GoGo noodles

My dear globe trotting friend is the one who introduced me to this restaurant or I would have never found it otherwise. Tani’s Kitchen is tucked away in a small strip mall in Daly City and only serves a handful of patrons at a time, I think there was room for 20 people? Because the restaurant is so small it makes so much sense that this restaurant predominately serves to go orders.

When we were seated the first thing I noticed were all the signs! No cell phones please! I think I’ve seen this sign at the Japanese dollar stores.

A lot of rules for a such a little restaurant! No shopping carts please! I guess that’s been a big problem in the past? Love it!
Curry Udon:

I was in the mood for curry udon so I decided to indulge myself and I indulged indeed (say that five times fast). What I really like about the curry udon are the noodles! The udon noodles are sorta flat which seemed to hold on to the curry broth better than the round udon that I’m familiar with. The curry broth was also very delicious because the consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin – it was just right! Ooooo…and it was spicy but not like tongue numbing hot it was slow and gradual spicy. It’s the kind of deep curry spice that slowly creeps up on you with every bite and then before you know it you have a runny nose – all characteristics of a yummy bowl of curry udon.
Salmon Skin Salad:

Salmon skin salad was goood. The salmon skin was crispy, the flesh was fatty and savory and went so well with the light tangy dressing. This dish made for a great appetizer and would’ve been great as a main dish too.
Fish Tempura Special:

We were very fortunate to get the last serving of this fish tempura special.

Ahhh yess…the much discussed Ippudo Ramen. Somehow, we found ourselves in the East Village a lot whether it was for food or shopping. As you pass through the curtains you’re greeted by red walls one of which is adorned with ramen bowls and a counter display of dried ramen blocks and hip bar music. It’s by far the trendiest ramen restaurant I’ve ever been to. Not sure if I was digging it though, sometimes too trendy = expensive food that may be visually appealing but totally lacks flavor.

As the hostess leads you on your journey to your table you’ll get a holla from the entire staff which is fun yet a little embarrassing. We walked by the open kitchen where all the bowls of ramen were assembled. These noodle chefs were moving so fast I couldn’t get a steady shot.
Shiromaru Hakata Classic (Traditional Tonkotsu Flavor):

If you don’t know already, I am really into tonkotsu flavor! The creamy, savory, rich broth is sooo addictive. The tonkotsu here was tasty but not crazy tasty. I don’t know…it was kind of just ok I guess…I mean it was still better than a lot of ramen shops back at home and it wasn’t as yummy as our first stop at Terrakawa ramen. Maybe it was all the hype about this place? The toasted sesame seeds did add a different flavor which was yum and the texture of the noodles were good! Turns out they’re made fresh in house! The egg was good too but still not better than Terrakawa ramen.

Akamaru Modern:

This flavor was a tonkotsu with a twist served with Ippudo’s secret sauce (which looked like bean paste mixed with sambal olek), a drizzle of garlic oil and done in like a miso/tonkotsu combo broth. This wasn’t bad at all but yet not as good as I had expected – my expectations were probably too high after hearing so many raves about this place.

This restaurant was definitely a fun experience and had the most expensive bowl of ramen I’ve had to date ($13 bucks and no combo). The decor was very cool and edgy and I loved the little peek-a-boo window to the ramen noodle machine downstairs. I might come back if there were no other options but I think can pass on this place for a while. There are many more ramen shops waiting out there!

This was my first taste of ramen in the big apple and it was like nothing I’ve tasted before! I was very fortunate to find such a tasty treat on the first shot and bonus that it was walkable from the hotel. My mouth salivated as I stood outside reading the menu. They had a special that looked tasty and a tan tan ramen that called out to me so I had to try. One of the first things I observed walking in was that all the patrons were Japanese which is a really good sign for a ramen shop. Their special ramen is called Terrakawa ramen which is actually tonkotsu ramen. I’m proud to say I think I can now recognize a tonkotsu broth with confidence. To me, what can separate a great ramen shop from a good ramen shop is their combo items like gyoza and chahan (fried rice). When the gyoza and/or chahan are just as delicious as the ramen it can catapult the experience to a place beyond words!
Terrakawa Ramen and Gyoza Combo:

