4 dan!

On my fourth try, I finally passed my kendo 4 dan exam. It is both a relief and a stepping stone forward. Many thanks to all my senseis and people who practiced and tested with me. And a big thank you for my wife for letting me attend all of those practices.

I must admit that my kendo now feels much more solid than the first time I tested 2 years ago. Although, I think I was in better cardio shape back then, my kendo now is much steadier and I think my eye for reading an opponent has improved significantly. However, I am still prone to being reactive than proactive. Never going to run out of things to work on, I guess. :p

Bay Area Ramen rating update - 11/27/2010

Wow, it has been a while.

There is a fairly new Ramen place in town, called Ramen Tenma on Saratoga Ave, in the Lion City strip mall between Mitsuwa and Halu Ramen. They claim to be Okinawa Ramen, with a pork bone soup base and thin noodles. Despite being pork bones, the soup is very light and not oily at all. The flavor is arguably a little light. They also have Okinawa Soba, which tastes more like a konbu based broth. Also very good.

Ramen Tenma also has some interesting appetizers. One is the fatty pork that you can find at other ramen places. Another is a set of 4 pieces of chashu w/ some melted cheese on top. I would recommend trying this one. Lastly, they have something called the Okinawa Bowl, which is andasu over the rice. It seems to be some kind of flavored, almost fermented pork. It's an interesting try.

Overall, I think Ramen Tenma is a decent addition to the Ramen scene in the Bay Area. And Hsin-tien and I appreciate how close to our house it is. ^_^

Pictures:




Revised list:

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

Middle
Ramen Tenma (Okinawa, pork based)
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