Its been a nice break...

Welllll as most people know, the noodle world dies down a little during the hot months of summer. While, I have yet to find a good Hiyashi Ramen spot (that's cold noodles, for you Hiyashi virgins...), the good news is, summer is almost over and my temporary hiatus from blogging is coming to a close. September I will be visiting a few choice spots, getting further into my own growth as a Ramen chef (as I think I am gearing up for a noodle puller) and posting a lot more. Bring on the autumn!

Shigezo: Gunning for #1 NoodleTime spot in PDX...

Shigezo on SW Salmon between Park+10th is quickly becoming THIS blogger's weekly indulgence. Fitted as a large Edo-style Izakaya, the pub boasts a long list of sake, suuuper Umami mini plates, fresh sushi, and darn good Ramen. The staff has always been super friendly to my johnny-come-lately dinner groups, and this night I was late as ever to the table. Still though, the mood was jovial and the staff was quick to please. After a few rounds of rice-wine, some kara age and a few small plates of sushi---I take a peek at the noodle menu...

So first off, take a look at that delicious subtext to NOODLES...

"Made from scratch every day." 

Shigezo is a lot of things, but most importantly--They are a place that honors the ancient tradition of making one's own noodles for all the soups. In lieu of that quality statement, the content of their menu reflects a quality and variation not seen in many noodle houses about town. There are quite a few options here for a wide range of noodle heads, not to mention the many toppings available for 50 cents to a dollar more. I order the Tokyo Ramen and the legendary Kumamoto Ramen with some extra noodles on the side for viewing. What comes out is quite impressive.

The broth on the Tokyo is a multi-faceted shoyu broth, harmonizing pork and chicken stock with a light miso and soy influence. This is their quintessential bowl and I have no doubts as to why. The noodles are perfectly chewy, mildly springy and lie beneath a litany of interesting and authentic toppings.

The Kumamoto is quite good as well, a little heavy on the garlic and dashi but still off the charts delicious. The milky tonkotsu broth dances on my tongue, creating a slick coating of umami, fatty goodness which lasts the entire experience. Their choice of preparation in the chashu is also divine. The pork is juicy, the outside is seared and there is a large hunk of fat which keeps it all afloat. I cannot stop kissing my fingers like an idiot pretending to be an italian chef. These bowls are TOO good.

Wrapping it up (since it's taken me about 3 months of bloggy break-time), I leave head held high knowing that I will be back again and again. From the stock, to the noodles, to the magnificent melding of top ingredients--- Shigezo is gunning for my #1 spot to eat Ramen after hours (or any hour really).

Rating

Broth: 9/10

Noodles: 10/10

Meat: 8/10

Veggies: 9/10

Boke Bowl's Beef Curry is a pungent excursion...

 

If you have been to Boke Bowl lately, you know they have gotten rid of their seasonal Duck Ramen (sadness galore) and switched it with something new. Beef Curry is at the bottom of their wooden-slate menu these days, and it seems that the chefs behind the invisible curtain were cranking it out like hot cakes...Or ramen. The mood is obviously intoxicating. Boke succeeds in sucking me in from the rain EVERY TIME to enjoy a bowl, not only because the quality is dynamite, because the hard work that goes into their creative bowls is something to behold on it's own. I order some buns and the Beef Curry Ramen, then sit and watch the masters at work...

 

The bowl comes out and there is a lot going on. My noodles (pan fried a bit from what I can tell) rest below and litany of toppings and deep brown broth, covered again with small-cut peppers and micro-greens. As an add on, I place both an egg AND a hunk of buttermilk fried chicken onto the top of this beast and take in the smooth aroma of....of.... of manure? What am I smelling here? I want to come up with a positive way to spin this one but honestly, this bowl's smell is a tad foul. Mixing up the ramen, I take my first slurp and the salty noodles distract my brain for a moment but there is still a burning back end of musk to this bowl. I ask my guests if I am crazy and they smell it too.

Suddenly a lightbulb goes off above my head, as I am drenching the beef in the shiny broth...
FISH SAUCE.



