Full disclosure: I don’t like burritos, especially those being slung at the newly opened OCHO at its miniature outpost on Congress Street. As for ramen dishes, well, here again, I’m not nuts over ramen of any kind (too many carbs), but there’s a great story of potential at Suzukiya that’s worth keeping an eye on beyond the inchoate muss and fuss. Should Pai Men Miyake take notice?  Will Kei Suzuki’s homemade organic noodles topple Masa Miyake’s domain?  I don’t think so.  They’re worlds apart and it’s nice to have a choice.

The dining room at Suzukiya and inside OCHO

Here’s the snapshot wrap on OCHO.   Basically this is full-blown Americanized Mexican wrap that’s as common as a tuna melt, except the latter is more appealing.  But then I admit I’ve never had a real burrito, the kind that you’d find in a Tex-Mex or Cali-Mex kitchen or in various regions of Mexico.  What I dislike about the thoroughly American version as we know it in its ubiquitous Northeast guise is its doughy unctuousness, further assaulted when it’s stuffed to the gills with gook.  Yuck.  It’s like having a bubble gum sandwich on Wonder Bread.

When OCHO–the stepsister of the OTTO pizza chain–opened its burrito shop, I thought well, why not—how many more pizza chains can a mini conglomerate have in our small metropolitan area? So I assumed that they’d be delivering something different from the gobbledygook of wraps that we’re used to.  I was hoping for an artisanal (authentic?) burrito.  A genuine burrito relies on a tortilla that’s put on a grill to warm it up a little or heated in the oven to crisp slightly—both steps getting rid of the raw flatbread texture of an unheated tortilla.

OCHO’s unwrapped filling of braised brisket and sweet-potato hash

That’s not how they’re made at OCHO.  It’s your basic wrap–not much different from a lunchtime roll-up at sandwich shops in the Old Port.  It’s uncooked and stuffed with whatever special filling of the day, rolled and wrapped.  That it’s located along the Congress Street arts district strip gives it some cache.

I had the braised brisket with sweet potato hash, smoked cheddar, kale salad and horseradish cream.  It was a heavy load to wrap up in the tortilla.  The beef tasted good enough, but the sweet potatoes were undercooked, still crunchy.  The kale stuck to my teeth and the horseradish did a disappearing act.  It was encased in the usual raw tortilla.

The burrito all wrapped up

Other choices on the menu that day were wraps stuffed with Moroccan chicken, quinoa, goat cheese, pico de gallo and romaine tzatziki. And the classic version had Spanish rice, jack cheddar, black beans, pico de gallo and crema.

I don’t know.  It all seemed so whoopee pie-ish from a convenience store.  I took mine to the beach.  I ate half of it and tossed the rest to the gulls.

The obvious point of comparison to Ramen Suzukiya is Pai Men Miyake.  One food site said it could have the potential to sideswipe the latter.  This will not ever happen.

Chef Kei Suzukiya in the kitchen

As of now the menu is very limited with a few choices of ramen with various toppings (chicken, pork or fish).  The homemade thin noodles are really toothy in a good way with great texture.  And the broth in which it all sits is delicious.  I went with friends and we all ordered the same dish, Hakata-style ramen.  The other ramen dishes on the menu were a hot shoyu ramen and a miso ramen.  The first has a base of soy and seaweed with pork, soft boiled egg and baby bok choy.  The miso chicken soup base is steeped with dried bonito flakes topped with a slice of pork, soft boiled egg and bok choy.

The unadorned dining room at Suzukiya

What we had was a creamy tonkotsu flavor from the mix of its  pork and chicken soup base.  The broth itself just coated your lips with its creaminess.  Add the homemade thin noodles and a tender slice of pork belly, soft boiled egg and bok choy and it’s classic tonkotsu ramen.

Hakata-style ramen

The menu also offers mini rice bowls with various meat and fish toppings as well as an intriguing cold noodles preserved in a mason jar with soy, whole wheat noodles and local seasonal vegetables.

The mini rice bowl

With the steamy weather still upon us, the ventilation/ AC is unfortunately  not up to snuff yet, with one lone wall unit air conditioner cooling off the open kitchen area and the rest of the small room  sweltering.

Seating is at a counter along the wall and floor-to-ceiling windows facing the street and a big communal table in the center that can accommodate about 10 diners.  It’s all blond, highly polished wood in the style of a less conspicuously hip Asian-influenced Honey Paw or Eventide.

With its wall of windows facing the street, the small room feels big when you sit at the communal table in the center

Still, I’d keep an eye on the developing menu.  With its fabulous organic house-made noodles and additions to the menu, this might be a nifty place for a good, inexpensive standup/sit-down meal.

The restaurant does not have desserts yet and the beer list is mostly local without any Asian beers at all.  Time will tell what happens there.

OCHO, 654 Congress St., Portland, ME 207-772-OCHO  www.ochoportland.com

Rating: 2 stars for originality; 3 stars for hipster hype

Tables: none except those outside when weather permits

Ambiance: None;  it’s basically a take-out joint or outdoor seating

Noise: nothing except traffic  brr on Congress

Service: sprightly

$$$: about $10 including  nonalcoholic beverage

Ramen Suzukiya, 229 Congress St., Portland, ME 207-761-0905   www.ramenzuzukiya.com

Rating: 3 1/2 stars until further notice; great potential

Ambiance: cool and easy

Tables: counter/communal

Noise: lively

Service: attentive

$$$: very moderate