Santoka Ramen, Shio flavor

Santoka Ramen, Shio flavor, originally uploaded by dorisaurus.

ramen haiku:

Santoka Ramen
first of my noodle reviews
good but not the best

So the Great Ramen Adventure of Summer 2010 begins. There's a ton of fabulous ramen eateries in the area and in my circle of noodle devouring friends there's lots of debates of which one is the best. Who has the best noodles? The best broth? Who has the best meat?

Of course there's personal preference involved; do you like a clean ramen, a fatty ramen, spicy? So this is just going to be a review of the one that is the best to ME. Luckily (or not?), I've been accused of being a ramen addict after suggesting it for every outing in a two week period. I'd like to point out that we only went for ramen, like, once in those two weeks, proving I only kept suggesting it because we didn't go!!!! Also, this isn't a superpower (or is it?) but I can eat hot noodle soup in any kind of weather. That's what A/C inside restaurants is for.

Getting down to business, then. I'm told that Santoka is a chain that is very popular in Japan, so popular that people will wait in redonkulously long lines for it. Luckily for ME, there's one in Mitsuwa, my local big Japanese supermarket and I didn't have to wait in line at all aside from my friends who were ordering ahead of me.

My favorite ramen is the Tonkatsu broth; thick, fatty, pork goodness. Hey, it's the most green! You use all the yummy bones and gelatin and fat to make the savory and delicious broth. Santoka doesn't offer a standard Tonkatsu flavor, but their Shio broth (normally a clear, salf broth) was pretty much the same thing. Rejoicing and and slurping commenced as this pretty bowl landed in front of me - high marks for presentation. (bowl presentation only. Santoka is in a very food court-type of location, so no atmosphere, disposable utensils, etc.)

I liked the broth - savory and rich without being salty. In fact, there was a slight sweetness to it that a fellow ramen-slurper pointed out. It might not be for everyone but this glutton didn't mind. However, the noodles were a bit mushy, perhaps slightly overcooked? Topping were acceptable, sadly they were out of the special fatty pork but the meat was of good quality. (I could have eaten more meat.) Portions are somewhat smaller than at other ramen joints.

Overall: 3.5 burps out of 5
I'd eat there again, but not my favorite joint.

ISO - Spa Addicts Anonymous

lisadaiye-17, originally uploaded by dorisaurus.

I have decided that spas are one of the greatest inventions of mankind, right in front of USB ports and slightly behind the chocolate chip cookie. If I ever had so much money I didn't know what to do with it, I'd hire a personal masseuse every week and outfit my palatial bathroom with a full hot soaking hot tub complete with a servant to throw rose petals in it for me. It's not just the pure, delicious luxury of a spa, though. It's the joy of sharing such an experience with your girlfriends (one day I'll convince my guy friends to give it a try. They'll pretend not to like it, but I know they would secretly enjoy the experience.)

I have a bit of a massage and spa addict support group with my friends, but we didn't get the support group part quite right. We really just encourage each other to go. Our wallets are pretty much only saved by the fact that we're all so busy it's hard to schedule a time for us all to go together.

This last weekend we inducted a new member - Lisa! The bride-to-be got her first massage EVER and was suitably glowing and ridiculously relaxed. The rest of us just did a little mani/pedi pampering to brighten up for spring. Afterwards, Lisa finally understood why we all like massages so much and said we must go again.

Yes we will, Lisa. Yes we will. :)

Palo Alto Caltrain Station

Palo Alto Caltrain Station, originally uploaded by dorisaurus.

I think it is interesting to note that on my first day riding Caltrain, I witnessed a fatality on the tracks. Like, the clean up crew and CSI type people and a leg..I think...and organs...and things. It's true what they say about a car wreck, you just can't look away no matter how grossed out you may be! And since this happens about once a month, the rest of May should be smooth sailing, right?

That aside, I'm enjoying the new commute method two weeks into it. I calculated that it's saving me 190 miles of driving a week! Holy crap, that is a lot of miles.

Third note, this photo combines my love of two things - train station interiors and fun iPhone photography apps. choo choo!