I've cooked with it plenty of times before. Just enough, and your dish's flavor factor becomes seductively primal; too much and the whole thing smells like feces. It is a delicate balance which unfortunately tipped the scales this time at Boke. Swirling around the delightful brussels, yams, and green onion bits, I bite the bullet and keep eating for review's sake. The bowl itself is really well executed, the semi-fried noodles are heavy and sopping--the veggies are fresh and accent the broth's BASE very well--even the meat, which I found to be cut WAY too thick, was as delicious as "Mom's famous beef brisket". The downfall of the bowl truly was it's musky, unpleasant aroma which rendered this bowl somewhat of a chore to finish. Also, going back to the title of this bowl: "Curry", we find hardly a hint of curry flavor throughout. Realizing Japanese Curries are blander than what westerners are used to from the East, I let this go initially, only to be more wanton of a flavor aside from fish sauce, salt, and soy in the bowl. The curry I was expecting (completely in error) never really showed up in this Ramen, and for that I was a bit disappointed. I thought, if a place like "Double Dragon", which is primarily a bar, can make a great Curry Ramen, why wasn't Boke Bowl able to? It could be because of Boke's proclivity to over-create at times when simplicity may just be the key. This bowl may have not needed any fish sauce at all, yet it was just marinated in the stuff.

I truly wish that Boke would have not switched their Duck out for the Beef Ramen. While the bowl LOOKS absolutely stunning, the reality is that this heavy Ramen stew is rife with small "over-did-it's" like the overabundance of fatty American style brisket, the gnarly smelling broth and a price tag of $15.00.

Rating
Broth: 3/10
Noodles: 7/10
Meat: 6/10
Veggies: 9/10

Recently went to Shigezo and the review is coming!

Up next:
-Yataimura Maru-

^_^

Begin Japanology: Ramen!

A fun documentary for any Ramen beginner :)

Discovery's "Culinary Asia-Japan" spotlights a bit about Ramen...

From instant, to traditional, unconventional, to downright crazy---Ramen's influence in Tokyo is unbeatable! This is part 2 of a very interesting 4 part docu on Japanese cuisine.

House of Ramen is mysteriously good...

House of Ramen on SW Columbia is a place that I found shrouded in mystery.
Reading up online, I noticed a few haters, some die hard fans, and the search to find "foodie info" on the little noodle shop a bit of a task. Reading through archives of Mercury, Will Weekly, and the like; it seemed like the Portland media had flat out refused to cover HoR for some off-putting reason...
In fact, House of Ramen seems to be the least celebrated place for a hot bowl of ramen in Portland and I wondered why...



HoR takes a "build your own bowl" approach to their product, which is a trend amongst higher quality fast-food joints like Chipotle, Quiznos, and the like. Their menu features seven solid options, a choice of broth type (white tonkotsu, clear tonkotsu, shoyu, miso, and even tomato!), a choice of noodle (thin, thin-wavy, fat, etc) and then a choice of add ons. They even do Hiyashi Chuka cold noodles for the summer! I opted for the Chef's Choice meal which came with a side of Gyoza and a soda. The staff was small yet super friendly, the restaurant itself was almost 70% full of customers. But as I walked to my seat, I began to realize House of Ramen's problem and why so many food writers flat out refuse to mention it...



Carrying my paper "Coca-Cola" cup over to the aluminum bar at the front window, I noticed that the lights were on a bit strong. Illuminating every crack and dirt particle on the walls and floor (which every restaurant has), the bright, white lights (which are numerous at HoR) seem to project a "fast food" kind of atmosphere which made me almost nervous to sit and enjoy dinner. I ignored it though, knowing that I came for Ramen, not necessarily for ambiance. As I wait, I hear sounds of the soda fountain and begin to feel like I am eating at the mall. My hollow metal chair is quite uncomfortable to sit in and the general mood of the affair is becoming more and more "get-in-get-out". Even as a soft, hip song from "Washed Out" plays in the background, I can't quite get comfortable. It all seems like a cheap diner experience and I begin wondering how my food will taste...

