Bloom

I’m throwing in my review after eating at Bloom regularly for over a year now. First off, they are NOT closed. They were temporarily closed for a month or two hosting pop-​ups, using their space as a venue to host other local chefs. But they’re back, and with new seasonal options available for their Summer menu. What’s new: a few small plates, addition of donburi rice dishes, and wild boar for the broth and meat in their Inoshishi ramen, on top of their standard fare. The Inoshishi broth was incredibly rich and flavorful.
The quality and care in the dishes and flavors is consistent and top tier. And they take this kind of care even when they’re packaging up the food for takeout. I appreciate the creativity and craftsmanship to their food, and it’s always exciting to see how they’ve refreshed their menu for the season. They have a bar and it’s a cute, and intimate setting that’s right off of NW Market. The ramen is legit, and so is everything else.

Bloom has never failed to please us, whether it has been a party of 10 or a drop in at 5 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon. The pinch rolls with their succulent pork inside a moist and chewy bun with its fried crisp exterior is simple but hits the spot.
We love the ramen, sorry haters. Very hearty and satisfying but not so overwhelmingly rich. Flavors are balanced and tasty, and the meat is worth breaking my usual vegetarian diet. It has the best price and flavor and value of any of the restaurants serving that have opened in the past few years (eg, Shibumi, Tanakasan).
Their cocktails are well prepared with a nice liquor selection. And anything coconut on their dessert menu is a delight but the fried pinch buns with ice cream are the best.
We are sorry to see it close, and wish the owners and staff the best.

Sorry to hear that Bloom will be closing after service on Saturday 3÷28÷15. It’ll be a little over a year and a half at their Ballard location. Bummer!
The kiddo and I high tailed it to Bloom for dinner this evening. I had to hit an ATM first though since there were issues with credit/​debit card transactions — cash only for this evening.
Kiddo had the Shoyu Ramen, while I had the Garlic Miso Ramen ($ 9.75 each). Again, delicious slices of grilled pork belly, soft cooked egg, sliced shiitake mushrooms, and greenery topped each generous bowl of ramen noodles in its respective flavorful broths.
It was fascinating as a Filipino-​American to also see a Chicken Adobo Ramen as one of the featured menu items.
One wait person was covering both the bar and restaurant areas, so she was hopping taking menu orders, bringing out dishes, dealing with beverages, refilling water, and clearing tables. She handled it with a smile, efficient speed, and a friendly word or two to regulars.
All the best to the Bloom crew as they pursue pop-​ups and other projects.

Everything was done with quality and love but I just wasn’t a fan of the flavoring of broth or noodle. Best pork in the soup though than I have ever had. Awesome cocktail special.

i dream of better for Ballard. Really ramen should be hot hot hot. Why was my ramen not so hot. I should love everything about this place. Oysters, ramen and baos! Vegi options too. Well some dreams are still dreams. It’s so close to being great or even good but it’s simply not so good. I think I might go back but I will have to adjust my expectations to the correct level to be satisfied.
Make the ramen HOT! Did the dish ware suck out the heat, were the noodles to cold by the time you dumped the broth over? Did that icey egg such the heat out? Frozen ramen made at home might be more satisfying was what I said to my dining companion. I guess I’m in ballard and will have to be satisfied with mediocre japanese food. I also think if the décor and feel of the interior was better I wouldn’t have disliked the experience so much there has to be something redeeming. Meaty ramen was OK and the Vegi one was overwhelmingly salty… I would maybe go back for the meat but no way can I take my vegi-​freind there.

Boyfriend was craving ramen, I was craving oysters. After a bit of back and forth arguing our points, we happily settled on Bloom. We arrived with 15 minutes of Happy Hour to spare to a packed restaurant. Though this was our first time dining there, it was clear that the majority of the tables in the small restaurant were consumed by a large party in the center (about 15 – 20) and the server warned us that it would be a 5 minute wait for a table and potentially a 45 minute wait for even our happy hour food.
We’re were pleasantly surprised to receive our delicious pinch buns after only 10 minutes. Boyfriend had the pork belly and I enjoyed the veggie. Both yummy. The oysters followed another 10 – 15 minutes later but we appreciated the brief check-​ins to assure their prompt arrival from a man we assumed was the owner or manager. Both he and the server were very friendly and apologetic for being so swamped with the big party (who appeared to be ordering heaps of food). Nonetheless, we were held over with appetizers until our ramen arrived (another 10 minutes after the oysters).
Boyfriend was disappointed that they were out of his first choice ramen, the «TKO», but was pretty happy with his second choice, the Shoyu. I went with the Garlic Miso with Tofu and was pleased. Not best ramen I’ve ever had, but certainly satisfying.
Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience. 4 stars instead of 5, just due to our wait and for the sake of a being a tough ramen critic.

