Photo by Brian Kachejian
Our Yume Ramen Review In The Smith Haven Mall presents a review of some tasty Ramen that was surprisingly found in a mall food court. It’s amazing how food courts have changed over the years. In the 1970s and ’80s, food courts and malls were primarily made of pizzerias like Sbarro’s, cheap fast Chinese food, pretzel stands, Nathan’s Hot Dog stands, and other various cheap fast foods. That’s all changed in the 2020s. Gone are the days when you could spend just a few dollars and get a quick lunch. Food court prices are still cheaper than most restaurants, but they are definitely above the prices that we used to pay for a slice of pizza or a Coke. Of course, the quality is also changed, and nowadays you can get some pretty upscale food at a food court in a mall. That’s if you don’t mind dining with about 500 other people sitting around you, usually at sticky tables and wobbly chairs.
Recently, upon visiting the Smith Haven Mall that borders the towns of Brookhaven and Smithtown, we were shocked to see what appeared to be an upscale Ramen stand. A man who worked for the Yume Ramen food court stand was standing a few feet from the counter, giving out free samples of what he called Japanese Fried Chicken. I’m always an easy mark, and I graciously accepted the sample. It was absolutely out of this world, and I knew right then in the moment that I was eating that small piece of Japanese Fried Chicken that he got me. Of course, as this is a review site, I figured this would be a great place to review.
I always feel pressure walking up to a stand where there’s nobody in line and being asked what I want before I’ve had a chance to look at the menu. I feel that way every time I pull up at Taco Bell and they say, “What can I get you?” while I haven’t even looked at the menu yet, and there are cars behind me seeming to be waiting impatiently for me to make my choices very quickly. I looked at the menu on the board at Yume Ramen and chose the item in the large picture that I saw. That item called Original Tonkotsu seemed to be their signature item. How could I not order that? Of course, I also had to order the Japanese Fried Chicken that I tasted. And since this was going to be a review, I decided to try another item that they told me was very popular, which was called the Pork buns.
It did not take long for them to prepare my food. I waited probably about five minutes. I took my school-looking red tray over to the first available table I could find, which was seated right next to her birthday party. I have never seen a birthday party being celebrated in a food court in a mall.
Original Tonkotsu Ramen Soup
The Original Tonkotsu Ramen is a high-end Ramen soup. The soup consisted of a few pieces of pork, bean sprouts, fish cakes (they look like flowers and are wafer-thin), pickled garlic, and a pork broth that is slow-cooked for ten hours. Of course, underneath it all is a massive helping of Ramen noodles. You have a choice of having a hard-boiled egg placed in the soup, but I declined the extra.
Photo by Brian Kachejian
So, how good was this Ramen soup? It was excellent. It was simply one of the best Ramen soups I’ve ever had. The pork was incredibly tender and fresh. The pork soup was terrific and not too salty, unlike many Ramen soups. The fish cakes were a little bit tasteless, but they added a nice touch. The ramen noodles were fresh and smooth. This company knows what they’re doing, and if I were to try to turn anybody on to this great food stand in the mall, this would be the item I would highly recommend. Sure, there are many other great items on their menu, but this one was just so good that anyone I would recommend this place to would not be disappointed, especially people who love ramen.
Fried Japanese Chicken
The fried Japanese chicken was also spectacular. It was a combination of white and dark meat, probably more dark meat than white. The meat was tender, the sauce was outrageous, and it was cooked perfectly.
Photo by Brian Kachejian
Pork Buns
The pork buns were a little dry, but still a nice appetizer. Every pork bun I have ever tasted feels dry; it’s just the nature of the item. They are pretty heavy, though, and eating two of them is enough to fill you up.
Photo by Brian Kachejian
In the end, I enjoyed my sampling of food at Yume Ramen. It’s not cheap; the entire meal cost me about $35, which is not too bad considering I had three different items and a large soda. If you’re visiting the Smith Haven Mall, I would highly recommend checking out this brand-new food stand in the mall’s huge food court.
Their address is Yume Ramen 350-4 Smith Haven Mall,
Lake Grove, NY, 11755, phone number +1 631-456-9013.