                              

[click img to enlarge]

The bowl drops.
--And as it does, the most mysterious part of my trip to House of Ramen becomes clear...
 Guess what? It is excellent stuff! The quality of the clear pork broth was shockingly good, submerging springy, quality noodles and a host of well prepared toppings. Included in my bowl were Pork tenderloin, bamboo shoot, yellow corn, bean sprouts, bok choy, nori, pickled carrots, green onion, and a poached egg... It was loaded to the brim! All of it quite good.
There have been many times on this blog where I have described bowls which left me feeling unsatisfied and empty... On the contrary, House of Ramen shaped up to be a massive bowl of Umami goodness which filled me up perfectly.

Each bite/slurp of my bowl was not only a surprise but a delight. Never did the noodles sog out, never was the balance interrupted by one dominant flavor. The well balanced, mildly spicy pork broth infuses into each floating puzzle piece, creating an urge to wait on some toppings to "cure" while furiously gobbling others. I gleefully ate every bit of my bowl, thinking of how so many people I asked about HoR had no idea it existed! I even slurped down the broth at the end.

Then, in that moment of post-soup-inhalation, I knew WHY no one acknowledged House of Ramen's legitimately delicious soup and pleasant service model...

They felt like it was fast food, even if it wasn't.

House of Ramen has a great product. I will be back again and again to try every single broth and topping combo they have, but in the meantime, I hope they could make the place more comfortable. Ramen in Tokyo may be as common as burgers are here in the states, but the atmosphere of a Subway is not deserving of the quality of HoR's cuisine. I won't go out on a limb here and say that House of Ramen is among the highest caliber bowls of noodles I have had in Portland, but I will say that they offer a bowl that MANY over-celebrated businesses in the city wished they came close to.

It is unfortunate when a food experience boils down to whether or not a place had Edison bulbs and comfy chairs; a teak service bar and drinking glasses made of glass, but that IS a part of any successful service/food business model. The problem with House of Ramen is that they don't allow their product's quality to be reflected by where you are eating it. In hindsight, I remember thinking that I wouldn't take a date to HoR, I would only come alone or while in a rush. But why? The food is sure to impress, the people who work there are thoughtful and knowledgeable... Oddly it is an interior design issue. Which is sad because a few minor alterations in lighting, seating, and social media could change that shop forever.

We can only hope and keep coming back :)


Rating:Broth: 8/10
Noodles: 10/10
Meat: 9/10
Veggies: 7/10

Noodle Museum makes mascot shovel snow :)

LOL

[Link to original story HERE]

Double Dragon on Division does Coconut Curry Ramen!

So aside from cheap brews, delicious Banh Mi sandwiches and some on fire Karaoke, Double Dragon on 1235 SE Division has a really good bowl of Coconut Curry Ramen!



The creaminess of this bowl is really unbelievable. As it drops, light spring-onion and cilantro notes linger around a thick curry broth, laced with the uplifting essence of coconut. Upon tasting, the warmth of curry is balanced extremely well with the cool, balmy coconut and as the bowl mixes, the nicely crisped chashu adds a savory pork element that I found really delightful. One thing about this bowl, that is hard to find in a lot of heavier curry broths, is the drinkability of the broth. I found myself really taking time away from my toppings and noodles to sip. It was a nice break from the many salty shoyu broths I have been eating in the past few weeks.



Noticing I was running out of broth (my own fault), I decided to focus more on the noodles and toppings. The noodles here are a good amount of wheatiness and soak up the flavor of the bowl without becoming one giant thick noodle. This is the risk of a thicker broth, clumping the noodles together into a slurpy, vortex tube. A good example of this is Boxer Ramen, who suffers from this a bit with their curry. On the contrary, Double Dragon's noodles remain individually edible and offer a consistent chewiness that doesn't expire. In place of decorative nori, sprigs of coriander lay over a medium boiled egg and some of the better pork belly I have had in the city. Both are dusted with a light, salty blend of spices which add to the mouth watering quality of this bowl. Some sliced snap pea shoots lay at the bottom of the bowl, offering me a palette cleansing freshness at the end of my meal. So good.

I rarely give all positive ratings but I really must say that DD's Coconut Curry Ramen really impressed me. The only problem I have with this bowl of ramen is that there wasn't MORE.
Of the curry bowls I have had in Portland, Double Dragon's is my favorite and I wasn't the only one who thought so... As I look around the restaurant, it seems that every other table is enjoying a bowl! I think ONE person of 20 was just having a beer. That's ramen progress, folks.

