Bao and More at Koi Poke and Ramen

 Yeah, you read that right. Bao and More at Koi Poke and Ramen-- there is no shortage of noodle joints in Green Bay. The vast majority of these focus on the phenomenon that is Pho. Koi Ramen has appeared on the scene to provide classic styles of japanese ramen and udon (as well as poke and dumplings) in an area of town that sorely needs the variety. They brought their business to Oneida street and opened their doors in June, and it took me this long to get there.

Upon walking in, I was met with welcoming and helpful staff willing to walk us through the process of ordering their poke and ramen at the bar. I came in focused on their dumpling menu specifically. I have never had the pleasure of enjoying bao buns made by professionals, only those that I made myself and struggled on the pleating. While Ramen is in the name of the restaurant, these smaller offerings were most important to me from the onset.

​A good friend joined me for the meal, so we ordered a variety of items to eat together over the visit. Chicken karage and Japanese croquettes. Pork bao and steamed beef dumplings. These were all items made for a table of quietly gossiping women discussing life after months of not seeing each other– little bites that don’t get in the way of the stories we had to tell one another.
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Chicken karage, a Japanese iteration of small fried chicken bites, comes out of the kitchen served with a container of the spicy mayo we are used to seeing on sushi here in Green Bay. This is a perfect accompaniment to the tiny bites of lightly battered chicken that is otherwise lightly seasoned. They’re a vehicle for the mayo, and that’s okay. Some sushi rolls wind up the same way.

The croquettes, however, were a different eating experience entirely. Japanese croquettes are often larger than their europeans inspirations, and the filling can vary in terms of the mix-ins. The croquettes here are on the sweeter side with carrots, peas, and corn mixed into the panko crusted mashed potato patty and drizzled with what tasted like tonkatsu sauce. These come in an order of two, and this was perfect for two women sitting down together.

​Their bao and dumplings are all hand made in the kitchen to order, so if you visit for this purpose, expect a slightly longer wait on their dumpling menu. In truth, this wait is hardly anything when you sit down with a few appetizers to enjoy first. The rest of their kitchen moves so quickly with the poke bowl and ramen set up in the front that this wait is, perhaps, by comparison lengthy.

The first of these two to come out were the beef dumplings. Anything from their dumpling menu appears to come out in the steamer and served with a thin dumpling sauce. We split the dumplings down the middle and happily interspersed them with our appetizers. I have made steamed dumplings at home many times, and yet I found the texture on the skin of these dumplings to be much better than the premade wraps I’ve used in the past. I can’t say for sure that they make their dumpling dough by hand, but it certainly seems that way.

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The steamed dough around the bao filling was also well wrapped and well steamed with a texture far beyond anything I have until this point been able to replicate at home. Tasting the difference between professionally done and homemade is well worth the visit.

You can choose the filling of your dumplings upon ordering. Almost all of the bao and dumplings available at Koi Ramen can be beef, pork, or chicken, and the type of dumplings you can order are in huge variety. Shumai, larger bao buns, potstickers, and water-fried dumplings are also available for purchase if you would prefer to go this route rather than taste their namesake dishes like I did on this first visit.

I will certainly be going to Koi again to take part in their ramen bowls. They are open seven days a week, and you can find their menu on their website, https://www.koipokeramen.com/