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| Shio Ramen |
At 11:40 am on Saturday, 10 minutes after opening, every seat was taken and the wait list was growing. It also took 30 min for the food to arrive. First suggestion: go after the lunch rush. 2 tables for 6 are located at either end of a long narrow space, with the remaining seats propped up facing the bar or the open kitchen. The atmosphere was trendier than the competition: upbeat J-pop piping through the speakers, dark bar top, wooden square blocks covered the walls corner-out to form diamond patterns.
Every waitress and barkeep was tiny, pretty and slender in black outfits. Like Guu, the whole staff shouted greetings when you arrive. Luckily, they didn't shout every order either. I got the Calpico Sawaa ($6): vodka, calpico and soda; Hot Karaage ($4.8): spicy fried chicken; and Shio Ramen ($9.5): sea salt, pork, and soft-boiled egg.
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| Karaage |
The drink was sharp with a bitter flavour, refreshing on a blistering day. Unlike the other shops, you can pick your broth's fattiness (light, regular, rich) and pork (shoulder, belly). I don't know about the rich broth because the regular was almost overwhelming with the first few sips: richly fat and strong; I could practically taste the bone marrow. Perhaps too much of a good thing, second suggestion: go with the light broth unless you are anemic. The noodles were thicker than Kenzo so they were a bit chewier, though both diners have great noodles. The pork belly was also perhaps too much of a good thing. On the other hand, the strip of fat added a nice contrast to the tender meat.
The Karaage was one of just a handful of side dishes. It was lightly battered and not too oily but could have use more spice. The smaller pieces were soft and tender, though the larger pieces had too much cartilage and gristle.
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