Browsing Category

Sacramento, CA

Sacramento, CA

Kru Restaurant

Posted on May 25, 2016

I didn’t come to Kru for a ramen experience. My mom had an outpatient surgical procedure and she was craving some really good sushi. This can be a tall order for an 86 year old Japanese woman with very high expectations comparing sushi and sashimi in Japan. I try to prepare her in advance before we walk in the door to any Japanese restaurant and at the same time I cringe in pity for the sushi chef. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I brought her once before to Kru hoping she forgot. She hadn’t and she wasn’t impressed before because her chiraishi came with the variety of fish on top of the rice but the juices had seeped through soaking the rice which was a huge turn off for her. My dish was excellent and so I hoped it was a one off at the time. I told her this time she should just order the sushi/sashimi set and she also wanted the chawanmushi (egg custard). Well, the fish got a thumbs up from her this time and she was pleased with the miso soup too. The chawanmushi? Well, that’s another story just ask the poor waitress even though we explained to my mother that this was not the traditional Japanese type she is familiar with but she insisted that it then shouldn’t be called chawanmushi but instead called soup. Somehow my mom manages to be charming and sweet and can say all this without offending anyone. I hope. Sorry chef.

I love ikura (red caviar) and I always order it at sushi restaurants. Truly my last meal would be a bowl of steaming hot rice with ikura on top seasoned a bit with mirin and soy sauce. The ikura nigiri sushi here did not disappoint. In fact the best I’ve had recently and pleasantly surprised for Sacramento. It was bite size meaning I could put the whole thing in my mouth and the seaweed was crisp which is critical. Soggy or soft seaweed ruins it. The ikura was bursting with flavor and I really liked the fresh shiso (perilla leaves) accompanying it.

The duck confit spicy miso ramen was a bit of an afterthought for me but ramen mom must give it a try. I am glad I did it was definitely a different spin. The ramen came in a very big bowl so almost seemed lost in it but still nicely presented. Very simple and understated which I liked with a divine poached egg, menma, green onions, fine dried seaweed and the duck leg perched on the side ready to be picked up to be eaten. The skin was well browned and crisp and the meat was tender and delicious. I am not sure if I liked having to use my fingers instead of chopsticks to eat the meat but I do appreciate thinking outside the box. If the meat had been sliced or deboned it would have likely been soggy. The broth had a slight kick to it but still mild enough to not be overpowering. My mom really liked the broth and insisted on taking back the remaining soup so she could throw in some noodles she had at home. This little lady does not waste food! I wasn’t so sure about the noodle/soup ratio. The ramen came with a very small portion of noodles but in the end completely satisfactory since the duck confit is very filling.

You can definitely taste the quality of ingredients used at Kru. We had a terrific waitress so my mom is more than happy to come back. I’d like to try the cold noodles next time and of course I need my ikura fix.

FullSizeRender 20

Kru Restaurant
2516 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 551-1559

Sacramento, CA

Ramen and More

Posted on May 1, 2016

This restaurant is ramen boy’s go to place near his school. He finished his day early and we had time to spare before we went to the Welcome Class of 2020 event at the new High School he will be attending this year. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be serving any dinner and he suggested, no surprise, that we eat some ramen. I kind of got choked up thinking about this and that the next four years will quickly pass by as it has already and how many more bowls of ramen will I be able to share with him before he is off to college and beyond. I wonder if his tastes will mature as he gets older or will he order the same, plain and unadorned, kaidama (extra noodles) ramen with chashu.

So off we went to eat some noodles. Ramen and More leans toward Korean style food but with a Japanese bent. I had the bulgogi ramen with pieces of beef, a whole soft boiled egg, bean sprouts, corn, scallions and spinach in a shoyu based broth. The broth was light but still had a deep enough flavor, not oily and the noodles were springy and cooked al dente the way I like it. It’s my first time having ramen here and I noticed the menu said “we use fresh ramen noodles.” I had hoped to ask but the young waitress was rather aloof. She plopped our bowls down without much fanfare splashing broth as she did this. I was in such a good mood that I just let it go. Ramen boy was extremely chatty this evening and most of us know through experience that this is hit or miss conversation with teenagers and I was going to enjoy the experience no matter what. It’s so true that mediocre food can taste spectacular with great company and ramen boy was the perfect dinner companion.

