I went to Ramen-san on opening night last night, so I am qualifying this review with the fact that they haven't been open long enough to settle in. It's a small 80-seat spot utilizing the former corner bar inside Paris Club. Went by myself, around 8:30pm, thinking the crowd would have died down sufficiently for me to get a single seat at the bar without too much of a wait. It was pretty crowded (due in no small part to the opening night special discount) so after waiting a few minutes I decided to order a take-out order, which they assured me would have the ramen and broth packaged separately.
Opening-night hijinks indeed ensued -- after about 25 minutes, seats at the bar opened up, so I sat, and indicated if they hadn't prepared my order yet, I would just take it at the bar (and if they were already preparing it, to-go was still fine). That apparently messed things up, as I did not receive my order until a full 50 minutes after I ordered it and the bartender indicated she ended up having to cancel and re-place the order entirely.
Tonkotsu ramen -- pretty good for the city. Not Santouka or Misoya standards, but good for avoiding the long drive out to the 'burbs. I was pleasantly surprised with the complexity of the broth, but there was a healthy amount of minced garlic paste added to the broth for additional flavor that was a bit unexpected (though clearly detailed on the menu description). Nice half a soft-boiled egg included in the bowl. The chashu had a nice smoky flavor but a definite tangy/sweet seasoning/marinade and was nicely tender and appropriately sliced (Slurping Turtle's chashu comes in big chunks that are harder to eat). I wasn't sure what to expect from LEYE, but it was pretty good. There were definitely some ramen novices near me at the bar (as well as more experienced ramen eaters), and the bartender did a good job of explaining everything to both groups.
I believe construction isn't quite done, as the front window is still a big piece of plywood; the bartender mentioned it will eventually be a nice window. As a result of being boarded up and very crowded, it was quite warm inside to be slurping hot broth.
I'm sure they will work out the service issues as they settle in. They comped me a beverage for the wait (the yuzu sake was lovely on a warm night). I'd be back to try more items on the menu, and appreciate having a city option that I found quite a bit better than Slurping Turtle half a block away (better broth complexity and tastier chashu).
Ramen-San
59 W Hubbard St (underneath Paris Club)
Menu currently at:
http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2014/05/12/read-leyes-ramensan-menu-opening-today.php