A ramen noodle bar has made its debut downtown in the Greektown Casino-Hotel. Called Noodle Art, the new restaurant at 555 E. Lafayette Ave. features brightly colored pop art and a long curved bar in an eclectic, modern space.
The noodle joint says it "serves up traditional Japanese ramen with a Detroit twist." On the menu, look for five ramen dishes like the tonkatsu with pork belly, marinated egg, bok choy and scallions, a vegetarian option with grilled tofu and enoki mushrooms and the seafood-based Champon (soft shell crab, shrimp dumplings, napa, bean sprouts and ginger paste).
Rounding out the menu are starters such as the fried karaage chicken and crunchy pea salad, an entree featuring miso-mustard beef short ribs with kimchi, and mochi and tiramisu desserts. (Check out the full menu here.)
It's still early days for the fledgling business — it's got just two reviews on Yelp thus far.
"This is the first time that we've had ramen like this and we weren't disappointed," said Justin O., who was the first Yelper to review the new spot on May 16. "The food was extremely good. The drinks were strong as well!"
And Mike T. said, "Compliments to the executive chef (Hai-Ying Bushey) and Noodle Art! She absolutely wants your dining experience to be the best possible. I highly recommend stopping here for a meal — even if you don't go to the casino to gamble."
Swing on by to take a peek for yourself: Noodle Art is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.–2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