Rating
Broth: 10/10

Noodles: 9/10
Meat: 9/10
(two pieces would be a 10/10)
Veggies: 8/10

So the Ramen Taco happened this week...

The ramen taco is born!
However...It may be something akin to Rosemary's baby.

Check out The Vulgar Chef website for more info :P

DIY Shoyu Ramen!

Unnecessary pressure in perfection can lead a lot of people away from making great ramen at home. Naruto, Nori, the broth making process, finding the premium noodles... It can all be a lot to accomplish on your first attempt and it's not uncommon to feel like you're (like our friend Goemon above) boiling in the process! That's why, for ramen at home, I suggest people make a solid Shoyu broth as their first pot. It can be from scratch or you can buy premium starter broths (fish/chicken/beef/pork) from a local market. Personally, I like to make a quick broth from scratch in a crock pot for slowwww cooking, but it's not for everyone.



The Paupered Chef, on of my favorite foodie blogs, put out an easy, delicious-looking recipe for Shoyu ramen! Check it out below and start up your own!

[The Paupered Chef Shoyu Ramen Recipe!]

Boke Bowl revisited! Seafood Miso and Pork Ramen stand up to King Duck.

When it comes to great ramen, Boke Bowl has it down to a science. Touting house-made noodles, rich yet sippable broths, and an array of super scrumptious add-ons, Boke is a true gem amongst the Portland ramen scene. My most recent visit was with some Portland ramen newbies, who didn't know Boke even existed. I was ultra excited to mix-and-match items with these New York noodle connoisseurs and give them a taste of PDX.

In my last post on Boke, I noted how cool it was to see the noodle-making process in action. Given their open kitchen style, it was no surprise to me that they would offer a bit of transparency regarding their methods of putting together such delicious bowls. No canned/packaged stuff here. The dough table is almost a performance piece at Boke Bowl and nearly everyone in the small restaurant seems captivated by the simple, somewhat theatrical, age-old process of making slurpable bread for every one's enjoyment. The experience hearkens back to turn of the century candy shops, delighting anyone who takes a breath between bites. A difficult feat, given Boke's absolutely stunning quality ramen. 

                           

Our guests order the duck ramen (reviewed here) and the pork ramen. I decide to add a touch of USA to my bowl and order the pork ramen with egg, and fried chicken to top it all off. My partner in crime orders the seafood miso with a side of fried oysters. We begin the meal with our favorite steamed buns; the brisket, porkbelly, and chickenx2. It's turning out to be a packed table. Within 10 minutes, our hot, steaming bowls are coming out. Without missing a beat, we all begin comparing presentation and aroma of everything to New York spots we have been to in the past. Names like Momofuku, Rai Rai Ken, and Totto are dropped. The intense urge to dig in is defeated momentarily as we gaze into the beautiful round frame of art before us...
 I place my side of chicken on top of the buoyant bed of floating noodles and like the "slurp heard round the world", everyone is flung into action!

The pork ramen, which I matched with fried chicken is something of a "down home" type of bowl. Shredded pork, not chashu or shoulder, peaks out like an island in a reddish brown sea of shoyu broth. Personally I would have preferred cuts of pork, in a more traditional manner but the creative element it brought to my bowl was worth while. Also, I expected a tonkotsu broth, but that was my own misunderstanding. As I slurp my noodles, I notice the fried chicken releasing an oily gloss into the soup. I slurp closer to the chicken and the rich taste of buttermilk and peppercorn light up my senses. Taking the morsel out of the bowl, I crunch into a still crispy piece of fried chicken. The batter held up! Overall smokiness amidst the thinner soy broth was something of a treat. Usually, in American cuisine, smoke means HEAVY. The pork ramen breaks out of that mold and offers a light, yet hearty smoke profile that doesn't overwhelm.

Next on my must-try list was the seafood miso, topped with fried oyster. The bits of white fish and whole prawns which swim around this milky broth create such anticipation, it almost felt like I was actually fishing. Some hide near the bottom, some of it is blatant and immediately accessible. The miso is a clever broth, most likely a red, and tastes like it made with a light fish stock, maintaining saltiness over fishyness. I could have used a biiiiit more actual fish in this bowl to balance it out. Adding the fried oysters was an interesting mix of texture which my guests seemed to enjoy both in and out of the soup. The crunch did not yield as well as the chicken did, but they didn't stick around in the broth for long anyway. Overall it was a good bowl of ramen, but I was left wanting a little more.

