Mystery Critic
The Best Restaurants Out There - And Much More!
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Hottest Bowl in the World Ramen in Japan and in the US Japan has many popular exports. Some carry brand names like Toyota and Sony, but there's also the food. Japanese food has been sweeping the world's high-end gourmet sector for decades with its sushi and sake, but unlikely its cars and stereo, some of their exports are actually finding lower-end market, like beef or chicken bowl, and RAMEN. Ramen actually originated from China, but the Japanese-style ramen today is almost completely unseen anywhere in China except in Japanese ramen shops. If you are reading this webpage, I assume you know something about ramen. If not, here's a good writeup on the history of ramen. Here are some of the place I would recommend if you happen to be in Japan and want a taste of their cheapest national food (besides conveyer-belt sushi and 7-Eleven rice balls). Japan There are probably as many ramen shops in Japan as there are McDonalds in the US. Alright, maybe not quite as many, but very close. Here are just very few that I have visited and found very memorable for a simple reason - GREAT ramen! Tokyo, Fukuoka and other cities Ichiran - The all-time CLASSIC Japanese ramen shop, complete with individual booths (no worries boyfriends, you can lower the partition and eat and see you girlfriend at the same time), invisible waiters and Kawasaki This the Oakland of Japan - an industrial port city that's mostly blue collar, but a hidden treasure if you want to be in touch with a urban yet local Japanese culture. There are two great ramen shops that are both in the same location - right under the JR train station in a shopping arcade called Kawasaki BE. This is arguably the MOST interesting ramen conglomerate in Tokyo. Six ramen shops are cramped into one basement, from the website you can find out how they compare to each other in terms of noodle texture and soup thickness. I tried the two most popular ones and they are excellent, comparable to those in Tokyo. Tokyo Ikaruga - In the Kudanshita neighborhood of Chiyoda-Ku, near the Yasukuni shrine, there's a small ramen shop in a rather quiet neighborhood. In the days of Avian Flu, I had an amazingly deliciou bowl of ramen here with one huge duck egg with RAW yoke - YUMMY! Other types of ramen looks good to, therefore this place has the longest line I've seen in Tokyo at 11pm for a bowl of noodles. Kagetsu Arashi - Well, this is technical not in Tokyo at all, but if you happen to transit in Narita via one of the Star Alliance airlines, you will thank me for this recommendation! Don't forget to squeeze some raw garlic into the hot ramen soup - Even though your neighbor on the plane might hate you for the next 9 hours.... Otemachi - Nishiguchi shopping street (no website) - There are all these small traditional shopping areas in Tokyo that are typically near JR stations. This one in Otemachi has a ramen shop that is surprisingly good and popular. It has a specialty, a seafood ramen, which is kind of rare. The other more traditional ramens are good too. Ramen Museum - It's impossible to try ALL the ramens there, but the ones we tried are pretty good. This is a good place to visit for all diehard ramen fans - although the exhibition is somewhat disappointing. It's just a big ramen shop, that's all.... Like I said earlier, ramen is now a global phenomenon. Not surprisingly, it's very popular in the US now. There are lots of them and I'm only covering the ones that I've been to and are good enough to be recommended. Warning - These are not exactly comparable to the ramen found in Japan, but they're good enough even for me. Also, it's just a bowl of noodles but don't expect it to be cheap food here in the US. US Burlingame/San Mateo Ramen Club [Burlingame] - I'm not too sure why there are so many good Japanese restauants in the San Mateo area, but this one is quite interesting. While it doesn't have to most deliciou ramen, it offer a wide variety of Japanese noodles and snacks like fried kitchen and gyoza that are very good. Many people order a small noodle with gyozas. Santa [San Mateo] - For the longest time this is the BEST ramen place in the entire SF Bay Area. Soup is superb (just as salty as the classic ramen you'd find in Japan - don't have to finish the soup!) and noodles are never overcooked. Last time I went there, the soupbase was not as good though and there are not really too many contenders offering similarly authentic ramen, or be advntureous and try the poke.  Honolulu Kiwami [Waikiki] - I've tried a few ramen shops in Honolulu but none is like this one, which is very surprising because sitting in the least appealing shopping center's food court, along with stuff like Taco Bell. The noodle is how I like it (cooked just right - a little chewy) and soup base is superb (thick but not greasy). There's also a cold noodle that is really worth trying. BEWARE - Service attitude is unusually bad for a Japanese business they are not particularly fond of kids. San Francisco There's a ramen place in Japantown but I thought it was pretty bad - tasteless soup base and lousy/overcooked noodles. If you know a really authentic ramen shop in the City, please let me know (email mystcritic@hotmail.com). Silicon Valley/San Jose Maruichi [Mountain View and Milpitas]- A relative newcomer to the ramen scene in the Valley. It's specialty is the kuro ramen (dark roasted garlic soup base) and it's not bad - but there are also people who go there but never try it. Other noodles are good too - but somehow this place already has a bit of a "chain taste" (ie a more bland taste that tries to appeal to a wider . Do-Henkotsu [San Jose] - This place claims to be the ONLY Tokushima-style ramen shop outside of Japan. I personally am not too fond of it but plenty of people love it. The soup base is a thick soy sauce and meat stock, a bit on the heavy side for me, and the meat is always dry. Nevertheless, it is refreshing to have an alternative. Ryowa [Mountain View] - One of the oldest ramen shop in the Silicon Valley, Ryowa has consistently impressed its guests and frustrated those who arrive after 6pm to see a huge line outside. I also suspect that this place may not be authentically Japanese because of its taste, but it's delicious so what the heck. |