exactly the case. Got it confirmed through a TR employee. Now I wonder what it was that actually closed.

Perhaps the Haunted House. They did just close.

I make my own curry quite often, either use chicken broth or fry bacon in the pan before boiling the water, and S&B roux. It's delicious and easy homemade, but I also wish I could find it at a restaurant!

Oh yeah, I should have mentioned this. I went to Tamashii on Thursday, and the curry is on the menu now.

Oh yeah, I should have mentioned this. I went to Tamashii on Thursday, and the curry is on the menu now.
!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the heads up!

They have finished their patio cover.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/tamashii120317.jpg

So, I went to Tamashii for the first time FINALLY last night. Had a whole array of stuff, and it was all delicious. was with a buddy, so we had the Gyoza, the Karaage (fried chicken bites), and the takoyaki for starters. The Gyoza was really good, the chicken was tasty, the miso dipping sauce was LEGIT, and the octopus balls were delicious. Very interesting texture wise, but really tasty. Kewpie mayo on those was an excellent choice. i had the Tsukemen ramen, and man oh man was the broth excellent. They asked if I liked fish, which I do, I like everything, lol. The broth is definitely very strong and rich, but not overpowering. Probably some of the best ramen I have had up to now. We then opted for the Fuji Toast desert, and it was a delight. Crispy pastry bread with honey and ice cream, the textures were delicious.

Got there right after 5, walked right in and had a seat at the bar. Loved the atmosphere, loved the whole crew saying hello and goodbye in Japanese, and especially loved the Anime on the TV's above the bar. I will definitely be back. It felt much more friendly and fun than Goro, in my opinion.

Obligatory instagram pic: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhc7pAqBU_I/?hl=en

They have finished their patio cover.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/tamashii120317.jpg

Have they leveled the patio off yet? It's a cool patio but the fact that you're always sitting on an unlevel surface always bothers me.

Have they leveled the patio off yet? It's a cool patio but the fact that you're always sitting on an unlevel surface always bothers me.

I was there about a month ago and noticed that our table on the patio would shift to whoever leaned on it, so I would say no.

They just announced on Facebook a second location which will be in Edmond.

They made the location a guessing game but I can tell by the photo it will be in the same building as Skinny Slims on 5th, very near Hideaway.

Yes! Closer to me! Their ramen is seriously the best I've had.

They just announced on Facebook a second location which will be in Edmond.

They made the location a guessing game but I can tell by the photo it will be in the same building as Skinny Slims on 5th, very near Hideaway.

Excellent. We really like their food, but usually only go for dinner so we can get their dumplings - which we could do with more frequency if they were located in Edmond!

Ugh - I wish all of our special OKC places stopped selling out to Edmond. Follow the money, I guess.

Nevermind.

Wanting any business to make less money just so citizens living in one city can feel more important than another makes perfect sense.

Ugh - I wish all of our special OKC places stopped selling out to Edmond. Follow the money, I guess.

Would this be your logic if a restaurant you enjoyed in another city located here or is that a good thing to you?

Wanting any business to make less money just so citizens living in one city can feel more important than another makes perfect sense.

I just dislike suburbia too much. It'll never change here - that's where the money will always be. Of course I want them to make money! Their ramen is amazing. But they were an OKC institution first and it's a point of pride for downtown residents to have unique, non-suburban places.

I personally don't dislike suburbia at all. I've lived in Edmond and Norman both, and my family has a 100+ year history in Edmond specifically. That said, I like having unique places in OKC and specifically in the core because - selfishly as an OKC resident and taxpayer - I like giving people from suburbia a reason to come here and help pay for our streets, infrastructure, police and fire, etc.. Just like I like to visit unique local places like The Patriarch, Flat Tire and The Mont, The Opolis, etc., which takes MY money to THOSE places. I don't want too much of what makes us unique to be watered down, nor should any city.

That said I'm all for good operators like the Tamashii folks to expand their respective footprints and revenue streams.

I personally don't dislike suburbia at all. I've lived in Edmond and Norman both, and my family has a 100+ year history in Edmond specifically. That said, I like having unique places in OKC and specifically in the core because - selfishly as an OKC resident and taxpayer - I like giving people from suburbia a reason to come here and help pay for our streets, infrastructure, police and fire, etc.. Just like I like to visit unique local places like The Patriarch, Flat Tire and The Mont, The Opolis, etc., which takes MY money to THOSE places. I don't want too much of what makes us unique to be watered down, nor should any city.

