Marumen is a ramen restaurant located in Fairfax, VA. Given that so many of us were furloughed during this stop on our ramen expedition, we opted to go a bit further into Northern Virginia.

Irina

It’s Ramen Quest’s Furlough edition! So we drove all the way to Vienna. I chose the Vegetarian Ramen at Marumen for my main course – it was just average at first, but after sprinkling a generous portion of the spice shaker they provided and asking for bamboo shoots on the side – it became very, very tasty! The broth was multi-dimensional and filling and the fried shiitake mushrooms were delicious (but better eaten before they get too soggy). Overall, this was not my favorite ramen place ever – it seemed a bit too basic, especially compared to the over the top flavors of Toki Underground, or the delectable flavors of Hanabi Ramen (which still reins supreme) but it was still really good and hearty! I would recommend it if you’re in the area, but won’t necessarily recommend it for people to make a special trip out just to go there. The quest continues. 

Erin

Marumen was very different from our past two Ramen Quest stops. Our friend Mike joked that the building looked like it had previously been a Pizza Hut. Also unlike our other locations, this was a much larger restaurants which plenty of seating. We sat at a booth and noted that there was a happy hour for both food and drinks from 4pm-6pm. Being furloughed employees, we were able to arrive at the restaurant around 4:30pm and were delighted to see that we could order some appetizers at a reduced price as we are all lacking a paycheck for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, Ramen Quest must go on!

Marumen’s concept as a restaurant was a bit confusing to me. I did not get the vibe that this was a Japanese restaurant, but more of a pan-Asian one even though ramen is the main offering. While the concepts or stories of Hanabi and Toki Underground were quite clear, Marumen came off as a more anonymous, impersonal restaurant – almost like a chain restaurant. While there were plenty of servers at the then-empty restaurant, it was strangely hard to get the attention of a server to order food and drinks. Our server was friendly and we appreciated that he allowed us to split our check at the end of the meal, but he could have been more attentive considering the empty restaurant. Now, on to the food! First about our happy hour appetizer orders. My friend Anna and I split an okonomiyaki. We both have traveled to Japan and ate okonomiyaki there, but it has been probably a decade for both of us. We both agreed that this okonomiyaki was a bit bland and didn’t hold up to our memories. On the other hand, our friends seemed to enjoy their salmon dishes, which were very large portions for a small plate. It came with rice, a salmon filet, and a small salad. I honestly could have eaten that one dish for a whole meal! 

Now, back to the ramen. I ordered the spicy miso ramen, which I was told was the most popular. The ramen here was very confusing to me because the toppings were very delicious, but the broth and noodles were not. Let’s start with the good. The pork belly came in thick cuts, unlike the pulled pork of Toki Underground or the thin chashu slices at Hanabi. At Marumuen, it was warm, tender, and a delicious umami bomb exploding in your mouth. It’s by far the best pork belly I’ve had in ramen in this Quest thus far. The other topping was the nitamago – the seasoned egg. This was also the best egg i have had so far. It was incredibly tender and seasoned perfectly. Unfortunately, I was stunned by the contrast between the toppings and the core of ramen – the broth and noodles. The broth was spicy, but lacked any complexity or depth. The broth was not too spicy for my tastes, but the only flavor was spice. I couldn’t taste the miso or the actual broth – just spice. The noodles were also too soft and just unexciting. It’s obvious that the restaurant puts an emphasis on their toppings. Every single extra topping is an additional cost and to be fair the toppings are great. But, a ramen place can not be great unless it masters the basics – broth and noodles. 

• Ramen: 3/5
• Ambiance: 3/5
• Service: 3/5
• Cleanliness: 4/5

Mike

The broth and noodles were average to medicore, but the toppings were superb. The mushrooms were pretty good stuff.

Grace

One of the things that I really like about Marumen is that the location is spacious. Seconding the “this looks like it used to be a Pizza Hut” comment, but most ramen joints tend to be tiny shops with a small amount of seating, which leads to long waits and me getting hangry. It was happy hour when we arrived, but since I was the one driving, I instead opted for some complimentary hot black tea.

Mike and I split the salmon appetizer, and it was the size of a meal. It was a generous portion of salmon that was perfectly cooked. Every bite was scrumptuous. It came with a generous portion of salad and rice.

Now for the ramen… I agree with the general consensus. The broth and the noodles were average, but the toppings were delicious. I ordered the vegetarian ramen, mostly because the fried shitake mushrooms piqued my interest. They were delicious, and easily my favorite part of the ramen. I was glad that the tables at Marumen had bottles of shichimi togarashi (the yummy spicy stuff), because the broth definitely needed it to balance it out and make it more flavorful.