When our server told us they had *such* a busy day that they ran out of the bulk of the menu, we should have took that as an invite to head somewhere else for dinner.
We have tried to come here quite a few times since our last visit and they’ve always been closed at odd times/​days.
Our ramen was loaded with noodles with VERY little protein or anything else in the bowl. I had three of the tiniest triangles of tofu in my bowl. We left still hungry because we had next to no meat or vegetables in our food. If I wanted to eat noodles with broth I could buy ramen at the grocery store– and I would definitely pick that over coming here again.
In summary, we dine out A LOT (!) and this is the first time in a few years that we left somewhere feeling like we wasted our money ($ 28).
Sad to see a place that had potential take such a turn for the worse.

Bloom has very good quality ramen that always satisfies a craving. I typically get the tonkatsu, but the garlic miso is excellent as well. They offer a vegan ramen, which I haven’t tried, as well as gluten free. The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful, and it’s got a cute atmosphere.
I’ve never seen more than 2 other groups when I go (how do they stay in business?) but I really don’t mind.

We appreciated the quality of ingredients here and some of the clever touches.
I usually have no love for deviled eggs, but theirs were slightly smoky and pretty nice.
Hiromi loved the taste of the sakekasu ramen, but felt it was served in a very non-​Japanese way; the mound of noodles emerging out of the broth like a South Pacific volcanic island was a little weird; she felt like they needed a bit more broth. I had one of the veggie ramen options and found it better than I expected, although I am decidedly not a ramen geek.
My 4 year old basically ate all the gyoza and the 2 year old liked the ingen no goma-​ae (green beans dressed with sesame.
The atmosphere is very much New Ballard. The food is sort of appropriate, then; unlike the wacky fusiony stuff that’s been pervasive over the last 10 years, Bloom’s approach to flavor, is very compatible with Japanese sensibilities, even when it tries to be a bit clever; the presentation of the ramen is a little too モダーン.
We probably won’t make it here very often because we live across town, but overall we had a positive experience and we’d recommend it with only minor reservations.

I have been wanting to try Bloom for a while now — kept seeing their sandwich boards around Ballard. We had no plans on a Friday night and decided to give it a shot… wasn’t sure if it was an ambitious idea since it was already 7pm on a Friday night. We arrive and the place is practically empty. There was one other couple and two people sitting at the bar.
We look at the menu and settle on: duck hearts, pork pinch bun, garlic miso ramen and Mabo ramen.
Our impression… meh. Duck hearts were ok, not very flavorful. Pinch bun was good — but oily, there was a drip of oil with every bite — I would have preferred the bun not be fried. Mabo ramen was good — spicy, but at least it had flavor. Garlic miso ramen was not good at all. I ate the noodles and egg… but couldn’t get myself to slurp the remaining broth… and that’s usually my favorite part. It was pretty flavorless and oily. Don’t think we’ll be going back.

Meh.
First, again with the The-Restaurant-Is-Basically-Empty-But-You-Can’t-Sit-At-A-Four-Top thing. What is it with people? It’s the middle of the afternoon and you have exactly two other parties there. In fact, you have a shitload of empty two tops that you could easily push together if four people come in. The only tables with natural light are the two four tops in the front so don’t go if there are only two of you and you want to wake up.
The ramen needed more broth, more garnish, and less salt. Bummer.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, a party of four never came in and the sunny table in the window sat lonely and empty the entire time.

Chef Jason Harris runs a delicious farm to table Japanese restaurant. Their menu changes frequently depending on the season. In winter, I love a mean bowl of Mabo Ramen and a Spicy Tan Tan Ramen filled with ground pork and Kasu cream in a Szechuan style sesame broth. The Butabara pork belly stack is sinful on the side along with a Bourbon Amazake cocktail with a touch of five spice powder.

I visited Bloom on one of those ‘How About We’ couples dates – it was billed as a three-​course meal including Sake, for a set price. When we arrived, on time for our reservation, we found the restaurant basically empty. Apparently enjoying sake at 5pm is a bit early!
Our three courses were all delicious, though more like a sharing/​tasting menu than an actual meal. We started with oysters, local if I remember correctly, followed by chicken satay skewers and finally a fresh salmon that was melt-​in-​you-​mouth delicious. The food was all stunning – I’m not a big seafood fan, but everything was worth trying, and all of it was enjoyable.
Our server guided us through a three Sake tasting, which was what I found most interesting. They were perfectly paired with the seafood dishes (on the whole – it’s not as though each Sake matched with a particular course), and learning about the spirit was as exciting as trying it (for the first time, in my case).
I liked Bloom as a dining experience, despite the fact that I visited under somewhat uncommon circumstances. I thought the service and food were spectacular, which made up for the half-​hearted ambiance. I feel like if they were to spruce up the dining area and invest in some really nice chairs/​tables/​booths/​wall décor, the whole place would be a gem in an already gem-​packed Ballard dining scene.

