Browsing Tag

ramen

New York City

Wagamama

Posted on August 16, 2018

Ramen Boy’s request for Ippudo as his first meal in New York comes as no surprise. You have to be prepared to wait in a long line in Berkeley and San Francisco. Going to Ippudo in New York is much easier with three to choose from. We like going to the Ippudo in the East Village and so I suggested we shop around and then walk there for some noodles. We didn’t anticipate how how hot and muggy it would be in New York and it quickly sapped all our energy. Kind of a rookie move considering we lived in tropical Singapore and spent many humid summers in Tokyo. By the time we got to Ippudo not only were we starving but also disappointed that it was temporarily closed for renovations. At this point we weren’t too picky about our lunch destination but luckily Yelp pointed us to Wagamama and we headed that way. Ramen boy’s dad has gone to the Wagamama in London and raves about the duck gyoza. Of course we had to try it and it was tasty. We both ordered the shirodashi pork ramen with pork belly in a chicken broth and topped with menma, micro greens, scallions, wakame and a soft boiled egg. Ramen boy slurped away happy with his bowl of noodles. I wish I could say the ramen was memorable but truthfully for me it was all about the beverage. Diet coke with lime hit the spot.

Wagamama
55 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(917) 636-6030

San Francisco

Mensho Tokyo

Posted on January 9, 2018

Bringing in my first bowl of ramen for 2018 at Mensho Tokyo in San Francisco! It wasn’t planned but it seamlessly fell into place while I was in the city with my girlfriends for a race. We had planned on a day of shopping after visiting the race expo and then going to the Imperial Spa for a Korean body scrub. My friends were in for a life altering experience of shedding dead skin and a promised bowl of ramen. There was a ramen shop a block away from our hotel that stayed open till 1 am and so we planned to go there afterwards. As we drove on Geary Street to the spa I noticed a line of people outside a restaurant. It was Michelin rated Mensho Tokyo. Hubby and I met a young Japanese guy a while back wine tasting in Napa and he said that Mensho had the best ramen in San Francisco. He also said to be prepared for a crazy long wait which could be up to 2 hours. I like ramen but not that much. I mentioned it to the gals and suggested we check it out on our way back to the hotel after our spa treatment. Our fallback would be the other ramen place.

Scrubbed squeaky clean and feeling relaxed we were hungry for some noodles as we drove to Mensho. Luck on our side it was close to 10 pm and there was a short line and within five minutes we were seated at the communal table ready for some ramen. We ordered four different types of ramen and each of them perfectly plated and unique. I ordered the tori paitan ramen which had thick curly noodles with plenty of spring to them in a creamy chicken soup broth. The ramen was topped with pork and duck chashu and garnished with menma, chives, kale, katsuoboshi sauce drizzled on some cabbage, thinly shaved crispy burdock which was so delicious I could have eaten it on its own and a whole soft-boiled egg hidden in the broth that was absolutely perfect. We oohed and aahed as we slurped our noodles feeling fortunate and satiated at the same time.

Our late night carbo loading fueled us well for the race that we decided that the scrub, ramen and run was on the agenda for next year. The ramen was so memorable I’m already thinking about my next bowl at Mensho.

Mensho Tokyo
672 Geary St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 800-8345

Sacramento, CA

Empress Tavern

Posted on December 26, 2017

I had a serendipitous encounter with a bowl of ramen at Empress Tavern. I felt a wave of nostalgia because it was below the Crest Theater taking me back to my college days at Davis. As I descended down the carpeted stairs leading to the restaurant I was anticipating good food and meeting new work colleagues. After introductions and talking about our holiday plans we perused the menu. It was my first time but I had heard that the burger recently won the Sacramento Burger Battle. I was torn between that or the fried chicken sandwich until Christina asked what was the blue plate special. Prime rib ramen. We broke out in laughter. If you didn’t know I had a ramen blog it wouldn’t be so funny. Seriously this was a sign from the ramen gods I had to try it.

I can be skeptical about ordering ramen when it is a daily special and not from a ramen shop but the beauty of ramen is that you can have the creative license to make it your own. I should know. I make my own version to comfort me on those days that I need it most. Their soft boiled egg won me over. It wasn’t a marinated (ajitsuke tamago) but the ooze factor was on point. It was a hearty bowl of thick noodles with scallions and topped with a mound of thinly sliced prime rib. The flavorful and tender meat was reminiscent of having sukiyaki with a little bit of fat.

A half a bowl later I was pretty full. I took the rest home as an after school snack for ramen boy. I wasn’t sure he would like it since the noodles were already in the broth and to reheat it again would make the noodles soggy. Luckily the thick noodles survived a second heating with some added bone broth.

