Monthly Archives

May 2016

Sacramento, CA

Kru Restaurant

Posted on May 25, 2016

I didn’t come to Kru for a ramen experience. My mom had an outpatient surgical procedure and she was craving some really good sushi. This can be a tall order for an 86 year old Japanese woman with very high expectations comparing sushi and sashimi in Japan. I try to prepare her in advance before we walk in the door to any Japanese restaurant and at the same time I cringe in pity for the sushi chef. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I brought her once before to Kru hoping she forgot. She hadn’t and she wasn’t impressed before because her chiraishi came with the variety of fish on top of the rice but the juices had seeped through soaking the rice which was a huge turn off for her. My dish was excellent and so I hoped it was a one off at the time. I told her this time she should just order the sushi/sashimi set and she also wanted the chawanmushi (egg custard). Well, the fish got a thumbs up from her this time and she was pleased with the miso soup too. The chawanmushi? Well, that’s another story just ask the poor waitress even though we explained to my mother that this was not the traditional Japanese type she is familiar with but she insisted that it then shouldn’t be called chawanmushi but instead called soup. Somehow my mom manages to be charming and sweet and can say all this without offending anyone. I hope. Sorry chef.

I love ikura (red caviar) and I always order it at sushi restaurants. Truly my last meal would be a bowl of steaming hot rice with ikura on top seasoned a bit with mirin and soy sauce. The ikura nigiri sushi here did not disappoint. In fact the best I’ve had recently and pleasantly surprised for Sacramento. It was bite size meaning I could put the whole thing in my mouth and the seaweed was crisp which is critical. Soggy or soft seaweed ruins it. The ikura was bursting with flavor and I really liked the fresh shiso (perilla leaves) accompanying it.

The duck confit spicy miso ramen was a bit of an afterthought for me but ramen mom must give it a try. I am glad I did it was definitely a different spin. The ramen came in a very big bowl so almost seemed lost in it but still nicely presented. Very simple and understated which I liked with a divine poached egg, menma, green onions, fine dried seaweed and the duck leg perched on the side ready to be picked up to be eaten. The skin was well browned and crisp and the meat was tender and delicious. I am not sure if I liked having to use my fingers instead of chopsticks to eat the meat but I do appreciate thinking outside the box. If the meat had been sliced or deboned it would have likely been soggy. The broth had a slight kick to it but still mild enough to not be overpowering. My mom really liked the broth and insisted on taking back the remaining soup so she could throw in some noodles she had at home. This little lady does not waste food! I wasn’t so sure about the noodle/soup ratio. The ramen came with a very small portion of noodles but in the end completely satisfactory since the duck confit is very filling.

You can definitely taste the quality of ingredients used at Kru. We had a terrific waitress so my mom is more than happy to come back. I’d like to try the cold noodles next time and of course I need my ikura fix.

FullSizeRender 20

Kru Restaurant
2516 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 551-1559

Napa, CA

Eight Noodle Shop

Posted on May 16, 2016

I have been looking forward to going to wine country to run the Asics Vine Body Sole Half Marathon starting at Beringer Vineyards and finishing at Charles Krug Winery. Hubby suggested back in February we make a weekend out of it since he heard about the race from his colleague. So Friday morning I said my goodbyes to ramen boy as I dropped him off at school, went to a quick meeting and then hit the highway for an early lunch at Eight Noodle Shop in Napa. It was a beautiful day and I was hungry for some noodles. I was the first customer and was quickly seated out on the patio by the owner David Lu. At the time I thought he was just the waiter but after chatting a bit about the menu and his general demeanor I could tell he was the head honcho. I am trying to promote the blog so I gave him my business card and told him that I was ramen mom. I have never introduced myself as ramen mom before and the moment I blurted it out it was too late. Pretty dang awkward. He kind of looked at me like “yeah? … ” Definitely next time I will just say my name and that I write a ramen blog called ramen mom. Live and learn. Now back to the noodles.

I ordered the $14.99 lunch set which came with a choice of a small plate (appetizer), entree and beverage. I decided to get the pulled pork steamed bun, pulled pork ramen and ice tea. I saw the dessert menu had Okinawa doughnuts with apple and caramel and a miso butter scotch panna cotta. Which to choose? I know I had to try at least one. I should also mention that they have a really good wine list but it is Napa after all. The pulled pork bun with their house pickled cucumbers and carrot was tasty. The succulent pork balanced well with the slightly tangy cabbage slaw inside and the steamed bun held it together without falling apart. Gyoza and ramen is my thing but I have noticed that pork buns are all the rage at many American ramen-ya’s and really good homemade gyoza is hard to come by. Even Ippudo follows this pork bun and ramen trend in the U.S. or perhaps they started it.