I am not sure if I was for him though. Our waitress left us with the check but after a long wait never came back to our table to pick it up so instead I went up to her to pay the bill. She took my money and returned the change and when I gave her a generous tip she looked up at me and gave me the biggest smile ever. I could have told her that her service kind of sucked but instead I told her that she has a beautiful smile and should do it more often. Ramen boy just rolled his eyes at me as we walked out saying, “Really mom how embarrassing!” I guess it was too good to be true.

Ramen and More
807 Howe Ave
Sacramento, CA 95825
(916) 922-6227

Sacramento, CA

Shoki Ramen House II

Posted on April 25, 2016

Ramen boy was hankering for some ramen after his soccer match. The game finished late and even though we were about an hour away we thought let’s get some Shoki Ramen and why not try the new location that just opened. We got there a little before 2 pm with no wait which was great. No doubt there would be a waiting list at the R Street location and we were starved at this point. The concept for the second ramen shop is build your own ramen using the various stocks, noodle choices and toppings. This is perfect for picky eaters like ramen boy or for those with food allergies etc. The idea I guess is that the wait time would be shorter for these orders. I couldn’t be bothered with ordering everything separate and ordered the classic tantanmen with the set toppings and included an egg. Ramen boy ordered a large size of broth, 2 orders of the thick noodles and an order of minced meat. He wanted an order of chashu as well but it was too expensive totaling $17. I think he could have gotten by with a regular size of broth or possibly a small size instead. My tantanmen was good but since you can’t specify level of spiciness it was rather tame and I had to flavor it myself with the minced garlic and chili provided at the table. The DIY ramen idea didn’t really win me over. I think I rather go to the original restaurant and order as usual. In fact it’s cheaper this way than ordering every item separate. I commend their effort to cater to everyone’s tastes but they should stick with what they do best. They stand out because of this and should also consider upping their presentation of the ramen. Offering everything separate is not pleasing to the eye and once you put it in the broth it just sinks to the bottom. First impressions are everything especially with social media.  Shoki Ramen is better off keeping the menu the same and perhaps offer some new items at this restaurant like gyoza or making a bacon/chashu mazemen with green onion and topped with a fried oozy egg. Guaranteed to be a hit. In my opinion.

Shoki Ramen II
2530 21st Street
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 441-0011

Sacramento, CA

Akebono

Posted on January 13, 2016

Feeling a bit out of sorts today thinking lunch and my mom’s company might perk me up. Jamming in the car with my David Bowie playlist and listening to ‘Fame’ off we went to Akebono for some Japanese food. A bowl of champon should do me a whirl of good.

Champon is a regional dish from Nagasaki in Japan and goes back to the Meiji era when the owner of a Chinese restaurant there created a cheap and filling meal for Chinese students who came to Japan to study. It uses ramen noodles but differs that the noodles are boiled directly in the soup made from chicken stock. Akebono’s champon toppings are delicious and plentiful with shrimp, squid, scallops, pork, onion, carrots, kamaboko (fish cake) with lots of cabbage stir fried and placed on top of the noodles and soup. The broth is nicely seasoned and not too salty. A spicy version is offered but I prefer the traditional mild flavor. Akebono’s champon hit the spot.

I asked my 85 year old mom if she knew who David Bowie was and she said, “uta no hito” (person who sings). It’s very likely that ramen boy’s generation wouldn’t be familiar with him. He has heard the story many times about my younger days living in New York and the once in a lifetime opportunity had the stars been aligned. My predecessor where I worked had moved on to a talent/model agency. We had kept in touch and one day she called me asking if I was interested in working as a personal assistant to David Bowie and Iman. Her boss was a close friend of Iman’s and her Maid of Honor at their wedding. Vera thought of me thinking I wouldn’t be starstruck or intimidated since she knew my boss at the time was a tough cookie who reminded us that no fraternizing was allowed with the rich and famous. Yesterday I asked ramen boy, “What if I had taken that job? Would my life be different?” Ramen boy said matter of factly, “No everything would be the same mom. You would have married dad and you would have me. The only difference is that you would have known David Bowie.”

But how wonderful would have that been to know a musical genius. Dream on ramen mom. RIP Ziggy your music will live on forever.

