Craving: Ramen
I'm craving for some ramen. Some real Japanese ramen - none of that cup of noodles or packaged stuff.
I still think about the very first time I had authentic, freshly made ramen in Japan. It was in a tiny little place with only counter seating and people stood directly behind you, hoping you'd finish quickly. The bowl of ramen was huge and was flavored with miso soup. I ordered the cha siu (bbq pork) that also came with a bevy of cured vegetables. It was perfect for the chilly, winter weather. So...darn good. Unforgettable.
To this day, I've been searching for the same experience in California. The closest is Tanpopo in Japantown on Post x Buchanan. The service absolutely sucks and the place is dirty (the health inspector gave them a 72/100 and then they decreased to 60!!). But, it's the closest thing I've had to Japan. The flavor of the soup is mild and what I most like about it is they pile on a lot of veggies.
I've tried another well-known ramen shop on Geary x Mason called Katana-Ya. It's ok. I still prefer Tanpopo because its more filling and the broth isn't as salty. Katana-Ya's bowl looked so sparse with only a few slices of cha sui, bamboo shoots and seaweed. Much more expensive too!
So, for tonight, craving for ramen, I searched Yelp and found Norikonoko. We'll see how it turns out.
Do you know any good ramen places? Please tell!
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