I’ve been coming to Bloom since it first opened. I’ve seen the bar and wait staff change and I’ve seen the menu change back and forth quite a bit as well.
Having dined here maybe 12 or more times I can say with certainty that the food only improves as Jason and co find their groove. And that’s not with just the food, but adjusting the menu for the seasons and also the open hours for the patrons. He is constantly striving to make Bloom the best farm fresh Japanese he can.
My favorite thing about bloom is following their Instagram feed and seeing what new dish he has been perfecting. And usually it’s one of my favorite Japanese dishes that I could only get when I was living in Japan.
If you visited bloom a while back, try them again. If you dined there last month, check back in and see what’s new on the menu. It’s always changing and there is always something for the season.
As for me. I always have an order or two of seasonal Gomae and chicken hearts.

My boyfriend and I went here for dinner the other night. It came suggested by a friend of his so we definitely wanted to give it a try! I will definitely be returning — the food was fresh, drinks were amazing and I walked away with a smile on my face and full belly!
APPETIZER: We started with the Lazy Devils and then the Ginger Chicken Gyoza. The Lazy Devils are like a deviled egg with a twist! It was DELICIOUS! The Gyoza was fresh, flavorful and cooked perfectly!
DRINKS: Since it’s fall, we both decided to get fall inspired drinks. I got the Pecan Martini and he got the Hot Apple Cider. I personally can say the Pecan Martini went down super smooth and this drink could get you into trouble! :) Also — the drinks are made with all homemade saki — so fresh indeed!
MAIN COURSE: My boyfriend got the Spicy Tan Tan Ramen and I got the Kasu Ramen. I did try my boyfriend’s Spicy Tan Tan and it definitely has some kick to it! So if you like some heat — this dish is for you! The Kasu Ramen was absolutely delicious! So filling, such good flavor, the pork belly was almost sweet — so absolutely delicious! I highly recommend. And having the little marinated egg in there — loved it!
SERVICE: They were fantastic! Our waitress was wonderful! The chef Jason even came out to speak with us for a while and thanked us for coming in. Such a nice group of people.
AMBIANCE: I loved the artwork on the wall. All by an artist. I know they switch it out so this one was definitely nature inspired.
CLOSING THOUGHTS: GO here. PERIOD. It’s absolutely delicious. Super affordable and you walk away with a smile of belly-​happiness!

This place is so cute and nice! :3 their oysters and ramen was on point! I got the spicy tan tan ramen but it actually wasn’t that spicy to me at all. The soup was nice and rich. The grounded pork added the perfect touch! Mmm. I think the portion size could have been a bit bigger though. I was still hungry after I finished everything.

Dinner.
I ordered a fun shaved ice Moscow mule. Very gingery. I appreciate the added touch of shaving it in the bar. Unfortunately, ice being ice, it will melt quickly resulting in a very watered down drink. So drink fast and deliberately.
Seaweed salad is overly salty, but not inedible.
Lazy eggs are the best! Could eat a few plates of these!
Kalbi beef– tender, though not quite the right flavor… i think needed a little bit more sweetness?
Chicken– tender, needed seasoning, not just salt.
Garlic ramen– definitely would not order this again. The flavor was not balanced, all I could taste was garlic and my noodles were unpleasant). Perhaps the regular Ramen is better…
The server was very nice.
Will pass in the future on this restaurant, and go to the tried and true ramen places I frequent.

