Vegan Birria at Tori Ramen — Iszy's Review (Dec 31, 2023)

This fusion ramen was Tori's 2023 Vegan Chef Challenge offering back in August. When we came to try it out, they had completely sold out because a video about it went viral. They ended up winning the challenge with this dish! I was pleasantly surprised to see it back on the menu!

This is a very spicy ramen with pumpkin, cilantro, corn, toasted pepitas, radishes, and an herb emulsion. The broth is so flavorful. I've only had birria tacos once, but I do remember that deep savory flavor of the consomé. The broth definitely is reminiscent of that. The spiciness was just a bit overwhelming for me unfortunately. The flavor was so good, but the spice was preventing me from finishing. As the server was filling our water for the third time, he mentioned that it was the second spiciest ramen on the menu. @jonok believes the Com Saw Mi Da we got last time could be the spiciest the server alluded to. The pumpkin was such a unique ingredient and was my favorite part of this dish. The creaminess of it helped give me some reprieve from the heat. I only wish there was more of that delicious pumpkin.

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