Yay! Another ramen place in Davis! I LOVE Yakitori Yuchan, but T-Kumi is another wonderful place for ramen! They also have milk teas, rice bowls, and other appetizers to satisfy any cravings you may have. **Introduction changed due to some taking offense to the wording used in the initial introduction. Anyways, hope you enjoy the review and my personal regular guy nothing special opinion!
Food -
T-Kumi has a sign out that asks its patrons to be patient with the time it takes for them to get the food out to you because each dish is made fresh when ordered. They claim that 'fresh is the best'! And for the most part, it's true of the food here at T-Kumi. I found that the items here are a step above the average Asian food place you find in Davis (except for Yakitori Yuchan - that place is quality city!). For whatever reason, restaurants have taken the lower quality, lower price approach to dining in this college town. I guess that caters to the poor college student, but nowadays getting delicious food that doesn't suck is becoming more and more a priority than just filling yourself up with garbage. People's standard have gone up!
The highest quality item on the menu by far is the ramen. And it should be since they claim to be a ramen place first and foremost. I found the ramen to be very good, but not in the upper echelons of great ramen. All the ingredients were great, but I think it needed just a little more complexity to the flavor to get it to where it needed to go. One that that was at a high level was the pork slices though. Oh man... they were extremely tender and had flavor for days. Get the other ingredients to match that level of quality and T-Kumi's ramen could be my favorite ever!
The next best thing at T-Kumi was actually the lemon tea drink I ordered. I was a bit skeptical about getting it because often times I don't like the way boba cafes make this type of beverage. They usually turn out too sweet or too tart or too watered down. It was not so with the drink here. The lemon flavor was perfectly smooth. I think it's because they actually add some passion fruit juice to balance out the flavor. So smart!
The two most disappointing items I had during my visit were the rice bowl and crispy tofu. The crispy tofu wasn't that crispy actually... and ordering it with medium spice levels didn't really provide any heat at all. The tofu was a bit clunky and large rather than delicately fried little cubes of amazingness. I probably wouldn't get them again unless they improve it. And as for the rice bowl... well... that was a regrettable purchase. It turns out the chicken was cooked burnt with a very dry texture. I thought it was edible, but my wife absolutely did not. And to add insult to injury, the broccoli was quite stiff.
So when it comes to food at T-Kumi, I'd recommend just getting the ramen. The other items may be ok, but I think the majority of the effort is in the ramen - so that's the best bet.
Service/Atmosphere -
I found the servers at T-Kumi to be friendly even though they had to deal with long lines of people wanting to get food. I think they did their best to keep things moving at a good pace. So I didn't have any issues with the servers there.
In terms of atmosphere, the restaurant is nicely decorated. I appreciate the effort put into some furnishings as this has not always been the case with restaurants that open in Davis. My only wish is that there was more space in the restaurant. With the amount of people wanting to come in for food, there simply isn't enough tables to seat everyone. On my visit I ended up sitting at a table right next to the long line to the register. I could deal with it, but the situation certainly wasn't ideal.
And one big flaw for me was that T-Kumi didn't have any high chairs for babies. I'm sure college students were the main focus of the owners, but seating for babies is pretty much a must-have for any restaurant. It's an easy fix, so I hope they are able to bring some in sooner rather than later.
Price -
The prices at T-Kumi aren't too bad. Ramen ranges from about ten to twelve bucks. If you'd like to have more noodles, the option is there for another buck at the time of this review. Drinks are around the four dollar range with appetizers at six to seven and rice bowls around ten. I found the pricing to be rather fair for the quality and amount of food given.
Special Tips and Recommendations -
If you want to come to T-Kumi, first of all... make sure to look up when you arrive at the address! The restaurant is located on the SECOND FLOOR on the RIGHT SIDE of the business area. And be sure to come earlier than peak eating times. I arrived at T-Kumi right before 12 and the line wasn't bad. A couple minutes later the line went to the door and there were no tables left to sit at! So be mindful of the time you choose to go to this restaurant.
As for a food recommendation, of course I recommend the ramen. Make sure you get the pork slices as they are very, very flavorful!
Bottom Line -
Other than Yakitori Yuchan, T-Kumi has some of the best ramen you can get in Davis. They also have a lot of other fun menu items that I'm sure will peak your interest. I can already tell that this restaurant will be very popular to those in Davis, so make sure you beat the rush and get here early.
Letter Grade
A-
The restaurant is located on the 2nd level.
Apparently the food is FRESH.
Lemon tropical tea is smoooooooth.
The rice bowls could use some improvement.
Just get the ramen. You'll be happy!
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