Review: Steppe Ramen (Mateus)

VELP-One
Apr 15, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Apr 18, 2024

Steppe Ramen is a theme-friendly, SFW restaurant venue. Busy and understaffed, we sometime had to wait, but staff were friendly and outgoing. A good place to have dinner with friends.

Venue address : Mateus Shirogane, Ward 6, Plot 7 Venue times: Mondays 7 p.m. -9:30 p.m. CST Venue Carrd: http://juliahana.carrd.co/#ramen

Correction: This post originally stated this venue was open on Thursdays. We have corrected it to read Monday, the correct day. We regret any inconvenience the error may have caused.

Staff Friendliness

We were greeted upon arrival, though it took some time for some of the VELP crew to be noticed or responded to. Our solo arrivals were directed to the bar where they could socialize and make new roleplay friends, while people arriving as groups were directed to seats. Staff wore clothes that were theme-friendly and used game tags to denote themselves as staff. Staff were brief and brisk with us but courteous and friendly.

Service

When staff interacted with us it was polite and kind, but it felt rushed as if staff were struggling to stay on top of the visitors at the venue. It felt very understaffed, but it ALSO felt like this was not the regular occurrence as many people appeared to be regulars. The VELP reviewer sitting at the bar received relatively prompt service, given the understaffed nature of the venue. A roleplay emote signaling their hunger resulted in quick attendance. The VELP reviewers sitting in the dining area had a completely different experience. They were seated, provided menus, and had drink and food orders taken. The drinks were prompt, but the food took quite a bit of time.

Curious if this was the norm I did reach out to the venue owner, who advised me that they had been short staffed and that the venue was busier than it had been in some time. When messaged, they were very apologetic and quick to respond. I also asked a second staff member the same question and received a similar response.

Atmosphere

The venue is very thematic, but more a Hingan theme than Steppes theme. The decor was Eastern both inside and out, and was consistent throughout. The space of the large venue was well utilized to help cut down on chat scroll. Staff wore clothing in theme with the venue, at least to us vanilla players.

Role-Play

This is a great venue to come to with friends to have established group role-play. Have a meal, some brews, and sit back and just socialize. If you're coming alone, and seeking role-play, you may find yourself a bit bored. Staff are role-playing, and everyone is role-playing around you, but you aren't included unless you put yourself into the story. I feel like staff would stop to chat with guests if they weren't busy as there appeared to be a crew of regulars, which a venue would not have without consistent good experiences.

Out-of-Game Elements

The website for Steppe Ramen clearly listed and described their dishes and drinks. The website is not a dedicated Steppe Ramen website, but rather a sub-page on the venue owner's character website. Some players may find the text difficult to read.

Adult tag

This is a SFW venue and though the owners cannot obviously guarantee the behaviour of their guests, everyone appeared to be polite and respectful of the venue's theme.

Pros

A thematic restaurant, a great place for an established group's roleplay. Date night, friend night, et cetera. Staff were polite and fast to respond when addressed directly.

Cons

It feels like the venue is "suffering from success," where they are busier than they have staff to handle. The website was a bit challenging to read for some of us.