Anime Ramen

Anime Ramen is located on Spring Mountain Road in Las Vegas, Nevada. I might have only gotten dessert here this time, but one of my pro eating friends also came here to do the ramen challenge promoted here.

Personally, I like the inside. Female servers dressing like anime characters, right down to the colored wigs. Oh, there were other things to look at in here? Never noticed. Oh wait, there was a penguin-like balloon in the front of the restaurant as well.

I was still quite satisfied from my meal earlier in the day (yup, In-n-Out) and figured dessert was the way to go here. Tempura ice cream sounded good. In other words, fried ice cream. Tried the green tea version because the other option was just plain vanilla.

Green Tea Tempura Ice Cream

Shot of the green tea ice cream inside!

I really liked the presentation: a sizable ball of fried ice cream, with whipped cream, sprinkles, and chocolate drizzle. The thick tempura shell was crispy on the outside and spongy on the inside; it also tended to fall open like a blooming flower. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but it looked cool, anyway. It was also a pretty satisfying dessert.

There's a quantity food challenge here: the Sumo Bowl. We're guessing around 7-8 pounds of food total (including almost 3 lbs of noodles at pre-cooked weight), and you gotta drink the broth. You got 60 minutes, and even if you finish early, you have to stay the entire time. Maybe they want to make sure you don't have one of those "reversals of fortune" or something. My friend Naader did it in about 44 minutes and was only the fourth winner in history. Another local eater, Miki Sudo, was the second winner of the challenge.

Did the ramen look good? Definitely. How long would I need? Hmm, maybe a week. That's one big-ass bowl. Looks like a nice salad bowl.

That's a huge bowl...

Looks awesome, though!

Naader won $225 for defeating this challenge!

There are a few types of ramen on the regular menu, along with some tasty-looking teriyaki dishes. I'd be back to try them at a future date. 7/10