When it closed the doors at its 250 S. Washington St. location this summer, a sign was posted that promised Lan Ramen & Aqua Tea would reopen — and it has: at 217 W. Sixth St., where Nourish and Brilliant Coffee Company once operated.
Lan Ramen opened Aug. 28 with little fanfare as it works to slowly add items to its menu. In the former coffee shop portion, there’s an interactive notepad for customers to place to-go orders and patrons are welcome to seat themselves in the former Nourish part of the restaurant.
Lan Ramen, known for its handmade ramen and cut noodles, still has Chef Chang working, expertly tossing ropes of dough to create the long, slender noodles. But now Chef Guan is there, expertly tossing ingredients into a huge sizzling wok with steam rolling above it.
The menu remains much the same, with tea-flavored boiled egg, house-made kimchi, marinated beef shank, steam dumplings, chicken or vegetable pan-fried dumplings, pork and shrimp wonton soup along with hand-pulled ramen and chopped noodles with many options of additional meat and vegetables. Specialty drinks include smoothies, fresh fruit teas, milk tea, matcha and more.
Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. When Lan Ramen was on Washington Street, it was closed on Tuesdays, according to Lucky Lu, a partner in the restaurant. But now the restaurant is open every day. To order online, go to https://tinyurl.com/2359b7xb or call 812-369-9986.
New at Bloomington Food Truck Friday: Caribbean Tings and more
Want a taste of the Caribbean, with some spicy hot sauces on chicken wings or blended herbed meatballs with a sauce of your choice? Karen Julien offers that and more from her food truck, Caribbean Tings, which just joined the weekly line-up at Bloomington Food Truck Friday.
Julien may be from Miami, Florida, but both her parents are from Haiti and it’s those flavors of spicy, Afro-Latin flavors with some hints from other cultures that come wafting out from her food truck. On a recent Friday customers could choose from three types of oxtail dinners, a sampler box, Haitian meatballs, chicken wings and more.
Also at Bloomington Food Truck Fridays is a customer-favorite, now in a food truck instead of a tent. JS Thai Food will continue to participate in the Friday event and expects to return to the Bloomington Winter Farmers’ Market. They are still serving up Thai drinks, red curry, pad Thai and more.
Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Lan Ramen reopens in new Bloomington downtown location; Caribbean Tings new food truck
Reporting by Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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