Fuyjia Ramen
My final night in Pittsburgh after another long day at work. I initially had my mind set on another round of Primanti’s, but after three attempts to order (and 3 cancellations because they were too busy), I finally went looking for alternatives around 9pm. The late hour meant that a lot of places had closed, leaving Uber Eats to give me the perfect recommendation. Enter Fuyjia Ramen.
Japanese food is hands down my favorite cuisine, and ramen is second only to sushi. With my work picking up the tab, I decided to try a wide variety of dishes.
Pork Buns - My first pork bun, and my favorite dish of the night. A slightly slightly sweet bun, filled with delicately seasoned pork belly. Backed by a thin piece of lettuce, and topped with a sweet & tangy Asian barbeque sauce plus Japanese mayo. They come in a pair, and each one is a perfect two-bite dish. The slightly salty pork balances against the sweetness of the bbq and creaminess of the mayo. Meanwhile the bun itself breaks up the whole affair with its own dessert like sweetness. By themselves, I’d wager I could get at least 30.
Squid Karaage (deep-fried squid on a skewer) - This one was a fairly simple dish, but a good example of taking a quality ingredient, treating it simply, and just highlighting what was already great. The batter is a little thicker than tempura, but cooked to crunchy golden brown perfectly. The quick had the slightest bit of chew, but retained enough flavor to hold its own against the batter. It was obviously seasoned just right, straight from the fryer. You get three skewers per order, and my only regret is that it didn’t come with some kind of dipping sauce. I would have loved something bright, like soy and mirin mixed, maybe with a bit of ginger. A missed opportunity to contrast against the heaviness of the fried food, but still a solid dish.
Tonkatsu Ramen - The star dish of the night. I ordered via Uber Eats, so it came in an “assemble your own” style. A large bowl containing a very generous portion of cooked noodles, sliced pork, scallions, greens, and a soft-cooked soy-marinated egg. Then a smaller container filled to the brim with a very succulent broth. Strongly developed flavors, and so much collagen that it formed a layer of oil on top of the container. Lesson learned here, stir up the ingredients before you add the broth. The pre-cooked noodles solidified a bit, and required enough stirring to break up that I slung broth EVERYWHERE. The noodles were fine, providing the substance of the meal, but didn’t bring a ton of flavor to the dish. That said, they were perfectly coated in the broth, and so each bite was a lip smacking pleasure. The bowl also featured a considerable quantity of the sliced pork which was tender but still held up well in the broth. With so much richness in the bowl, the greens provided a welcome earthiness. The large greens had a spinach like quality, with the scallions backing this up with a sharp bite. My favorite part of good ramen bowl though is always the egg. This place not only achieved a perfect “soft cooked” texture with runny yolk, but they actually brined it properly in soy sauce. Each component of this dish was delicious, and yet it still managed to be greater than the sum of its parts.
Oyakodon - This was my first time trying Oyakodon, and I really enjoyed it. Be warned though, if you’re not familiar with the dish, it can be a textural challenge to the American pallet. It starts with a base of slightly sweet rice, that was my honestly my favorite part. It’s then topped with chunks of pork that are seasoned but otherwise left alone to let their natural flavor stand out. There’s a general portion of soft-cooked onions, a small pile of pickled ginger that isn’t quite as tart as your usual gari, and then finally it’s all topped with a very runny egg. If this sounds like a lot, it definitely is, but this weird mish-mash of flavors manages to work somehow. The pork and onions are about as savory as it gets, but the sweetened rice contrasts well. Then every couple of bites you’ll get that punch of ginger that just completely resets your pallet. Meanwhile that runny egg serves as both a source of flavor, and manages to make the rice succulent, almost like the broth slurping off of the noodles in the ramen. If you’re looking to step outside of your comfort zone and try a wild ride of flavors and textures, this is definitely a good dish to try.
Like a lot of ramen places the majority of Fuyija’s dishes are variations of these two main courses I tried tonight. Each one offers a enough variety though, that I really wish that I was in town a couple of more nights to try them all.
Want to Experience This Adventure for Yourself:
815 S Aiken Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, United States