The Terrakawa ramen and gyoza special was amazing. The skin of the gyoza was thin and the bottom had that nice crunchy sear that all good gyoza have. It was juicy and savory aaand juicy….mmm…thinking about it is making me hungry! It was quite chilly in NY back in October so it felt really good to start off the trip with a big hot bowl of ramen. Bonus that it was tonkotsu. There were all kinds of goodies in the bowl like wood ear fungus, plenty of pickled ginger, a generous amount of green onions, bamboo shoots, a slice of pork and the best part: a flavored egg. I’ve never tasted a better egg and I’m still awed by how it was made! Like a tea egg the white was was soft boiled butIt’s currently my new favorite flavor. The noodles were the thin, al dente and whiter not yellower…I’m still not sure what they are called but I’ve had this type of noodle before.
Tan Tan Ramen:

Anything tan tan is normally hit or miss. This was a hit! The balance of savory and sweet was just right and as in most situations it could have been spicier but I’m not complaining, overall the soup was delicious. The noodles that were served with the tan tan ramen were closer to the type of noodles that I like which are chewier.

After this first experience it got me really excited about exploring the rest of the city’s ramen restaurants.

Terrakawa Ramen
18 Lexington Ave
(between 22nd St & 23rd St)
New York, NY 10010
(212) 777-2939

I must admit that the whole reason for this trip to Orochon Ramen was because I saw the Orochon challenge epsiode on Man vs. Food. Curious, I thought what ramen could possibly be that spicy that I couldn’t handle? So I had to find out. From the beginning, I had no intention on doing the Orochon challenge. Why torture myself? Did you see the size of the bowl on that episode? I could probably handle the spice and be able to eat all the noodles but finishing the entire bowl of broth would have been death. I like taking my time to enjoy the ramen and savor the goodness. It surprised me to find Orochon Ramen on the top level of a small, 2 story, depressing shopping center in L.A.’s Japan town. It was slightly overcast but still warm so we decided to sit in the patio area. Though, I would recommend sitting inside if you want a beer because they won’t serve alcohol outdoors. Sadly, I didn’t care to go inside the restaurant to check out the wall of bravery.

The ordering system is quite interesting. First you pick what kind of broth you want, the choices are miso, shoyu or shio. Then the fun part! You pick the level of spiciness that you want and there are 9 levels to choose from. Special #2 is their spiciest soup and the challenge level. Then finally, you can add extra toppings for an extra charge. I chose to have the miso broth with the special #2 level of spiciness (the spiciest). The boyfriend ordered the shoyu broth with a special #1 spiciness level. We decided to forgo the toppings and ordered a side of char to share instead. After we placed our orders, I was giddy with anticipation.

When the waiter brought my bowl of ramen to the table, he had a timer in hand and asked “challenge?”. I quickly shook my head and said “no, no challenge for me, thank you”. The glowing orange broth was still bubbling when it was set in front of me. There was an abundant amount of jalapeños. What I didn’t expect to see were green bell peppers which I’m not a big fan of. After digging in, I was happy to find other tasty toppings in the soup like bean sprouts, wood ear and slivers of pork. Now for my first bite…mmm mmm mmm…garlicky, rich, savory and spicy! This was absolutely the spiciest ramen I’ve ever had but not the spiciest food I’ve ever eaten. The temperature of the broth truly amped up the spiciness level of the ramen. My tongue was numb, my nose was running and the adrenaline was pumping. And as the soup cooled down, the spice subsided. The noodles were chewy and tender. I was beyond happy and satisfied.

The shoyu broth was also very tasty and was much more mild in comparison to the special #2. It was a really nice contrast to the miso. The shoyu broth was savory, slightly sweet and clean.

I would highly recommend ordering a side of cha siu, it was delicious! The slices were thick and immensely flavorful, tender and most importantly, not dry. It practically fell apart when I picked it up with my chopsticks. This is the best char siu I’ve had to date. I can’t wait to go back for more.

