Mystery Critic
The Best Restaurants Out There - And Much More!
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Hottest Bowl in the World - Ramen 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. There are lots of ramen shops in Japan, so 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. In fact, I've concluded that ramen is the only kind of food that is consistently more expensive in the 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 . Kahoo Ramen [San Jose] - This place replaced the old Do Henkotsu ramen place which my wife really loved. Apparently the Kanto-style ramen rules - in Japan and in the US. Many of my friend like it - it's a very familiar type of ramen with roasted pork. Ramen Halu [San Jose] - Some call this "the Santa of San Jose", but I would say it actually beats Santa in several areas. It has the same thick pork soup and very thin cha-shu pork, but it also has great appetizers (very Japanese!) and more variety of ramens. If you don't mind the floating fat, the soup is  a lot less salty than Santa, so go ahead and finish it up (since you paid an arm and leg for a bowl of noodles.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.    |