My wife and I had the chance to have an early dinner at Ramen Sora, an incredibly highly rated and recommmended ramen- ya here in Las Vegas. The few times we had passed by previously there were long queues around the building as there are only about 30 seats inside.

I was in the mood for simple ramen. I had ordered the shoyu ramen while Candice had the miso ramen. I realized too late I had strayed from the center path – Ramen Sora was primarily a Sapporo Ramen shop whose specialization was miso ramen. Why on earth would I choose something that was not the specialty of the house?

The shoyu ramen was pretty outstanding. I was made to realize that I have a long way to go with my own ramen, especially my chasu park. This one had the texture of perfectly cooked prime rib. It fell apart not in the soup but in your mouth. The broth had glistening drops of aromatic oils on its surface and tasted sharply of fish. This sharp note was much more pronounced than dashi- this was more like a taré seasoned with both soy and fish elements such as bonito and niboshi, or dried sardines. This seasoning complemented the pork broth well and created a rich broth that clung to thick crinkly noodles. The menma were clearly homemade and had their own funky flavor to add to the mix.

The miso broth enjoyed by Candice was the real prize, however. It was not overly seasoned and well balanced and left your tongue just slightly coated with miso and pork fat. This broth was expertly seasoned and I regretted not making it my choice. In tasting the miso broth I thought it reminded me of a close cousin to pork adobo adobo, a simple but tasty Filipino dish that usually is made with pork shoulder, ginger, bay leaves, garlic, and soy.

I went about attacking my bowl with glee and ate it as it was intended: hot as hell and slurped loudly. No naked noodles in this bowl. Toppings were on point and the broth held it all together.

I would recommend a trip to Ramen Sora anytime you find yourself in Sin City. You’ll have to navigate through a Chinatown full of aggressive drivers and questionable foot massage parlours but here is a gem of a ramen-ya. You’ll be able to try a bowl or two of really authentic ramen with a side of gyoza for well under $50. Hell, that’ll buy you a big tall beeru too.