Welcome to the world of Modern meets Traditional, with everything best of the two worlds combined with some of the best Ramen, Dumplings, and Cocktails in town. Chaplin’s Ramen Bar brings a unique take on Asian cuisine with strong American influence but still stays true to the traditional Japanese style. Plus, not to mention, this place has quite a lot of Charlie Chaplin’s imagery all around.
This is a charming restaurant with great outdoor seating during nice weather. Ramen is becoming very popular in the Washington, DC, metro area, and this place stands out among one of our favorites. We are very excited to share our write-up on our nomnom experience there.
Chaplin Tonkotsu Ramen
It’s a big bowl of ramen goodness when ordering Chaplin Tonkotsu Ramen from a fusion restaurant in the Shaw neighborhood of DC. The presentation was lovely, with all the tasty things visible and ready for us to nom on. The broth, one of the most essential things about ramen, was spot on. This white broth wasn’t too heavy or salty, with just the right amount of seasoning to compliment all the tasty ingredients floating inside. Noodles were nice and thin, and plenty of them. This entire bowl of ramen was filled with them and our favorite egg and breaded fried pork belly. So soft and yet flavorful.
Regardless of your ramen style preference, you are sure to enjoy this. It gave us a big satisfied nomster smile. It’s hard not to overdo it when a dish is good, and we are stuffed with big bellies. We will return and try some others from their lovely selection. One piece of advice is that you might not want to wear white or light-colored clothing for this, or else you might find some stains from all that ramen foodie action.
What is Tonkotsu Ramen, you might ask? It’s all about the broth, which is white and made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen over high heat with melted butter.
The Cure Cocktail
Now, that’s what the doctor ordered: a delightful and on-fire cocktail from this unique and fun restaurant, The Cure. No happy hour or dinner can go without ordering what could be one of our favorite new drinks. No cocktail in the city can match the awesomeness of Cure’s presentation since they set the rosemary on fire right before you. It’s such a sweet drink that it’s perfect for sugar lovers like us, with a great mix of strawberry, tangerine, and sarsaparilla soda. The alcohol part comes with Absolut Vodka and Dolin Dry and Sweet, which has hit the spot on so many different levels. Such large and fun drinks cost the regular cocktail price of $12. It’s a little more pricey than what we usually order, but it’s so big you enjoy several in one go. It was hard not to order another or even several more of these. Good thing we didn’t have to drive home.
Plus, you can do some good in the world by joining their happy hour on the first Thursday of each month. 100% of the proceeds are donated to Bread for the City, a charity organization that helps feed families in need.
Pork Gyoza Dumplings
Dumplings are always the best way to start your noming adventure while waiting for Ramen, especially when it’s Pork Gyoza Dumplings. You shouldn’t enjoy drinks on an empty stomach, so make sure to order. Ah, so crunchy on the outside and so pork tasty on the inside. It was a great flavor combination that didn’t taste as pre-made. We especially liked the addition of mushroom and garlic filling. They had a nice garlic hint that went well with pork. It was an overall good dish that tied us over while waiting for the main course, the tasty ramen.