That said I'm all for good operators like the Tamashii folks to expand their respective footprints and revenue streams.

I wish the OKC folks would start expanding to the north...but the "far" north, and east...you know...Tulsa!

I wish the OKC folks would start expanding to the north...but the "far" north, and east...you know...Tulsa!
Did you move to Tulsa, Teo?

They posted on Facebook that work has started on their Edmond location and that they hope to be open this October.

Did you move to Tulsa, Teo?

I have not!

I just want their money ;)

I'm glad they're expanding. I think both locations are equidistant from me =(

They built this rather odd enclosure.

Not sure what they are going to do in the summertime.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/tamashii111718.jpg

They built this rather odd enclosure.

Not sure what they are going to do in the summertime.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/tamashii111718.jpg.

They are probably not that worried about it. There’s definitely an issue, however, with enough indoor seating during their colder months. Even though it’s not aesthetically pleasing, makes complete sense to expand indoor seating at the expense of an outdoor patio. From a business perspective at least.

I kinda liked the patio they had there but as busy as that places gets during the winter, I could see them losing customers who either A) don't want to wait for 30 minutes or B) don't want to eat outside in the cold so this is a probably a positive move for them. I do think they might want to consider painting the outside or something.

I didn't look too closely, but when I was there on Sunday I got the impression that that wood was a temporary addition for winter.

I imagine a Hot Soup place does better in cold weather and how hard would it be to take down?

From the Gazette:

Ramen service
Tamashii Ramen House’s second location in Edmond successfully implements fast casual ordering with full-service elements.
BY JACOB THREADGILL

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/tamashiigaz1.jpg
The tonkotsu garlic ramen utilizes four types of garlic. - JACOB THREADGILL
Jacob Threadgill


Tamashii Ramen House
132 E. Fifth St., Edmond
tamashiiokc.com
405-920-8234

What works:Tamashii’s chasu pork belly is delicate and crispy.
What needs work:The Japanese curry needs more punch.
Tip:Read the menu before you arrive.

In 2015, when Wakana and Matt Sebacher made the decision to open Tamashii Ramen House in Midtown without experience in the restaurant industry, the couple knew that they were taking a risk.

As we prepare to enter 2020, a second Tamashii Ramen location in Edmond, 132 E. Fifth St., is getting ready to celebrate its one-year anniversary in December.

“I was an accountant, and my husband [Matt] was in IT,” Wakana Sebacher said. “We had never worked in a restaurant before, but we decided that it was something we wanted to do together. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out, but we’ll at least try because life is short. We tried, and it went very well.”

Tamashii’s original location in Midtown has become such a hit that it helped establish a foothold for Japanese ramen in a city known for its abundance of Vietnamese pho.

Wakana moved to Oklahoma from Japan to go to school at University of Central Oklahoma. Her familiarity with Edmond and requests from customers at the original location led them to opening the second Tamashii location in a relatively new development that also features Hideaway Pizza and Skinny Slim’s and is close to the excellent Fait Maison French restaurant.

“There were a lot of people telling us that they live in Edmond and came to the [original location] because they work downtown, but the [rest of their family] didn’t want to go downtown to eat. … I used to live [in Edmond] and knew there weren’t many locally owned restaurants, a lot of franchises or chains. As a student, we wanted to have something unique,” she said. “We knew there was a need and guests were telling us, so why not?”

When Oklahoma Gazette visited the original Tamashii location for a review in 2016, the only negative was that it was so popular that finding a seat was difficult.

When planning the second location, the Sebachers sought to alleviate that problem by switching from traditional sit-down service to a hybrid of fast casual with a full-service twist.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/tamashiigaz2.jpg
Miso butter corn ramen at Tamashii Ramen House in Edmond - JACOB THREADGILL


Guests arrive at Tamashii and order with the staff at the front before being brought to a table as servers refill drinks, answer questions and deliver food to the table.

“We saw fast causal as the ‘new thing’ for the service industry. We noticed there are a lot of restaurants that can be full-service are doing fast casual and still nail it; it’s a good restaurant with good service,” she said. “We thought we should try a different style.”