Akebono
Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar
4960 Freeport Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95822
(916) 731-8288
www.akebonojapaneserestaurant.com

Sacramento, CA

Raijin Ramen House

Posted on January 10, 2016

Must admit that we frequent Shoki Ramen House so much that we neglect to try any other ramen places in town and ramen boy is a loyal Shoki Ramen customer. He was hankering for some ramen after his soccer game and I did a short run in the morning warranting a bowl of noodles. I suggested trying a new place to avoid the noontime Saturday crowd. I had heard that Raijin Ramen House opened last July across the street from its sister restaurant Ryujin Ramen House and we hadn’t been. The concept is a different type of ramen at each shop with Raijin specializing in a more spicy version fitting with its name in Japanese mythology meaning the god of lightning, thunder and storms.

It was a full house when we arrived but they had space at the bar close to the kitchen. We quickly ordered and I had the kakuni ramen. Ramen boy had the tan tan men and hubby chose the shio tonkotsu ramen. Raijin offers many appetizers too so we decided to try their homemade gyoza. The deal breaker whether we would return or not.

The service was exceptional. Our waiter came to refill ramen boy’s lemonade and was very polite and cheerful that even ramen boy commented about the awesome service. That alone would bring us back.

The gyoza was very good too. Crispy the way we like it filled with cabbage and pork. Our only complaint was that we ate it too quickly and should have ordered more. My kakuni ramen came out steaming hot and nicely presented with red pepper threads that surprisingly look like saffron. Simple toppings of chopped scallions with two large pieces of fatty braised pork that had been slowly simmered. I prefer a more tender pork that is melt in the mouth but these pieces were meaty and still very tasty with a deep shoyu flavor. The tonkotsu broth seemed more shoyu based but still rich without being too heavy. I didn’t order an egg this time as a topping but for sure will return to try it out.

Ramen boy gave this place a thumbs up and hubby who prefers eating ramen in Japan and otherwise a super ramen critic said he will come back here too.

Raijin Ramen House
1901 S. Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 498-9968
ramenhouseraijin.com

Sacramento, CA

Shoki Ramen House I

Posted on December 28, 2015

This is our go to ramen place close to home. If ramen boy had his way he would eat ramen daily. He doesn’t get tired of it and he’s a huge fan of Shoki’s tan tan men. Good friends and their boys came through town over the Christmas holidays and the kids were eager to have ramen. They had been last year and wanted to go again. A sure sign that Shoki Ramen passed the noodle test. We lived near each other in Tokyo and N was my frequent sushi lunch buddy but S and I go back years even before ramen boy was a glint in my eye. I will never forget flying in to Tokyo on a redeye flight with my mother and before we even had a chance to settle in at the hotel we hopped into his car. It was snowing hard and the streets were empty and a hot bowl of steaming ramen just seemed perfect. So off we went to Marukin Ramen the quintessential hole in the wall noodle joint. Now not so hole in the wall considering it has many outposts in Tokyo and Yokohama and now in Portland, Oregon. That town is seriously a foodie must go destination.

You know the saying “chicken soup is good for the soul?” Well, a  good bowl of noodles is pretty much the same. There is a lot of pride that goes into making good ramen and  Shoki Ramen’s owner Yasushi Ueyama does just that. He caters to his customers with dietary restrictions and food allergies so that everyone has an opportunity to experience “a bowl of dreams.” This is unheard of in Japan since many traditional restaurants do not have an option like this and asking will often get you a blank stare or a very polite “I’m sorry but we cannot accommodate.”

Okay now back to the ramen. Pretty much hits the spot. We stick mostly to the tan tan men and you can request your level of spiciness. It is topped with baby spinach, menma (bamboo shoots), moyashi (bean sprouts) and grass-fed, non-antibiotic 100% Angus minced beef. The broth is full of clean soy flavor with just the right amount of spice. I like to order my noodles cooked firm and Shoki’s noodles are thick and springy.

The place is always busy and there is usually a wait. Eating ramen is one of those meals that is quick and easy so people come and go and seats open up so the wait is not too agonizing. We tend to come right when it opens to avoid the wait. It’s a family run restaurant and the wait staff are always helpful and pleasant. If you are lucky on a weekend or school holiday the owner’s young son will greet and seat you with a big smile. Shoki Ramen House is hands down one of ramen boy’s favorite in California.

Shoki Ramen House
 1201 R St, Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 441-0011
www.shokiramenhouse.com