Ramen photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Every so often, I start craving a bowl of saimin, a steaming hot bowl of noodles in a tasty broth. In Hawaii, saimin, our local variation of ramen, is so common that it’s served at the concessions for sporting events or at McDonald’s. It’s the epitome of familiar comfort food.
So far, in the Boston area, Alán and I have tried two different shops: Sapporo Ramen in the Porter Exchange Plaza, and Ken’s Ramen House in the complex that houses the Super 88 market.
Sapporo Ramen, nestled among a cluster of other Japanese restaurants in small stalls, offers generous portions and friendly service. Today, I ordered the vegetable miso ramen, served with either the vegetable or meat based broth. I loved the heaps of bean sprouts, bok choy, and won bok. Sapporo Ramen offers satisfying, relatively standard fare. Plus, I can pick up some shokupan just a few stalls away.
Alán and I are partial to Ken’s Ramen, however, with its flavorful broths, tasty slices of pork, corn kernels, and noodles that are just the right texture and not at all over-cooked. Even the spartan decor of this place reminds me of the noodle shops back home — except for the Red Sox paraphernalia. Ken’s Sapporo noodles, slightly firmer and chewier, are worth getting!
Next place to try on a leisurely Saimin Saturday or Sunday: Mentei.
[...] weekends are reserved for dim sum indulgence, but recently, we’ve been in a ramen phase. We dropped into Men Tei Japanese Noodle Cafe for our ramen fix for today. Tucked in a side [...]