He liked the thick noodles, the thinly sliced meat and the slivers of pepperoncini. I think the meat is used for the french dip sandwich so the pepperoncini was an accident meant to be as it adds a dimension to an otherwise very simple bowl of noodles. He told me it reminded him of the chuck roast that I make in the slow cooker with a packet of Hidden Ranch dressing, a stick of butter and a bottle of pepperoncinis.

Cilantro was so last year in Tokyo. This is ramen’s new secret ingredient. Shhh.

Empress Tavern
1013 K. Street
Sacramento, CA
(916) 662-7694

Portland, OR

Hapa PDX

Posted on January 8, 2017

I really wanted to check out this ramen food cart. Since the boys were getting haircuts and I needed my morning cup of coffee we wandered across the street from the barbershop to a cute cafe called Qui Presse. They didn’t want anything so I ordered a cup of coffee and some toast with butter and jam. The woman who took my order said she would bring it out to my table when it was done. She brought over two large thick pieces of toasted bread with a slab of butter and homemade apricot jam slathered over it. Ramen boy took one look at it and suddenly wanted to share it with me. The bread was super crusty on the outside but the inside was chewy soft goodness. You could see the air pockets in the bread with a slight pungency and just the right amount of salt to it. It was the best bread I’ve had in ages and I am comparing it to the bread I had in Japan and France. The owner of this cafe sources her bread from her boyfriend. Her boyfriend is Ken Forkish a well-known Portland baker with a James Beard pedigree. This simple toast was absolutely sublime.

A bit later we went for a walk around the Southeast Division. Hapa PDX is situated on a corner with some other food carts and had picnic tables with heaters. It was pretty brisk out so we were looking forward to a bowl of steaming noodles to warm us up. We ordered tonkotsu ramen. The broth was nice and creamy and mine was simply adorned with chashu, scallions, bamboo and egg. It was tasty but not noteworthy and only because the bread I had earlier was so good I was still thinking about it.

I love the food truck/cart concept. No doubt this place is a popular noodle establishment since many of its customers were willing to slurp noodles in the cold. Sorry Hapa PDX we promise to come again to enjoy your ramen.

Hapa PDX
TidBit Food, Farm and Garden Center
SE Division St & SE 28th Pl
Portland, OR 97202

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.

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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.

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

Sacramento, CA

Shoki Ramen House II

Posted on April 25, 2016

Ramen boy was hankering for some ramen after his soccer match. The game finished late and even though we were about an hour away we thought let’s get some Shoki Ramen and why not try the new location that just opened. We got there a little before 2 pm with no wait which was great. No doubt there would be a waiting list at the R Street location and we were starved at this point. The concept for the second ramen shop is build your own ramen using the various stocks, noodle choices and toppings. This is perfect for picky eaters like ramen boy or for those with food allergies etc. The idea I guess is that the wait time would be shorter for these orders. I couldn’t be bothered with ordering everything separate and ordered the classic tantanmen with the set toppings and included an egg. Ramen boy ordered a large size of broth, 2 orders of the thick noodles and an order of minced meat. He wanted an order of chashu as well but it was too expensive totaling $17. I think he could have gotten by with a regular size of broth or possibly a small size instead. My tantanmen was good but since you can’t specify level of spiciness it was rather tame and I had to flavor it myself with the minced garlic and chili provided at the table. The DIY ramen idea didn’t really win me over. I think I rather go to the original restaurant and order as usual. In fact it’s cheaper this way than ordering every item separate. I commend their effort to cater to everyone’s tastes but they should stick with what they do best. They stand out because of this and should also consider upping their presentation of the ramen. Offering everything separate is not pleasing to the eye and once you put it in the broth it just sinks to the bottom. First impressions are everything especially with social media.  Shoki Ramen is better off keeping the menu the same and perhaps offer some new items at this restaurant like gyoza or making a bacon/chashu mazemen with green onion and topped with a fried oozy egg. Guaranteed to be a hit. In my opinion.