So, another good night eating at Boke. With two more bowls under the belt, I can conclusively say that I haven't had a bad experience here yet. The mixture of creative extras is something that has become somewhat of a hallmark for Boke Bowl. Their willingness to think outside the box while maintaining traditional staples in quality is something that is hard to find in ramen anywhere. The passion surrounding their love for ramen is obvious and anytime I get to do a review of their soup, I invite as many friends as I can :)

Cheers to Boke!

Rating
Pork Ramen
Broth: 8/10

Noodles: 10/10
Meat: 7/10

Veggies: 5/10

Seafood Miso
Broth: 8/10
Noodles: 10/10
Meat: 9/10
Veggies: 5/10

Upcoming reviews and places to go...

It seems like there a million places a week I have to check out based on reading info online or people emailing me about certain noodle shops in town. Some upcoming Ramen and Pho reviews (some visited, some not) are:

Double Dragon for their new Ramen bowl
1235 SE Division

Mirakutei for the 5th time (bringing cam)
536 E Burnside
Oregon Pho
82nd Ave
Pho VanSandy Blvd
Teriyaki Town (Yes, believe it or not they have Ramen... Can't wait)
Sandy, Hollywood Dist
Yoko's for their acclaimed Ramen broth!
2878 SE Gladstone

Slurp steady, readers.

When it comes to Hama on Sandy, stick to what's from the shore...

Ah, the old hole in the wall sushi bar. Hama has been a curiosity of mine since I moved into the Hollywood district and recently, I found out that they have a pretty extensive noodle menu. The red imperial lamps in the window, the railroad style interior, a sushi bar that takes up half of the restaurant---this could turn out to be a pretty sweet little ramen spot! Walking in, there are a few people seated with various dishes in front of them so they must be doing SOMETHING right... Here goes nothing.

I check the menu, the only thing that concerns me is that the word "Flavor" in front of terms like "pork bone", "soy", and "miso". This may indicate a spice packet, synthetic flavoring, or even MSG laced stock. I hack it up to a simple translation error and salivate at the surprisingly numerous choices which lay before me. When my waiter comes over, I ask him if they make their noodles fresh and he doesn't seem to understand what I am talking about. After some discussion with the chef in the back, he comes back to the bar and barks out, "Frozen." to which I am not particularly offended by. Frozen just means they were fresh at one time, right? I go with the Tonkotsu Pork Ramen for $7.95 and a side of sushi for $8.50.

So about 15-20 minutes go by and I have cleared my sushi and some edamame, which were of okay quality. Nothing off the charts. I see a large, steaming bowl leave the kitchen and I just about jump out of my seat to grab it. As it is set down before me I smell the faint aromatics of cooked pork and a sweet smell that must be coming from the yellow corn sprinkled over the soup. I notice immediately that the pork was boiled in the broth, and that the egg is hard boiled. Interesting. Enoki mushrooms and a cabbage-like leafy green top the cloudy, "pork bone flavor soup base"; something that lures me in, as I haven't seen Enoki on ramen in Portland yet. So far, I am rooting for this ramen to be an okay bowl but as I bite into my slice of chashu, I begin to wander down the solemn road of disappointment.



So to preface the utter anticlimax of this ramen, I will say that I (again) realize that this is a sushi bar, not a noodle bar. My purpose isn't to shame restaurants who don't primarily serve ramen by spotlighting their sub-par noodle menus. However, like I said in my harsh critique of Hana Japanese Bistro, if you are going to have noodles on your menu, DO THEM JUSTICE! A half-assed menu item is a half-assed menu item; it just so happens that I hope to illuminate every single bowl of ramen menu items in Portland. No one deserves a crappy bowl of soup, period.