Orochon Ramen
123 S Onizuka St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 617-1766

Situated in a small lack luster strip mall, Foo Foo Tei Ramen House stands unassumingly in the corner. It was about 2pm on a Wednesday and there were no other customers when we walked in. Usually, this is a red flag but for some reason, I wasn’t afraid. It actually turned out great because we had the whole place to ourselves. One of the first things that catches your eye is the wall of menu items displayed on faux wooden placards all in Japanese. I thought it was kinda cool because I imagined myself walking into a ramen house in Japan but after closer examination, it felt more like walking into a Chinese noodle house. As I sat down, I noticed a special on the wall that was posted in English and had a picture! The special was nanchatte tonkatsu ramen which included a soft drink and croquettes for just under 10 bucks. Score! I was having that! And what is the best accompaniment to ramen? Gyoza! One order please! When the waitress set down the bowl of nanchatte ramen, I started drooling instantly because it looked soo tasty. The first bite was heavenly…so yummy! The broth was creamy and full of flavor. The noodles were on the thinner side and had a good chewy texture. When the gyoza arrived I was in awe…I have never seen anything like it before…the gyoza had a hat! Aside from the dramatic presentation, more importantly, the gyoza was delicious and very juicy. I was utterly satisfied with my meal at Foo Foo Tei Ramen House and look forward to visiting again the next time I’m in Los Angeles.

Foo Foo Tei Ramen House
750 S Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91755
(626) 588-2010

Woke up late and missed breakfast…AGAIN, so I was starving! What better way to satiate ones hunger than with home made ramen noodles? I’m not sure why it was so hard finding this place, maybe it was the growling stomach that distracted our focus. When we finally arrived, I was happy to see that 98% of the customers were speaking Japanese…good sign. Scanned the menu and the umani ramen caught my eye….and thought to myself…”so that’s what that was!” The crab omelette ramen at Gyoza No Osho in Hawaii with the gravy on top is umani style. I love learning new noodle facts on my noodle adventures.

This is the umani ramen, topped with an oyster sauce gravy and stir fried vegetables. When the waitress set the bowl in front of me, I got a big whiff of bamboo and was a little fearful that I had made a bad choice. But to my relief, the broth did not have a strong bamboo taste. Overall, the umani ramen was reminiscent of chinese chow mein, it has the same toasty wok flavor. The noodles were delicious! If you look closely, you can see the inconsistency of the fresh noodles. Umemura gets extra kudos for cooking a perfect egg! A first for me.


In contrast, the soup of the cha siu ramen didn’t smell like bamboo but it tasted like bamboo. Besides the mild bamboo flavor, the shoyu broth was pretty darn good. Overall, both broths had a very clean and wholesome taste. You can tell from the richness and complexity of the soup that the ingredients they use are fresh.

To top it all off, the gyoza was fantastic! The skin was thin and the filling was not processed beyond recognition. You could see bits of cabbage and meat and the slight imperfections were a clear indication that these were homemade.

Umemura
1724 W Redondo Beach Blvd
Gardena, CA 90247
(310) 217-0970

This is one of our favorite restaurants in Waikiki, especially when we want to take a break from Japanese food. There have been times when we have eaten here 2-3 times a week. We’ve enjoyed everything from the appetizers to the entrees. My favorite entree was the lobster spaghetti (which is amazing) until uni spaghetti appeared on the menu!! If you are an uni lover – yes – it is as amazing as it sounds. As always, their spaghetti was perfectly al dente and their tomato sauce is thick and tastes like it’s been simmering for hours. The sweet, nutty richness of uni mingles perfectly with spaghetti. Genius.

Arancino
2155 Kalakaua Ave # 320
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 922-4405

Crab omlette ramen

They use real snow crab!

Pan fried gyoza

Close up of pan fried gyoza – look at the caramelization.
Gyoza No Ohsho has been a destination on our annual Waikiki trip for the past 4 years. We happened to find this place wandering around King’s Village Plaza. I think they make some of the best gyozas I’ve ever had. The gyoza comes out on a hot cast iron dish which is a nice authentic touch. It looks like they cook the gyoza in the pan but not totally sure. The skin of the gyoza has just the perfect thickness, a little bit chewy and they pan fry it so that there’s this nice thin crust. The first bite is dangerous because it’s super hot temperature-wise and juicy! I’ve tried the mapo tofu ramen which was very good but the star is the crab omlette ramen. The noodles are always just slightly past al dente which is how I enjoy them. There is a thick layer of sauce that floats on top of the broth. The serving of crab omlette is very generous and they use real snow crab meat.

