While most of these fusion foods gain something from being paired together--adding the delicate flavors of sushi to the convenience of a burrito, stuffing wonderfully messy Indian food into an easy-to-eat wrap--the ramen burger is a head scratcher. What, you may ask, is there to gain by replacing one carb for another: a pile of cooked ramen noodles shaped into a bun, then lightly fried? A ramen bun doesn’t add any flavor. It doesn’t elevate a mediocre burger into something greater. It seems to mainly provide something new for your Instagram followers to gawk at. If the beauty of ramen comes from the complex interplay of textures and flavors--rich, savory broth, a custardy egg, and perfectly cooked meats--why borrow arguably the weakest part of it for your fusion dish?

But what do I know? There are enough restaurants and trucks offering the dish to prove that it obviously has a following. I tried the ramen burger at R&B Cafe, a nondescript cafe off the lobby of a SOMA office building. R&B is one of those delightfully indiscriminate places that seems to have selections from every style of cuisine. Their speciality is ostensibly ramen, but they have an equally large collection of burgers (categorized as either “fancy” or “Asian”). There are Southern offerings (grits, cajun fries), Mexican options (quesadillas) and American specialties (patty melts, bacon cheese dogs). The ramen burger, which they proudly advertise as an “East Meets West” eating experience, was fine. The ramen bun was chewy, slightly crispy, and diligently absorbed the teriyaki sauce the burger was slathered with. If it intrigues you, you should try it, but I'm betting that you’ll quickly go back to eating burgers and ramen separately.

R&B Cafe
633 Folsom Street [Map]
San Francisco, CA 94107
Ph: (415) 359-6263
Hours: Mon-Fri, 7:30am–3pm; Closed Sat-Sun
Price Range: $ (entrees under $10)

R&B CafeR&B Cafe

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