My review has changed to only reflect the food and service. Food gets one star. Service was good so one more star.
Our server was very good at serving our group of ten, hence the two stars. Also they didn’t charge a cake fee which was nice.
The food however, ranged from being overly salted with possibly too much soy sauce or barely any spices… here’s what we ordered.
Shaved Mai tai, a cucumber pepper drink, and others that were unremarkable. The shaved ice added a bit of unneeded salt to the drinks.
People seem to rave about the Japanese whiskey selection, however our booze critic friend told us it wasn’t outstanding and Bloom has the typical amount of different whiskeys. Not worth it especially at its price point.
The appetizers we had were.
Lazy devils which are the soy marinated eggs that were deviled egg style, which was the best appetizer.
The butabara which is pork belly was executed alright since it was moist and not overly salty.
The tofu had some peanut sauce that didn’t make it remarkable at all.
Seaweed salad was heavy in soy sauce.
The gyoza was more on the salty side. and the dipping sauce made it too salty for me.
For entrees I got the garlic ramen miso with the pork belly. The broth was watery. I could taste the garlic, but the overall flavor CANNOT compete against Seattle ramen places like Aloha Ramen, Ramen Man, Kukai or Santouka. Even the noodles were not fresh. And it came with half a soft boiled marinated egg… instead of a whole egg. Talk about skimping out on eggs…
We got the kalbi which was moist but did not have a sweet and salty balance like Old Village or other Korean joints even when served with gojuchang as a dipping sauce on the side. The only large dish that stood out was their chicken dish due to it being so moist, but they also ran out of it within 3 hrs of opening and we were the only big group there. We only had one chicken dish. However the chicken dish lacked spices… it only tasted lightly salted… rather than heavily salted… thank goodness. The vegetarian dish was watery and lacked flavor.
I won’t be back. This place is sub par compared to other restaurants in Ballard and Seattle as a whole.

Everytime I saw someone walk in, I thought to myself, this has to be your first time or please let this be your first time. I say this because there is no way that I would venture back into Bloom after tonight’s experience. Sorry, but tonight’s dinner was a waste of not only money, but also of a meal and I value all my meals.
I get why some people might like this place, it has 6 different Japanese whisky offerings, cocktail shaved ice and a few decent beers on tap. However, even though I understand that taste is subjective, there is no way that anyone who ate what I ate would think that it tasted good.
Let’s start with the appetizers.
The smoked chashu pork buns — why in the good name of all that is holy with buns would you decide to crisp the buns on your grill? There is no need to throw the buns on the grill, or at least gently crisp them instead of waiting till they are moments away from being blackened. Secondly, the darn bun absorbed so much of the oil flavor on the grill that I couldn’t even taste the chashu. COULD NOT taste the chashu cause my taste buds were so distracted by the oil from the buns. I’ll assume the chashu tasted magnificent, but i’ll never know. Last thing about the buns, why did you pull the pork instead of just slicing it like what’s done for the ramen? I think this is more of a texture preference, but it’s not that big of a deal.
The grilled tofu — the tofu itself has great texture, with a firmness on the outside due to the casing and a delectable soft texture and mild flavor inside. However, the atrocious sauce that is put on it (a peanut blend of some sort) overpowers and takes away from the tofu. In addition, the tofu is served lukewarm (at best it was lukewarm), thus making me highly suspect that the tofu was even grilled for more than a split second.
This leads me into the ramen, wife had Garlic Miso Ramen and I had the Kasu Ramen. Highlight of the two bowls were the eggs in our ramen. Great tea infused flavor (kind of like my mom made at home). However, the ramen broth itself was bland for my Kasu ramen. Even though it had the thick consistency of a tonkotsu ramen, it lacked any of the rich and deep flavors that come with it. The noodles that went with my katsu ramen were more for miso and soyu ramens, than for what I had. Wife’s garlic miso ramen broth bordered on the lukewarm side (a trend is developing here) and thus ruined ramen for her. For both of us, the pork belly would have been phenomenal if they didn’t decide to throw it on the grill, thus once again soaking up the oil from the grill and ruining what I could clearly tell was beautifully cooked pork belly.
Two stars because service was prompt and courteous. Unlike others that gave such rave reviews, I was sorely disappointed in the place and will not be back.

My husband and I came here for dinner on Saturday night and enjoyed the food. We were informed that they are a «farm to table Japanese restaurant» even before we sat down. I guess lots of people care about that stuff — I only care if the food is good.
Their menu changes frequently and they have specials depending on what’s in season. We started with the ginger chicken gyoza (it was a special, though I didn’t know there were seasons for ginger or chicken) and the seaweed salad. The gyoza were tasty, the seaweed salad was served in super small bowl and didn’t really taste like much except slipperyness. I’m used to a more marinated, tart, seaweed salad.
We then moved onto the miso oyster ramen and the pork loin with rice (also a special). The ramen was really good, with a super rich and savory broth, plump oysters, and a good noodle texture. The soft-​boiled egg in it was much appreciated too. The pork loin was less spectacular — though super fatty (we had been warned that this was not a lean cut of meat), it really didn’t have much taste beyond the taste of the grill. We would probably not order this next time.
They have a fantastic homemade ginger beer. If you like a lot of very fresh ginger, then this is for you! I loved it, and would definitely be back for this next time.
Overall, Bloom has a lot of potential. I hope it sticks around. We’ll be back for more ramen!