Ramen and Rainy Days

Cold rainy days are the best kind of days to snuggle under a blanket with a good book in tow... or a Kindle (it's on my Christmas wishlist). Those are the kinds of days when a cup of steaming hot chocolate becomes extra tasty, sopas is at its' creamiest, and when ginataan becomes doubly hearty.  Well for me anyway.

Tonight I'm craving for something else.  It's been raining on and off all day and all I can think of is... ramen. :D A big steaming bowl of scrumptious ramen.  Yum-my.  One place I go to, to get my ramen fix is the Ramen Bar at Eastwood Mall.  This is the real deal.  Authentic Japanese Ramen.  They are serious about their ramen over there.  I've tried the R.B.S. (Ramen Bar Special) #1 and the Sapporo Miso Ramen as well.  They differ in the kind of toppings they use and in the degree of sweetness/saltiness of the broth.  The miso-infused broth of the Sapporo Miso Ramen is a tad sweeter.  They serve it up in a massive bowl that'll probably be enough for two.  But if your appetite is anything like mine, you wouldn't want to share. :)  I gotta tell you their ramen hits me in all the right places. 

As soon as the server places the bowl in front of you, the savory aroma of the broth hits you giving you a glimpse of what's to come.  You then notice the array of toppings and noodles that are barely visible under the milky broth.  You take your first sip of the broth and the flavors start to dance in your mouth.  The noodles bring it all together.  They make their own noodles from scratch and they are perfectly firm and chewy.  I can't help but appreciate the amount of work that was put into my bowl of ramen.  It's the broth that makes the dish.  I heard they boil it for 20 hours before they serve it.  You can't get any more authentic than that.  In an attempt to eat healthy [-ier] I usually request that they change my topping from chasyu (sliced pork) to karaage (fried chicken) which is silly since their broths use pork bones as their base anyway.   

A word of caution though.  Their ramens are a dream but their service left a bad taste in my mouth.  Also their rice toppings weren't really that good.  But really, who goes to the Ramen Bar for rice toppings anyway?  This is why I only go when I'm seized with a ramen craving-- a phenomenon that happens roughly every 3 months.

Hmmm great.  Now I really made myself hungry.  Since it's this late, a cup of instant noodles will have to suffice.  Boo. :(


~Mich :)