Shoki Ramen II
2530 21st Street
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 441-0011

Noodle Thoughts

Ramen Mom’s Mazemen

Posted on April 16, 2016

There really isn’t much art to making mazemen (mixed noodles). It’s so easy with such basic ingredients its almost guaranteed to taste good. Bon Appetit posted their kimchi, bacon and poached egg version recently which got my taste buds salivating for some. I had everything on hand and invited my number one critic my mom as the noodle taster. I didn’t follow the recipe and instead relied on the seasonings I use to make fried rice. I didn’t have fresh ramen noodles so I cheated and used the frozen Sun Noodle packet instead. I boiled the noodles per instruction, drained and rinsed in cold water. In the meantime I fried up bits of bacon (helpful hint use kitchen scissors to snip the bacon. Works better than a knife) and set the crispy bacon aside. Then with the bacon fat already in the pan I added some cut up kimchi along with some of the reserved juice and cooked until soft for a few minutes. In another frying pan I made a sunnnyside egg making sure that the yolk wasn’t firm. Need the oozy yolk to mix in to the noodles afterwards. The best part of the dish in my opinion. Then I added the bacon to the pan along with the noodles and mixed it up. This is where I just eyeballed the seasonings adding a dash of fish sauce (I like Red Boat no sugar added to it), mirin (rice wine), rice vinegar, sesame oil, tamari (you can use soy sauce if you like). Chop up lots of green onions and add to the noodles and mix it up. Save some of the onions for garnish if you like and add some kimchi to the noodles afterwards for some crunch. This dish is positively divine and my mom agreed that it was very tasty. She suggested that I reserve some of the noodles to make extra crispy and then put the mazemen on top. Great idea! I made some for ramen boy as a quick lunch but since he is such a picky eater I used extra bacon and scrambled egg instead. Same seasonings but I added sirarcha as an extra kick. He’s picky but he likes spicy. Go figure. I think this would be a perfect pre-race carbo loading dinner I will have to consider making this again in the future. For me this time.

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Noodle Thoughts

Tampopo

Posted on April 10, 2016

Spring has sprung with intermittent rains perfect weather to watch an old favorite like the movie Tampopo. I was in college when I first watched it with my future husband not at the theater but in the comfort of my apartment I shared with three other girlfriends. No doubt we craved for ramen afterwards and since back then there weren’t any nearby ramen joints in our college town we just settled for my version of packaged Sapporo Ichiban. The premise of the movie is about a ramen restaurant owner trying to keep her shop afloat after the passing of her husband. Her ramen is met with disdain from a truck driver and his partner passing through. The noodle adventures begin when they agree to help her master the art of making a perfect bowl of noodles. My all-time favorite scene is the flashback of the ramen master teaching the truck driver how to eat ramen.

This movie is the quintessential “ramen western” flick and a must see for true ramen connoisseurs.  Otherwise you are just a ramen lover wannabe. Watch the movie and guaranteed you will be hankering for some ramen pronto.

San Mateo, CA

Ramen Dojo

Posted on April 6, 2016

San Mateo is a best kept secret for ramen lovers. Well, not really that hush hush considering those in the know come here for the ramen-ya’s and are willing to wait in a long line to slurp noodles. I hadn’t been in the area for years as we often came to eat at Santa Ramen back in the day. I would still like to go back and eat their ramen but had heard about Ramen Dojo and was looking forward to giving it a go. With ramen boy and his friend in tow we headed to the shop before it’s opening at 11:30. A line had already formed so the boys put our name on the waiting list while I parked the car. The line was already about 30 people deep and so we missed out on the first seating since the restaurant is not that big. While we sat there for another 20 minutes or so all I could think of was these noodles better be good. Ramen boy has very little patience for waiting for noodles and so I was surprised that he quietly waited. A reminder for me next time. Bring a friend! Thankfully people eat and go kind of the nature of eating ramen so it wasn’t too long before a table cleared for us. We had perused the menu earlier and quickly ordered the boiled gyozas as an appetizer and the garlic pork ramen. There are three types of stock to choose from: soy sauce, garlic pork and soy bean and you can choose how spicy you would like your ramen. Standard toppings include 2 pieces of chashu, fried whole garlic, kikurage mushroom, green chives, quail egg, chicken gravy (cooked ground chicken, chopped shiitake mushroom, chopped ginger, sausage, shredded red pepper) and garnished with a lettuce leaf. The boiled gyozas came out first submerged in a light and tangy ponzu sauce with grated daikon (white radish). It was delicious. Then came the good looking bowls of ramen. Presentation was right on and unique with the fried garlic garnish on top. I added kimchi to my ramen for some extra punch. One slurp of the noodles mixed with the variety of goodies made it clear why so many people were willing to wait in line for Ramen Dojo’s noodles. The broth was extremely flavorful and not heavy and I really liked the toppings and the chicken gravy made it stand out. The lettuce leaf was an unusual garnish but the crunch went well with the noodles. I am not a fan of quail eggs and would have preferred a regular soft boiled egg instead. Otherwise total umami in the mouth. We quickly finished our bowls of noodles so that the next customers could enjoy the same. Ramen Dojo is a definite ramen gem in the Peninsula.

Ramen Dojo
805 S B St
San Mateo, CA 94401
(650) 401-6568

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