I was excited to try the noodles here since the owner told me they were homemade from the kitchen. He also explained to me that the broth was a combination of pork, chicken and veal. The broth wasn’t overly rich but very flavorful with a slight oiliness. The noodles were thick and hearty. I think it compliments the pulled pork but I usually like my noodles thinner with more spring to it. One of my pet peeves is the noodle and broth ratio of serving ramen and they got this down pat. Presentation was very simple with spinach, a perfect soft boiled egg, green onions and menma. My first bite of the noodles with the seasoned bamboo shoots and the broth was earthy and delicious. Perhaps a little less pulled pork but can’t complain the ramen really hit the spot. I made sure to leave room for dessert and had the miso butterscotch panna cotta. OMG! The frothy whipped cream on top with the slightly salty miso tinged and butterscotch pudding underneath pure heaven. 

This was a fortunate pre-race meal. The Chinese characters for the number eight means good luck in the Chinese culture. My race bib number was lucky number seven and I ran 12 minutes faster than the New York Half Marathon. Yep it must’ve been the ramen at lunch, the vino that night and good luck on my side.

FullSizeRender 18

Eight Noodle Shop
1408 Clay Street
Napa, CA 94559
(707) 637-4198
www.eightnoodleshop.com

Packaged Ramen

Ippudo Tonkotsu Ramen (bowl)

Posted on May 3, 2016

Ramen boy was in for another treat from 7-Eleven in Tokyo thanks to his dad’s business trip and carrying back four of these bowls for him. I wish we had more since he’s already eaten two and the other two will no doubt be finished by the end of this week. He could finish them all in one sitting but I told him to ration the last two so that he could savor the noodles. Fat chance that will happen. If you can’t read Japanese it could be a bit daunting when you open the package and see the various packets inside which included a dehydrated slice of chashu. His fate accompli was figuring out the instructions and making his own bowl of ramen. He was impressed with his effort stating that the instant ramen was absolutely delicious. Like the real deal. Uh oh watch out Shoki Ramen. I didn’t get a chance to taste it but by the looks of the broth and the noodles it looked really good. Unfortunately it is not available for purchase in the U.S. and unless we have it regularly shipped to us from Japan or have friends bring it back ramen boy is straight out of luck. Me too since he’s happy to make these noodles on his own without any help from ramen mom.

IMG_5813

Sacramento, CA

Ramen and More

Posted on May 1, 2016

This restaurant is ramen boy’s go to place near his school. He finished his day early and we had time to spare before we went to the Welcome Class of 2020 event at the new High School he will be attending this year. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be serving any dinner and he suggested, no surprise, that we eat some ramen. I kind of got choked up thinking about this and that the next four years will quickly pass by as it has already and how many more bowls of ramen will I be able to share with him before he is off to college and beyond. I wonder if his tastes will mature as he gets older or will he order the same, plain and unadorned, kaidama (extra noodles) ramen with chashu.

So off we went to eat some noodles. Ramen and More leans toward Korean style food but with a Japanese bent. I had the bulgogi ramen with pieces of beef, a whole soft boiled egg, bean sprouts, corn, scallions and spinach in a shoyu based broth. The broth was light but still had a deep enough flavor, not oily and the noodles were springy and cooked al dente the way I like it. It’s my first time having ramen here and I noticed the menu said “we use fresh ramen noodles.” I had hoped to ask but the young waitress was rather aloof. She plopped our bowls down without much fanfare splashing broth as she did this. I was in such a good mood that I just let it go. Ramen boy was extremely chatty this evening and most of us know through experience that this is hit or miss conversation with teenagers and I was going to enjoy the experience no matter what. It’s so true that mediocre food can taste spectacular with great company and ramen boy was the perfect dinner companion.

I am not sure if I was for him though. Our waitress left us with the check but after a long wait never came back to our table to pick it up so instead I went up to her to pay the bill. She took my money and returned the change and when I gave her a generous tip she looked up at me and gave me the biggest smile ever. I could have told her that her service kind of sucked but instead I told her that she has a beautiful smile and should do it more often. Ramen boy just rolled his eyes at me as we walked out saying, “Really mom how embarrassing!” I guess it was too good to be true.

Ramen and More
807 Howe Ave
Sacramento, CA 95825
(916) 922-6227