You know why there are more and more restaurants selling ramen in Madison? It’s because ramen is inexpensive and delicious. Taking a simple bowl of noodles and adding textures and flavors is a winning recipe, and that recipe can be found at the newly opened Ramen Kid downtown.
All of the large bowls of ramen come with a soft-boiled egg, green onions, bamboo shoots and pork chashu (braised pork). The difference comes in the broth. For example, the Tonkotsu ($7.50) has a pork soup base and the Shoyu ($7.50) has a soy sauce soup base. I thoroughly enjoyed the spicy miso ($8), as the broth was hearty (but not spicy at all) yet it didn’t overwhelm the noodles.
Rice dishes, in both teriyaki and curry form, also are on the menu. The super-thick sauce in the pork cutlet curry ($7.75) reminded me of gravy in terms of texture, but it was still a very tasty curry, though light on spices. The pork cutlet had a 2-to-1 breading-to-meat ratio, yet I appreciated the texture contrast it brought to the dish.
Appetizers include edamame and gyoza. I couldn’t resist ordering the Takoyaki ($4.50), five crispy octopus dumplings (balls) with a small drizzle of mayo and tankatsu sauce. I appreciated that the Takoyaki wasn’t exploding-hot on the inside, as typical. Your mouth will consecutively enjoy crispy, then gooey and then the soft (not too-rubbery) octopus.
Ramen Kid is open every day for lunch and dinner. If you’re lucky, you can find meter parking on Gilman Street. Otherwise, park in the ramp on Frances Street.
Make sure before you visit 
to the rest of the menu. The Guinness Brat Sliders ($9) seemed like they should have been on the Tavern Shares. The pretzel roll was a bit tough, and the Guinness-infused brats tasted like regular, plain brats. The Chimay Burger ($12.50) was much better, with its thick, nicely grilled patty inside a brioche bun.
Head to a basketball or hockey game at the Kohl Center, and you’ll find something surprising in the concourse outside section 112: a supper club.
Every day of the week has a special–for example, pot roast with mashed potatoes ($8.50) on Tuesdays and fish fry ($9.75) on Fridays. On Wednesday, patrons can try the stuffed shrimp ($8.50), which is filled with Monterey Jack cheese and served over waffle fries. I thought the fried shrimp perfectly combined a crunchy exterior with a soft, gooey interior, and I probably could have eaten at least a dozen of them.
