Bambara

Bambara

202 Main Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

TL;DR 

- Price: $10 - 20 Brunch, $30+ Dinner

- Flavor: American

- Filling?: Yes

- Parking: Downtown

Very classy establishment, attached to Hotel Monaco. There is public parking on the street and the hotel has a parking garage as well.

I need to stress that I came here for Brunch, which is quite less expensive than their Dinner options, so keep that in mind when you are making plans.

Salmon Benedict - server said it's one of his favorite things on the menu, so why not?

It looked and smelled divine. The salmon was, surprisingly, not the usual smoked lox. It seemed to be an actual grilled filet. It was not dry at all, which is generally a common concern when it comes to cooked salmon.

The wedge of tomato was interesting and provided nice color to the dish (lipstick for the plate, as it were). It was very mild as well. I was concerned that it would be very sour.

I am not the biggest bread connoisseur, but I really appreciated the use of warm, crisp ciabatta in lieu of the usual generic English muffin. It was a nice change of pace.

The potatoes were not very oily to taste. I really enjoyed the onions and peppers scattered amongst the potatoes.

I love a good Benedict, and Bambara delivered. I will look forward to an opportunity to experience their dinner. If brunch is any indication, it will be a delightful evening.

Tonkotsu

Tonkotsu

1898 3500 S #10, West Valley City, UT 84119

TL;DR 

- Price: $10 - 15

- Flavor: Ramen, light

- Filling?: Yes

- Parking: Busy, but manageable

The parking here is fairly busy, as there are quite a few establishments sharing this lot.

I'd like to be clear that I came here during their "soft open," as not everything was available yet (appetizers, three ramens, rice bowls were the options).

The environment was pretty relaxing: Chill music, wood tables with texture (seems very distinguished). I really enjoyed their chopsticks and ladle.

Their takoyaki is made fresh so it takes 15 minutes. It may come after the ramen, keep that in mind. The takoyaki seems a little light on the meat. The flavor is pretty good, just a little imbalanced in terms of meat to other stuff. The texture is a little off. The exterior should be crisp and it missed the mark here.

Miso ramen - the flavor is not as pungent as I expected from years of drinking miso soup, which was a nice discovery. The corn was very sweet and had that cool snap to it. The seaweed was great, very flavorful without that msg feeling. The pork I received was excellent, very tender and savory.

Nothing makes this man happier than a runny egg. I thought it wasn't going to happen but I was pleasantly surprised.

Second Source Account: Tonkotsu ramen - The flavor seems a little weak. The texture isn't as springy as ramen from Japan. The pork is fattier than I'm used to.

Third Source Account: Curry ramen - The fried pork was over fried. It was a little tough at times. 8/10

Perhaps my expectations were a bit lower than my fellow compatriots, but I enjoyed my experience here. I really like that there're ramen options in so many different areas, so it's fairly easy to find a quick, filling, heart-and-soul warming lunch. I would like them to refine their frying techniques with respect to their Takoyaki and the Pork in the Curry Ramen, but I would be willing to return for their Miso Ramen.