Former Nobu chef serves delicious ramen in Ahwatukee

• Kuroda was born in Osaka, Japan, and began cooking with his grandmother at age 6.
• He was trained at the Tsuji Culinary Institute in Japan, but his "American dream" was to bring Japanese cuisine to a North American audience, per the website.

The vibe: Origami Ramen is quaint — there are about 10 tables and one roaming waiter, though guests are encouraged to order via the tablet at their table.

• The walls are covered in floor-to-ceiling anime.

Best bites: The menu had more ramen options than I knew existed.

• I opted for one of the fall specials — garlic black spicy ramen. Heaps of minced garlic added a comforting flare to the pork and chicken broth, which was just spicy enough to clear my sinuses. The noodles were firm, the soft-boiled egg was perfectly gooey and the chicken was tender.
• My husband enjoyed the soy vegan ramen's flavorful broth.

• We shared the Osaka-style nori fries, which came piping hot and covered in flaky salt and crumbled, dried seaweed.

The bottom line: Neighbors have been telling me about this Ahwatukee favorite since I moved here over the summer. I'm thrilled it lived up to the hype.