It allows the kitchen to get started on tickets and the restaurant to turn tables faster. It also means that customers have to have a pretty good idea of what to order before they get in line.

“I thought we were going to have more time to decide,” my wife said to me as we stood in line.

The decision process can be difficult because Tamashii offers seven varieties of ramen, which include the pork-based tonkotsu (in regular and garlic versions), miso butter with corn, spicy ramen, curry ramen, vegan and tsukemen; the latter of which are “dipping noodles,” a wider variety of noodle served with a sauce make of pork and a fish base on the side.

I ordered the tonkotsu garlic ramen that utilizes four types of garlic: fresh, roasted, fried and black garlic oil. It’s topped with chasu (pork belly that has been slow-cooked and grilled on the flattop), negi (green onion), menma (marinated bamboo) and nitamago (a soft-boiled egg). My wife ordered the miso butter corn ramen that includes chasu, negi and menma but adds nori (roasted seaweed) and moyashi (bean sprouts).

We started the meal with an order of Japanese rice curry as an appetizer. One of the staple meals that my mom cooked while I was growing up was chicken with onion, potatoes and carrots in the brown curry sauce that is enhanced with the curry packets from brands like Golden Curry and Java Curry. I hadn’t had the dish in over a decade but got a craving for it a few weeks ago and bought one of the curry boxes at Super Cao Nguyen. The warm and unique curry flavor was introduced to Japan from India while it was still under British colonial rule, but it’s a richer flavor enhanced by chicken stock rather than coconut milk.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/tamashiigaz3.jpg
Japanese curry served with chicken karaage and white rice - JACOB THREADGILL


I thought Tamashii’s version was going to blow the box packet version out of the water; I could tell the curry gravy was constructed from scratch in the Tamashii kitchen because it had some nuanced flavor, but I wanted a little more spice. It’s paired with chicken karaage — dark meat coated in a light amount of wheat or potato flour and fried.

The biggest draw at Tamashii is its tonkotsu broth, which is a sumptuous blend made by hours of pork bones and spices simmering on the stove. The garlic version only enhances the fact. Slowly adding heat to cloves of garlic over the course of several weeks makes black garlic. The process brings out hints of sweetness reminiscent of tamarind or balsamic vinegar. I wasn’t a huge fan of the fried garlic in the dish because it brought out a borderline acrid taste, but Tamashii’s chasu is the best version I’ve had with ramen in the metro area.

The miso corn ramen is a great option for those who love miso. The few bites I had weren’t very spicy, but it increased the more the dish was mixed, and my wife brought home leftovers and said the next day’s version was much spicier.

Tamashii entertained a hearty dinner crowd that seemed to be having fun as projectors displayed three different anime shows on the walls behind guests. Despite the popularity, we had no problem getting a seat. If the Midtown location was at the same capacity, we very well might’ve had to wait. I think Tamashii’s blend of counter service with full-service elements is the right model for its continued success, and I look forward to returning.

Tamashii has filed plans to double the size of the indoor seating with an addition to the east which will include a bar.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/tamashii102824a.jpg

must be doing well to double in size. :)

Good for them, it's become our go to Ramen place in all of Oklahoma. They consistently provide a great product.

must be doing well to double in size. :)

They are always slammed.

They are always slammed.

Yep, I've tried to eat there twice and ended up walking away both times. Just too many people waiting.

Yep, I've tried to eat there twice and ended up walking away both times. Just too many people waiting.

Same here. I just went to their new Norman location this weekend. It's massive (and has a huge waiting area) compared to the Midtown location. Plenty of seating. Our wait was just 5 minutes compared to the hour or more long waits I've had at Midtown.

Yep, I've tried to eat there twice and ended up walking away both times. Just too many people waiting.

This reminds me of a certain Yogi Berra quote :)

I love this for Tamashii! They are a hidden gem for OKC, and will now have a much bigger space to demonstrate that. Can't wait!

Yep, I've tried to eat there twice and ended up walking away both times. Just too many people waiting.

Saturday afternoon between 2-5 will get you in fairly quickly (5-10 min usually, may have to sit at the bar).

Yep, I've tried to eat there twice and ended up walking away both times. Just too many people waiting.

May be timing but I have also gone twice and didn't have to wait either time. Thinking they were late lunches.