It was restaurant week in DC and I took the opportunity to try a Japanese restaurant that had caught my eye. Capturing the spirit of a Japanese pub, Haikan has the best Ramen I’ve ever had.

Haikan is located in the Shaw neighborhood of DC, on 8th Street one block up from Florida Avenue in the Atlantic Plumbing Building. The restaurant is the creation of Japanese chef Katsuya Fukushima, along with Yama Jewayni and Daisuke Utagawa. Haikan is their second Ramen restaurant in the DC area, the first being the popular Daikaya. Both serve Sapporo style Ramen. The name Haikan means “pipe works”, a reference to the building the restaurant is in. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Fukushima spent his formative years as a chef working for the now famous Jose Andres. Fukushima and his partners opened Daikaya in 2012, with Haikan opening in 2016. The company also owns Bantam King, serving Japanese fried chicken, and a Japanese Italian fusion restaurant called Tonari.

Regular Menu

I ordered from the restaurant week menu, but I do want to briefly describe the regular menu. The Small Plates section includes Asian specialties Bao Buns, Crab Rangoons, and Bok Choy. There are also fusion dishes such as a Koji Flank Steak and Grilled Avocado. The heart of the menu is Ramen, of which there are six varieties. The last section of the menu is Donburi, a classic Japanese fast food item. Donburi are rice bowls with some sort of meat on top. Haikan has five varieties.

Restaurant Week Menu

The restaurant week menu had items not on the regular menu. The first course was Small Plates, where the choices were edamame or dumplings (gyoza, although the menu did not call them that). I chose the gyoza, a favorite of mine. The gyoza were steamed and served in a small bowl, swimming in a soy based sauce. Normally I prefer my gyoza pan fried, but I enjoyed these dumplings. This is because of the sauce and toppings. The flavors combined in a way that was fantastic.

The next item to come out was a bowl of butter rice: steamed rice with a pat of butter on top. I had never seen such a dish before. It was supposed to be mixed in with the Ramen, but I had it with the left over gyoza sauce instead.

The main course was the Ramen. The choice was either Maitake (mushroom) or Gyudon (beef). I chose the Gyudon. Gyudon normally is a Donburi. This was a Ramen version of it, with the beef served over Ramen noodles in broth. The rice bowl Gyudon is served with a soft egg on top; this Ramen was no different.

This was perhaps the best Ramen I have ever had. The beef was tender and the broth had great depth of flavor without being salty. The bowl is a little smaller than what I’m used to, but it was packed with ingredients. Quite filling!

The final course was dessert. The choices were Daifuku Mochi and Taiyaki (a stuffed, fish shaped sweet waffle). I went with the mochi. The presentation was excellent: a large mochi bisected by thin strawberry slices.. The stuffing was red bean paste, a very traditional preparation. The strawberries were sweet and juicy; their flavor permeated the whole dish . A great dessert.

Cocktails

Haikan has a small cocktail menu that features Japanese liquors. For the most part, these are variations on classic cocktails: Tokyo Mule, Japanese Old Fashioned, etc. But there was one drink that stood out: the Jade Dragon. It is a vodka based drink that features calpico, a milky Japanese soda. I liked its distinctive flavor. My one complaint was that there was too much ice.

Atmosphere

Haikan felt to me like an Izakaya, a traditional Japanese pub. The service was quick and the wait staff was prompt and courteous. It’s not a big place, but it has plenty of seating both at tables and at the countertop. There is outdoor patio seating, but as I was there in the winter it was not being used. Seeing people sitting in this outdoor space last fall is what motivated me to try Haikan out. It’s a great place to enjoy a good meal and relax.