Since he served his mission in Japan, Kevin is pretty picky about his Japanese food. We have found several good sushi places around here, but something we hadn’t looked for was a place that serves good ramen. Last week I did a bit of internet searching and discovered a ramen place that received high praise for having good, authentic Japanese ramen. The last really good ramen we had was in Hawaii a year and a half ago, so we decided to give it a try. It always helps when the folks doing the cooking know what authentic international foods should aspire to be, so when we walked in and saw that the owners and cook staff are all Japanese, it inspired some hope. And our tastebuds were not disappointed. The ramen was delicious. Kevin had traditional Japanese style curry, and he said that was delicious too. The takoyaki were also good, albeit the amount of sauce was a bit on the heavy side. And the gyoza handmade in the restaurant did not disappoint. To sum it all up, we came away happy with our meal.
In addition to the good eats, we discovered that this establishment doesn’t use any nuts. That means it is a safe spot for Malia. She has been all about the ramen for the past sixish months, eating a package for a snack after school, for lunch on the weekends, on nights when I make something she hates for dinner, etc. As such, we were all pretty excited about the opportunity to let her taste something more authentic than Top Ramen. So, this evening we made the trek back to the east side of the valley to expose Malia to a little bit of Japanese culture.
In addition to authentic eats, this particular restaurant wants to give their customers an all-encompassing Japanese experience. As such, the décor and atmosphere of their shop is modeled to mimic such establishments in Japan. Everything from the music, the art, the anime on the big screen, and the way the wait staff greets the customers just screams out, “Hey!! I’m Japanese!!” It makes it kind of fun. Kevin and I have both been exposed to such situations at previous points in our lives, but our Utah born and raised youngest child has not. We walked in and Malia’s response was, “What IS this??!!” I must admit that I was amused at her reaction. Her life experiences have been fairly limited after all, but she’s not exactly subtle about her opinions. 😂
Malia and I both ordered ramen, and Kev opted for the curry again. Have I mentioned that he really likes Japanese curry? And that I’m not a fan so it’s not something I’ve bothered to learn to cook during our twenty-seven years of marriage? Probably not. So with those tidbits of info, you won’t be surprised to know that he ordered the curry. I was pleased with my ramen, but Malia, who really didn’t know what to expect, was less than thrilled. She described it as different than she expected. And weird. And I’m not sure she super duper loved it. It wasn’t gross or anything, but I think some of the flavors were less…American than Top Ramen. And as such, a departure from what she is accustomed to. But she ate all the noodles, tried a bit of the spicy oil, and enjoyed the gyozas.
I suspect Kev and I will be return customers of this little shop from time to time. In fact, it is just down the street from his office so on the days when he needs to be in the office, he might just dash over for lunch. And there are some other things on the menu that I’d be interested in trying, so I know we will make our way back there from time to time. I’m not sure Malia will join us. Or if she does, maybe she will opt for a giant platter of potstickers. I really don’t know. But whether she decides to give it another try or not, at least she can say that she’s tasted the real thing!
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