#ramenparlor

If you feel like driving down to San Mateo and want to avoid the line for Ramen Dojo, go to Ramen Parlor. Although, if you’re going to drive down to San Mateo for ramen, you might as well wait it out. But if you’re looking for something different - Ramen Parlor will definitely satisfy. It’s right next door to Dojo, and has less of a line. 

They're well known for their lobster ramen, where they add a spoonful of lobster oil to your broth. By the time we got there at 5:40PM, a big line had started forming - so get there a little early.

I got the Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen w/ Lobster Oil, mild spiciness, and my friend got the regular spicy. I would recommend getting mild to no spiciness, or else you can't really enjoy the flavor of the natural broth. The broth is nothing to die for though, so don’t get too excited.   The ramen comes with two quail eggs, two pieces of chasu, deep fried crab, spinach, konbu, and nori.

The lobster oil was subtle, but definitely gave the broth a slight seafood kick to it. Although the broth wasn't hearty, it was very rich in flavor. The noodles were also cooked perfectly. But the highlight for me was the deep fried crab. Who doesn’t like deep fried crab in a bowl of ramen?? Use your hands to take a bite :) It's definitely a different experience from Dojo, and I would come back here again.

Ramen Parlor

901 South B St., San Mateo, CA