Monday, March 9, 2009

Best Noodle House in Bay area

I regard a good bowl of noodles about as important as good lighting and world peace, so I was annoyed to find out that one of the best noodle places in the Bay area had escaped my radar for so long (and upset with certain friends who knew of my noodle disposition and did not inform me!). Well, my very decent cousin finally dropped the word that Santa Ramen (1944 S. El Camino Real in San Mateo) was "in a different league" than other noodle places and I should definitely check it out. I was skeptical at first, but needless to say, I was game for the comparison. Clearly she was right. I had the best braised pork ramen I've ever had. The broth was wonderfully fragrant and savory (though I think I still prefer the miso broth over the pork), filled with green onions and fresh made noodles. But it was the braised pork that took me to heaven. So tender and flavorful, I could only think of the term "like buttah" to describe its goodness.

The restaurant definitely stays packed, but orders are taken while you are in line, and so the food arrives fairly quickly after sitting. The friendly hostess confirmed that they moved to this location from their original one in downtown San Mateo, but they plan to open that one again soon. Sorry, no plans to open one in SF.

My other favorite noodle places: Katana-Ya on 430 Geary St, Taste of Formosa on 2428 Clement and Iroha on 1728 Buchanan.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow, thanks for the heads-up! I'll definitely have to check it out. Sounds like you and your cousin had a great time... Yep, just the two of you. All by yourselves. Must've been nice, the two of you. Together. Cousin #1 and Cousin #2. Nobody else. At least, no one else certainly worth mentioning. Yep.