I've been wanting to check this place out for quite a while now. Not only because I go to Japan a lot and have eaten A LOT of ramen in my days, but because it is generally slammed pretty hard on Yelp, most of the comments coming from lovers of Underbelly (which is the worst ramen in San Diego).
So me thinks it can't be all that bad ;-/
So me thinks it can't be all that bad ;-/
Let's check it out!
BEER and Japanese food. Late night, or fast, Japanese food. Not fine dining, so if you go here be ready for not that.
They have an extensive tap list with lot's of local choices.
This is the Widmer Saison I believe. Crisp and fruity. Yummmmm.
A very rustic/industrial interior abounds. I love the foot rests, this in lieu of a bar or ledge. Cinder block and black paint, nice. They also have USB charging ports on the bar, also nice.
I'm chilling with HG for the first round, then she's off for a mini girl's night. Mid-first beer she turns to me and says:
"You gonna do pictures and shit?"
Yeah HG, I'm gonna do pictures and shit. Sheeeeeesh....
Here's some pictures and shit
I'm starting with one of their buns, the Braised Duck.
The toppings are minimal and light, letting the duck shine through. Delicious big duck/poultry flavor. The bun is super light and airy.
Octopus Skewers
You can TOTALLY tate the charcoal flavor bouncing off the octopus, reminds me of Shibuya.
This was awesome. I'll order it every time I'm here. A light sweet sauce as well.
Chicken Heart Skewers
Fresh garlic, ginger and herbs are atop. Fresh and bright flavors enhancing the deep chiken flavor of the hearts. Firm but not chewy at all. If you like chicken you'd like this. Just close your eyes and open your mouth.
Green Flash SoulStyle IPA
Shishito Peppers
They have the flavor of bell peppers, no heat, but these are lightly grilled and adorned with a soy based sauce of some sort. I ate them all.
Beef Tongue
If you like fillet mignon, you'd love this. Soft but not mushy, deep beefy flavor. Like the best cut from the cow. Again, if you close your eyes or don't know what this is, you'd think Moooooooo!
And then this happened
Tonkotsu
This bowl is the standard offering, not additional add-ins, of which they have many.
Two slices of pork belly, or really thick bacon. Smoky and yummy
I thought it could use a little spice so I asked for it. Wish I hadn't cause I was buzzed and I dumped the whole dish in, and then proceeded to eat it all. Gut bomb at about 4 am.....
Was good going down though!
The egg was a little runny for my taste but I liked the color on the outside, meaning that they had boiled it in something good.
Don't come here expecting great service, unless Matt is working, cause you will not get it. That is probably the only area that they need work in. Attention when someone needs a beer, or when you finally give the beer take away the dirty dishes in front of them. Other than that, this place rocks. Real Japanese Izakaya food, decent ramen, best in North Park for sure, great selection of beers.
I'll be back soon, save me a seat.
Ramen, slurp it up
DVA
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