Santa Ramen, San Mateo

On a quest to do Michael Bauer's job for him, Scott and I drove down to San Mateo to check out Santa Ramen, which was the most highly recommended ramen joint from the sfgate.com reader comments. It being a Saturday morning, the traffic wasn't bad at all, and we were ready to eat--Santa sweater and all:


As we walked in, we noticed that there were in fact tons of actual Japanese people patronizing the place, and we were immediately hit with the delicious, salty/meaty smell that can only come from a fresh bowl of ramen. Service? Not so much. After walking inside, we stood awkwardly at the door for about five minutes and were just stared at by the waitstaff. Eventually, we just walked in and sat at the bar. Whatever, I could care less about service if the food's off the hook. It was.

One of my favorite things about Japan was that the restaurants would specialize at certain dishes instead of trying to encompass every aspect of the cuisine. Santa Ramen does just that. They only serve ramen, and they do it well. The menu:

Santa Ramen had me at "not vegetarian." Considering my utter lack of love for vegetarians, I was already sold on the place before trying anything. The menu is set up so you have a choice between three different broths, and then can add toppings. I chose the traditional pork broth made spicy and since they were already out of the highly recommended miso broth, Scott got the soy sauce flavor made spicy.

Then we went to town with toppings. I got green onions, roasted pork, kikurage mushrooms, fried garlic, bean sprouts, and bamboo shoots:

Scott got green onions, bamboo shoots, roasted seaweed, roasted pork, cod roe, "special" stewed pork and kimchee on the side:

O Chame can really take a lesson on pork making from Santa Ramen. Both the roast pork and stewed pork were delicious. My roast pork was juicy, flavorful, and had the perfect amount of fat on it. But the stewed pork on Scott's was out of this world. If I hadn't been so full from everything else I would have ordered just a piece of the special pork on the side. It's made with a somewhat sweet marinade and is tender beyond belief.

The pork broth was just what I remembered from Japan. This is the only place where I'd say that something salty, white, and murky could be delicious. The only way to get a broth that opaque is to boil pork bones until they no longer exist. Scott's soy sauce broth was decent too, but it reminded me more of the broth that you get from packaged ramen. A great salty wonder (though not as oily), but not as fulfilling. My noodles didn't quite have the bite I was hoping for but it could be because I spent so much time ogling Scott's pork that they got soggy. The flavor, however, was there.

As for the toppings, order however you want but I'll give my take. Especially because they can add up and get pretty expensive. Definitely get the stewed pork if you didn't pick up on my recommendation earlier, and if you like spice, it's worth the $1.50 to make the broth spicy. I'd pass on the fried garlic next time. Though it sounds amazing, I think the overall flavor of the soup was compromised because the garlic was so pungent. You also can't really go wrong with bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and green onion. Santa Ramen should leave the kimchee making up to the Koreans, though. Not worth it. I could give or take the cod roe. I did discover that I just hate cooked cod roe that is still in its sac (see Japan sushi entry) because I was a fan of the roe Scott had. However, next time I go to Santa Ramen (yes, there will be another time), I probably won't order the roe with everything else on the menu.

This is the first in what I hope to be an ongoing series on finding the best Japanese noodles in the Bay. Please weigh in on any other recommendations or opinions!

Yume, Alameda

If you are the type who enjoys ordering California Rolls, etc., please read no further and go down the street to Sushi House.

When I was in Japan, my dad's buddy took me out to eat at every fancy pantsy foodie place in Tokyo that we could fit into our schedule. This whirlwind tour included trips for teppanyaki, yakitori, soba with eel tempura, and of course sushi. Since that trip, I'd been unable to eat octopus or eel in the US because I learned in Japan what it's really supposed to taste like.

At Yume, it tastes like my vacation. The unagi truly melts in your mouth and doesn't have the sticky gross consistency of that stuff from the bottle that they use at even the high-end restaurants around here.

My friend Nnekay is right, though, Yume is a terrifying place to eat. But, I've found that it's not too bad if you just accept that you're joining a cult and follow the rules. It's worth it.

A few tips:
-Arrive early, with no more than one other person in tow
-Allow him to order for you; you won't regret it!
-Make sure you're facing his wife when you speak to her, and speak clearly (she's hearing impaired, not rude)
-Don't use soy sauce...The fish is so fresh that it should be eaten unadulterated.

And if anyone knows of a place where you can get REAL soba I will gladly trade that information for my soul.

Yume is located at 1428 Park Street in Alameda (above Three Wishes gift shop).

