As we all know, trends aren’t just in fashion. There are interior design trends, beauty trends, and of course, food trends. Kale, brussels sprouts, mac n’ cheese – they all have had their moments, and right now it seems ramen is having its moment! And lucky for us, a new ramen restaurant, NAO Ramen House, just opened minutes away from our office in Rice Village (5510 Morningside Drive, Suite 120 – in between D’Amico’s and the soon to be opened Hopdoddy). We had the most delicious lunch. We truly couldn’t get enough! We tried a variety of different things (all pictured below), and both of us said we want to take our husbands back immediately.
Ramen is a comforting food (and depending on how it’s made, can be healthy, too!), and what you’ll find at NAO is at a great price point and of the very best quality. Owner Piran Esfahani and his partners traveled and shopped and tasted ramen ALL over to ensure their menu was as authentic as possible. What we noticed is that the team at NAO, from the chef to the servers, is so incredibly passionate about what they do and about ramen-eating. From working together to perfect the ‘slurpability’ of the noodles (yes, really!) to making the most delicious, authentic broth (which takes 18 hours to create!!), to their Kyoto fries, for example, which are soaked for 8 hours, twice, then blanched and separated, and then only fried upon ordering, so they are as fresh and crispy as possible.
We enjoyed our lunch so much, and we will most definitely be back soon! Keep on scrolling for some shots of our menu choices, the modern interior, and more. (Coming soon will be a special ‘green area’ in front of the three restaurants that will give all of these dining spots a special comfy place to hang out and have great food….details to come on that)
NAO has an incredible outdoor patio, which will be a great place to eat and have a drink.
Viviana Blandeau of V Design Atelier was the interior designer behind NAO, and we love their community tables, in particular.
The beautiful bar.
On the left: Seaweed Salad and Pork Gyoza(potstickers) / On the right: Pork and Beef Bao
Their famous Lychee Martini (same recipe and just as delicious as the one we all knew and loved at Gigi’s!)
On the left: Shoyu Beef Ramen, On the right: Red Curry Ramen (add garlic for an extra special spicy taste!)
We love their fun sign above: Get in my belly…NAO!