Gyoza No Osho
131 Kaiulani Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 922-2161

Oh my god. This is my face as I post these pictures
Now, I know this post has nothing to do with noodles, but I am also a sushi lover and could not not share this wonderful experience with the world. This was by far, the BEST SUSHI restaurant in Honolulu, in fact, I will be so bold as to say this is the BEST sushi restaurant I have ever been to period. We heard about Yohei from a friend. I must warn that this was not the easiest place to find especially when there are not a lot of other businesses around it. We did find it nice to venture out of
Waikiki and felt like we found a local secret. Yohei sushi was sooo good that we had dinner there twice. Our first night, we arrived late and didn’t have the opportunity to sit at the bar. Although the staff was very polite, we were the last guests and did feel a little rushed in our ordering and dining. In most instances, we would be hesitant to return to the restaurant for these reasons. However, the food was sooo dang good that we had to come back and make sure we got there early enough to sit at the bar. On our first night, we ordered our usual favorites: mirugai sashimi, uni sushi, toro sushi, saba and oysters on the half shell. As the sushi chef prepared our oysters, he yelled across the room and asked us if there was anything that we didn’t like to eat and of course we replied “NO! We love everything!”. Then he answered “Good, I’ll make the oysters a little different.” So when the oysters came out we were excited to see them topped with quail eggs! We knew instantly that we had a new favorite sushi place to visit in Hawaii.
Our second visit solidified that this was the best sushi restaurant we’ve been to. As we sat down at the bar, the sushi chef recognized us immediately and welcomed us back. We asked the chef for omakase which means that were leaving it all up to the sushi chef to prepare the best of the best. And so the taste journey begins….
He started us off with mirugai (longneck clam) topped with uni. The crunchiness of the mirugai and the rich creamy texture of the uni (sea urchin) danced in my mouth. Never in a million years would I have thought to pair these two flavors together. Genius.

mirugai topped with uni – He started us off with mirugai (longneck clam) topped with uni. The crunchiness of the mirugai and the rich creamy texture of the uni (sea urchin) danced in my mouth. Never in a million years would I have thought to pair these two flavors together. Genius.

Ika, Saba, fried baby scallops & fried saba cheeks – Wow, what a presentation. The fried mackerel cheeks were so tasty and a nice contrast to all the raw seafood we were about to have.

Ika from Japan topped with cod roe and quail egg. Another first…the saltiness of the cod roe really enhanced the sweetness of the squid. I love the chef’s gratuitous usage of quail eggs, it adds a rich creamy flavor to everything!

Saba (Spanish Mackerel) – Have not always been a big fan of mackerel but it’s been growing on me lately. Especially when saba tastes like this – super fresh & mildly salty

Tai belly (Red snapper belly) – More fatty than the regular tai.

Seared tuna tail

Quick marinated scallops

Tuna topped with avocado, daikon ponzu mix and nanami togarashi

Marinated Hamachi Sushi

Salmon with wasabi mayonnaise, onion and bonito flakes

Okra poached in bonito broth

Sweet natto on cucumber topped with daikon and bonito flakes

Nameko miso (Baby mushroom miso)

Oysters with quail egg

Salmon with daikon sprouts

Toro, Uni and fried bay scallop

Yohei Sushi Restaurant
1111 Dillingham Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 841-3773

Aloha! I am winding down from 9 spectacular days of vacationing on Oahu. This was our 4th trip to the island, we obviously enjoy it very much. The weather is ideal, the beaches are beautiful and best of all….the Japanese food is really good. We did a little search on the internet and found Goma Tei Ramen restaurant. It was a little hard to find because it was in the Ward Center a little farther down from the Ala Moana Mall. The decor was simple, clean and bright. I really liked the bar in the middle and booths along one side. I noticed that most of the newer ramen restaurants have bars in the middle – Not sure what it is about eating at a bar…but it’s very fun to me. The boyfriend ordered the Tan Tan ramen with extra char siu. The sesame flavored broth was rich and creamy. It was toasty and had a little bit of spice – just the flavor, no heat. The noodles were very slurpable, not too al dente and more on the softer side. I ordered the shoyu ramen and enjoyed that immensely! The shoyu broth was not too salty and had a nice sweet finish. Boyfriend loved the charsiu but I thought it was okay. The charsiu did fall apart when I picked it up with my chopstick but the texture was a bit dry…a little confusing I know. So far, the best charsiu that I’ve had was from Ramen Club in Burlingame. Interestingly enough, there wasn’t a lot of scallions and I still liked this place. Can’t wait for the next trip to eat here again.

SAKE!

Charsiu Tan Tan Ramen (with extra charsiu)

Charsiu Shoyu Ramen

Pan Fried Gyoza

Goma Tei Ramen
1200 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 591-9188