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

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. -_-

Legally married!

Hsin-Tien and I attended our civil marriage ceremony today, so now we are legally married! Reception dates are yet to be determined. :p

Special thanks to our parents, including Hsin-tien's mom for flying all of the way from Taiwan, my sister and brother-in-law Drew, and my aunt and uncle for joining us.



More pictures, courtesy of my sister:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sainueng/CourtWedding#

Kendo practice - 20100604

Rather hot practice tonight. I thought I did fairly well. Got some good advice tonight.

Yamaguchi sensei - Don't rush. When I rush I hit and reach with my right hand. Need to stay straight.

Kim sensei - Reach forward more and then hit men (面). Don't cock my right hand and tip back too far. Kim sensei was picking off my kote (小手) with ease. I used to hit this way a while back, but I have been swinging bigger lately because I felt my tenouchi (手の内) has not been enough. The strength of the hit hasn't been there. I think it is time to reevaluate, yet again. :p

Gen Mikuni sensei - Need to commit, especially when I strike kote (小手).

Nishiura sensei - Don't hit too much hiki waza (引き技). I was trying to be more aggressive, and went too far I think. Especially when trying to do shinsa keiko (審査稽古).