So aside from the chashu being immediately recognized as boiled, the broth that everything in this bowl was boiled in (huge mistake off the bat) is pretty bland. I tasted mild notes of pork, but mostly water and (oddly) cabbage. Both the Enoki mushrooms and the leafy green are really chewy, a result of hard-boiling everything in one pot. As I dig into the cloudy "tonkotsu flavor" to find noodles, I see they too have been potentially boiled in the broth. Bummer. As I bring the noodles to my mouth, I am praying for them to save this bowl but they only drive the last nail into it's coffin. These noodles are so mushy and off-consistency that I could only take three forced bites before feeling nauseated. The texture was like European wheat pasta, overcooked and then left out to dry. Very odd. It's not the worst bowl of ramen I have ever had, but it is a close runner-up.



So here we are again, NoodleTimePDX... A little Japanese nook in Portland producing a sub-par, careless ramen bowl. Wtf, right? MUST there be a hip staff and TV on the Radio playing in a joint for it to produce good ramen? Thank goodness for Mirakutei, right? It's almost as if the silly American notion that ramen belongs alongside dishes like Kraft Mac n' Cheese and freezer burgers has affected the quality of ramen in legitimate Japanese restaurants. As demand grows for our favorite noodle soup, will the quality grow in places like Hama, or will it be up to a new wave of entrepreneurs to set the noodle straight?

NoodleTimePDX will be there to find out.

Rating

Broth: 3/10
Noodles: 1/10
Veggies: 2/10
Meat: 2/10

Biwa! It's darn good ramen and THEN some...

For the last few weeks I have made it a point to visit Biwa on Ash+9th, given some of the harsh critique the establishment has endured from Yelpers, mouthy Internet warriors, and the like. In much of my reading, reviewers have called Biwa pretentious, even overly ambitious. Disgruntled fedora-wearers have even gone so far as to label the (literally) underground Korean/Japanese fusion restaurant as slow, scant on portion, and really ripping it up with such zeal that I just HAD to experience for myself. Not just for the ramen, but to see if it was really so bad!
I have been there four times in one month now and I have to say, I still don't know what the hell these people are talking about.



Biwa is that nook in a basement you can't find at first, but for the smell of food a'cookin' downstairs. As soon as I stepped in, my nose is tantalized by smells of kimchi, soy, cooking meats, and balmy spices. Each time I went, I had a group with me, and on all four outings I was able to find seating within 5-10 minutes. Did I mention I ALSO decided to write this place's notes on a Friday night during dinner hour? Right. I may just have the Flying Noodle Gods looking after me here, but the staff seemed quite ready to accommodate my needs, even allow me to choose my own seating (there was a kid at one of the other tables...you know how THAT is...).



So in a month of ordering at Biwa, I have had about 60% of this food menu. Each time, my guests and I have tried to order an array of different small bites, minding our appetites and our price range. Much of this menu is fairly priced for portion, some of it is about $2.00 too expensive. Much of the age mono, as delicious as it all is, may be a tad bit overpriced. Delving further, the sashimi is quite minuscule for topping over $10.00, but very fresh and clean tasting. It may be the American in me speaking for the ribs (not pictured on this menu, oddly), but they are worth every penny. Each person I took to Biwa was not only satisfied with their food but content with paying what they did. Plus drinks, I don't recall paying more than $25-$30 a person. Not an every night price but nothing over the top.

Personally, when reviewing food I try not to focus too heavily on price. In fact, above all I am here to review Biwa's ramen, but the foodie websphere is prompting me to set some things straight about a consistent experience; not a flash-in-the-pan, you payed me to write something dramatic, I visited this place once at 10pm on a Saturday night kind of review. So on to the ramen, right?



Here we are folks, Biwa's shoyu ramen! As the bowl comes in for a landing, I notice a delicate soy broth, light veggie level (just some green onions and seaweed), the noodles looking bouncy yet soaking up the broth very well (Sun Co.), and the well prepared hanjuku egg(a bit cold in the center though). Overall, this bowl seems to be a pretty good fit after letting loose on some small plates. The chashu is very thin cut, much like bacon (my preference being a biiiiit thicker) but the pork shoulder is undeniably stimulating to not only look at but taste. The first time I visited Biwa, I recieved a portion of pork shoulder rivaling the size of my fist. The next few times it was sliced thinner, then the last time it was large again. Not complaining, but I would have liked to be ramen fisted the whole way through... Yeah. The pork is a rich, smokey/savory addition to the soup which compliments and enhances the mild broth in perfect harmony.



