Bay Area Ramen rating update - 8/15/2010

Hsin-tien and I tried Kumako in downtown San Jose a couple weeks ago. That was definitely a mistake. The only reason we went there instead of any other restaurant in Japantown San Jose was because we didn't get there until 2PM and all of the other Japanese restaurants are already closed. Nothing about the ramen was good, in my opinion. I didn't like the soup, noodles, or chasu. I would never go back again unless all of the restaurants were closed again. And even then, I would seriously consider going somewhere else...

Hsint-tien and I tried Katana-ya (刀屋) in downtown San Francisco yesterday, when we took a friend of hers to SF. When I saw their menu, providing a diverse mix of broth and many rice dishes and even sushi, I pegged them to be about Himawari or Ryowa's level. I was right. Both of us tried the Katana-ya ramen, which was unorthodox. It was a soy sauce broth, with corn, seaweed, chasu, fried gyoza, and fried chicken. For only $13, it was well worth its value. The fried chicken, or chicken karaage (), was actually pretty decent, and even withstood soaking in broth. I can't help but wonder if its four start ranking on Yelp is helped by people dropping by after drinks late at night. ^_^



Two updates this time.

Revised list:

Top
Santa (Tonkotsu)
Orenchi (Tonkotsu, Shouyu, Shio)

Middle
Maruichi (Tonkotsu variation)
Ramen Dojo (Tonkotsu stamina)
Santouka (Shio)
Haru (Various)
Ryowa (Butter Corn)
Himawari (Tantan, Shio)
Katanaya (Kayanaya ramen, shyouyu-based)

Bottom
Kahoo (Shio)
Ajisen
Kumako

Question mark?
Ogisan in Campbell. New

Bigger men strike

Tonight, Tanaka sensei reiterated that I wasn't raising my hands up enough before striking men (面), sashi men (さし面), in particular. I didn't understand him the first time but I think I see now. Because of all the pressure to get faster, my form has been changing and deteriorating. This advice, raise up and hit from above, was what I used to tell beginners in Illinois. I feel kind of ashamed when I realized that I was no longer following my own advice. -_-