The Critics Ate Rib-Eye Cap, Dumplings, and Ramen This Week

‘Over-the-Top-Ness’

Boston Magazine’s Jolyon Helterman pays a visit to Ruka in Downtown Crossing’s Godfrey Hotel, where he finds elaborate dishes and a mash-up of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine. “Splendid” dishes include a seared hamachi tiradito, or sashimi-style crudo, which Helterman writes is “precise and transcendent.” He also calls attention to “the best, charry, fat-riddled rib-eye cap,” which comes from the cooked side of Ruka’s menu, praises the grilled long-bone short rib, and writes that the pork wontons are a “contender for menu MVP.”

‘Cream of the Crop’ Dumplings

Marc Hurwitz checks out Wang’s Fast Food in Somerville for Dig Boston this week. He finds “piles of tasty Chinese-American fare,” including classics like fried wontons, egg rolls, hot and sour soup, and egg foo young. He also dives into some Northern Chinese items that “you will certainly not find at most corner takeout joints,” including jellyfish in garlic sauce and preserved egg with tofu. But the real draw is the dumplings, which have thicker skins and are stuffed with pork and leek, chicken and cabbage, pork and fennel, spinach, and more. The dumplings come boiled or pan-fried, and Hurwitz praises the pork and fennel version for its “slightly sweet, licorice-like flavor that complements the ground pork very nicely.”

Noodle Bowls

The Boston Globe’s Ellen Bhang digs into some noodles at Shin Hakata Ramen near Berklee College of Music. The house broth in the spicy tonkotsu ramen gets a boost from some chile oil, while the miso ramen “offers comforting depth of flavor,” and Bhang recommends getting a few sides for the table in addition to the ramen. She writes that the tomato soup ramen is “unexpectedly delightful,” and “one of the nicest vegetarian broths around,” with perfectly cooked noodles. Finally, the croquette-like takoyaki “rise to the occasion” with a lightly crisp outside.

• Ruka in Downtown Crossing [BM]
• Wang’s Fast Food Somerville [DB]
• Shin Hakata Ramen making its way on Mass. Ave. [BG]