It’s exhilarating to watch a restaurant evolve over the course of its life cycle. It’s something I get to see fairly often as I traverse the Wasatch Front’s dining scene, but it never ceases to make me smile when I see a restaurant take the gloves off and try something new.
In this case, I’m happy to see the strides Heaya Ramen & Rice Bowl has taken since it first opened a few years back. My first visit was perfectly decent, but after seeing the restaurant’s recent menu changes and happy hour menu, it was clear this restaurant was worth a check-in.
During my first few visits, the menu included a few different ramen variations; I liked the traditional tonkatsu ramen ($14.99), which was served with a crispy breaded pork cutlet. The restaurant definitely had a solid foundation of ramen options before, but in recent months the menu has exploded with several new options that really round out the experience—which includes adding cocktails and beer to the menu.
The best way to experience Heaya’s updated menu is to check out its daily happy hour specials. Every weekday from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., the restaurant offers discounted items. For example, Tuesday is Ramen Day, which means 20 bucks will get you a bowl of ramen, an appetizer and a soft drink.
On a recent visit with my family, the tasty options on the seasonal menu had me a little distracted from the happy hour specials. I ordered the curry katsu ramen ($19.50), which adds some homemade Japanese yellow curry to the restaurant’s signature pork broth. The protein here is a crispy breaded cutlet of chicken or pork (I got pork), and it’s accompanied by plenty of stewed carrots, onions and potatoes. It’s the kind of dish that is designed to get one through the winter, but it tastes just as good in the early summer. The pork broth and curry create a rich, flavorful foundation for the noodles and protein. I’d recommend accompanying this dish with an order of the garlic cucumbers ($7), as the acidic crunch helps cut through the broth’s savory richness.
My wife ordered the Cantonese-style roast pork char shu ($20.99), which capitalizes on the classic flavor combo of roast pork and eggs. The pork is glazed in a honey-soy mixture and roasted to order—it takes a bit to come out as a result, but the wait is definitely worth it. The pork is tender, and the honey soy glaze really amps up the pork’s natural flavors. The egg and rice combo is a nice, fluffy counterpoint to the roast pork, but I found myself missing a runny yolk. The soft scrambled eggs looked pretty on top of the rice, but I would have liked things a little better if there was more yolk to coat the rice.
While Heaya’s main draw is its ramen, donburi and katsu, its recent menu changes ushered in a cocktail menu that complements the entrees nicely. I ordered a lychee sake cocktail ($10.50) that balanced the floral flavors of the lychee and the subtle sweetness of the sake—and it also looked gorgeous.
On the more PG-rated side of the menu, my daughter’s ramen kid’s meal ($15.99) was a surprisingly good deal. It includes a bowl of chicken ramen, two dumplings, two pieces of fried karaage chicken, a drink and a cup of ice cream at the end. I of course invoked the dad tax and tried a little bit of everything; the highlights were the garlicky dumplings and the mango lemonade.
We all thoroughly enjoyed our respective meals, and I also thought the service was well above-par. Our servers were quick with recommendations, and were extremely accommodating when my daughter only wanted noodles and broth in her ramen. They were transparent about the wait times necessary for the roast pork, and they were even willing to start our happy hour a little earlier than scheduled—even though we did get distracted by all those seasonal goodies.
Reflecting on my first few visits to Heaya—which were totally satisfactory—I love what they’ve done with the place. The foundational ramen menu that kept me coming back was better than ever, and its selection of happy hour specials, rice bowls and street food-inspired appetizers really show some creativity and innovation on the part of the restaurant.
Even among what I consider to be some of Salt Lake’s best restaurants, Heaya Ramen has definitely set itself apart from its neighbors. The ramen game in the Chinatown Supermarket is still pretty neck-and-neck, but Heaya’s supplemental menu is full of unique surprises that all turned out to be bangers. It’s kid-friendly, vegan-friendly and its servers are among the most attentive that I’ve seen in my travels. If you haven’t been to Heaya for the past few months, now is a good time to remedy that situation.
Heaya Ramen & Rice Bowl
3410 S. State Street, Unit 2
801-410-6156
@heaya_slc
AloJapan.com