Kirala, Berkeley (Lunch)

Rachel and I decided to get some sushi during our lunch break, and since the actual sit-down Kirala is closer to Nolo we went there (they have a different location for take-out only in Epicurious Garden). We started out with the seaweed salad...I wanted to order agedashi tofu as well but apparently they don't make that until dinner time. Unfortunately, the "not at lunch" issue came up quite a few times when I tried to order. They don't do the robata grill during lunch either, and the only sushi that you can order is on a tiny little check-off menu provided at the tables (No amaebi and shrimp heads! Noooooo!!).

Eventually, we decided to get some salmon nigiri, a rainbow roll, scallop nigiri and tuna nigiri. The seaweed salad came first, and it was delicious. It was a much larger portion than the dinner size, and had little pickles and a reddish seaweed in it which I've never seen before. The salad was dressed with a sesame sauce, but it wasn't drenched in it. Overall, it enabled us to get a taste of the dressing and of the seaweed itself. My favorite part is just the texture of the salad, which was very crunchy.

Next, the sushi came. It was beautifully presented, and all of the fish was very fresh. I'd never had a rainbow roll before, so I'll describe it now. Basically, it's a California roll with tobiko and three different types of thinly sliced fish laid across the top. Very tasty.

Basically, the reason why I'm putting this post up is because I always rave about Kirala--I still do--the food is great, always fresh, and I love the atmosphere. However, one of the main reasons why I love going there is because of the robata grill, which is a no-show for lunch, as are most of my favorite dishes. Still, for a very satisfying and filling lunch, it ended up being only $20 bucks per person, including tip, so I can't really complain.

Kirala, Berkeley

Kirala is by far my favorite Japanese restaurant, so it's about time that I write a review for it. I went with my friend Nnekay yesterday (Tuesday) around 5:20 p.m. We got a table as soon as we walked in, which is very rare. As soon as the clock hit 5:45, though, the place was packed and there was the usual line out the door. So, my new recommendation is to go on a Tuesday (according to my idol Anthony Bourdain this is also a good day to get fresh fish) and before 5:45, when the crowd comes.

We started off with some unagi and amaebi. Unagi is always one of my favorites, I'm thinking about ordering it for Andy the next time we go out and just not telling him what it is until after. Besides, I think he'll like it: the flavor is always good, so is the texture (tender on the inside and the outside has a nice crunch), and I highly doubt he has the suspicion that I'll try and trick him into eating barbecued eel. As always, it was beautifully presented and fresh fresh fresh.

One of my new favorites (thank you Margaret) is the amaebi. They give you two nigiri pieces with the raw body of the shrimp, and then they give you the heads deep fried with a lemon wedge. Nnekay was a little too weirded out by the shrimp heads--she said that if I really thought she was missing out on something that she'd try it out, but to be honest I just wanted to eat both of them so I said it was a cultural thing that I'm not weirded out by the head. To my mom's side of the family--best thing ever, you have to try one or you will be missing out!

We also ordered from the Robata grill. I don't know too much about the Robata grill--just that it has special Japanese coals which give the food a special flavor. You can get good sushi at quite a few places in the Bay, but the Robata grill here is to die for. We ordered two of my favorites; the scallops and the squid (you can order either a small part of the squid or you can order the entire body). Both come with a special sauce on top, a lemon wedge and a bit of tobiko. The scallops are always cooked perfectly (not overdone or rubbery) and go really well with the sauce. Even Andy thought they were tasty when we went. That really says something. I also love how the squid is a bit charred on the edges, so the squid has a very crunchy texture.

So, sadly, this was all that we ordered this round at Kirala. Probably the cheapest meal I've ever had there. Between both of us not being that hungry and Nnekay having to get to class, we definitely didn't get to sample all of my favorites, but this is in no part because of the food.

I'll do another review, but just off the top of my head, my other favorites at Kirala include: baby lobster tail off of the robata grill, the caterpillar roll (soft shell crab, tobiko, unagi...mmmm), agedashi tofu, seaweed salad, and the tuna nigiri. I also have some recommendations--if you arrive when the line is out the door, make sure to sign up to go to either the bar OR a table. While the table isn't as fun, you will be seated much faster. However, please note that if you are going to order a dinner, such as a meat and rice dish, you cannot sit at the bar (we learned this the hard way with Andy). Also, if you are sitting at the bar, make sure to order Robata grill dishes from the waitress, not the sushi chef. They get annoyed, and who wants an angry sushi chef? I also recommend ordering in stages. I like to sit and talk a lot because the atmosphere at Kirala is quite nice, and since the food is pricey (but completely worth it, in my opinion), it's nice to digest a bit and then order more when needed.

Check out their website: www.kiralaberkeley.com

Kirala is open for lunch Tuesdays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
They are open for dinner Monday through Saturdays from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sundays 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Kirala is located at 2100 Ward Street in Berkeley, CA 94705.
Phone: (510) 549-3486

Please note that they do NOT take reservations.