The ramen is pretty basic without the add ons. Being that I am not a fan of ground meat, I skipped the sausage but the wakame add on was quite good as well. This bowl doesn't necessarily lack substance, but it DOES require a boost. I wished so much that they would bring in some duck, maybe even venison or something gamey to enhance the overall experience. Shoyu ramen isn't typically a megaload of fat and collagen, but in the end I was simply left feeling like there could have been more. At $14.00 a bowl, Biwa is currently the most expensive stock/soy ramen in Portland. A title which begs for more options regarding their presumably hottest menu item. Maybe a tonkotsu next? Possibly more add ons? Time will tell. Every small complaint I have regarding this ramen didn't stop me from totally chowing down and then drinking the bowl clean. It's good stuff!



So stop reading people sling their own feces on the internet (except for me of course..) and go check them out! Their ambiance is perfect for entertaining guests or dates, the food is elegant enough to entertain someone all alone. You may just see me there on a Friday, eating ramen and scribbling down notes ;)

Rating:
Broth: 8/10
Noodles: 10/10
Meat: 9/10
Veggies: 5/10

Home made phở made easy!

So I recently got an email asking how I make easy phở at home, without going nuts and making my own beef broth. Given that all you really need is beef stock, ginger, cilantro, cinnamon, a touch of anise and clove to make a quickie broth, I figured I would challenge myself even further and try to find the quickest method in making my favorite Vietnamese noodle soup... One without packet garbage, yet not requiring a 5 hour simmer.

So here you have it, the basic indgredients to make a solid phở beef noodle soup at home. I got all of this for about $15.00 at the Asian Food Market "Hong Phat". Aside from the price being right, the noodle selection in a true market like this is staggering. Choose your thickness (thin being the most typical) of rice noodle, then make your way to the canned goods aisle for broth. I tried to find a pretty healthy, no MSG beef broth for phở but Phở Bac was as close as I could get (yes, it contains MSG *sad* but I am in a hurry, right?). Next up I'll need some round steak, some cilantro, a bundle of green onions, and one white onion. Suddenly I feel a knife calling my name...

I was only making for two, so this is just about how much I needed. After all was mixed i had about 1/3 of a small white onion sliced, three sprigs of green onion chopped, a hand full of cilantro leaves uncut, and my round steak sliced VERY THIN. In later judgement, I didn't slice it as thin as I would have liked, but it didn't mess with the overall soup. If you don't cut ultra thin, it takes a while to cook once the broth has been poured over the bowl and can turn people off. Luckily, we at the Noodle Time house are a medium rare kind of group.

See these noodles? They are perfect rice noodles. Just chewy enough, not soggy or overcooked. This is the product of fresh, refrigerated noodles instead of dry, packet varieties. This took a mere 30 seconds in near-boiling water. This is love. Bring your water to a boil, take it off the heat, wait 10 seconds, drop the noodles in for 30. Drain them, rinse them with cold water, voila! You're doing great :)

I tasted the Phở Bac and it was a bit lacking. Not of the sweeter spices, but the more tangy, zippy aromatics that one finds in the veggies. Here i am bringing the canned broth to a boil with some of everything on my cutting board in the mix. I will pour the broth through a strainer to eliminate over-boiled veggies getting into my soup, but if you are into that bitterness leave them in!

I take a large bowl, throw in a single serving of noodles, layer a few slices of raw round on top (I know, scary), then sprinkle my veggies throughout. If I have some extras I want to add (in this case some roast beef, a few bean sprouts and a lime wedge) I throw them in now. Once everything is in place I take my broth from the burner and pour it directly onto the top of my pile. It cooks the round instantly, lightly boils the veggies and brings the noodles back to life. It's Noodle Time!

Not bad for a rush job! The soup itself is really well balanced, everything is cooked properly, and my table-mates are happy. Practicing home recipes is so much fun and even canned broth can turn into some really tasty product. I wouldn't try it for other noodle soups, but phở is a lot more basic than it's cousins in the cuisine world.

Happy cooking!