Monday, October 27, 2008

Ramen House Ryowa

Ramen House Ryowa
2068 University Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 883-0667

and

859 Villa Street
Mountain View, CA
(650) 965-8829

Ramen from Ryowa are super yummmy! Both Ryowa's offer the same ramen but some different entree items. Ryowa's noodle is thick and chewy. The soup is hot and rich, and it does not leave me thirsty right afterward like most ramen places. The chashus were thinly sliced but they give you a lot, and they were tender. The chashu was not overly salty nor overly fat. The ramen, depends on what you order, comes with lots of side stuff like fresh wakami as well as the dried one, green onions, bean sprout and half a boiled egg.

Buttercorn Ramen

Ryowa gives you huge portion. My friends and I are big eaters and we left with our bellies full. They also have a few condiments on the side, one being a jar of kimchee.
The service was okay at the Berkeley one, and the service at the Moutain View one was pretty good. The waiter from the Moutain View one kept refilling our barley tea, and when he didn't, he left a big jug of it in front of my friends and I, so we can pour more if we like. The place is pretty clean, with a shelf of comic.

So far I have tried the Buttercorn Ramen, which I highly recommend. I also tried the Shoyu Ramen and Vegetable Ramen, which is vegetarian and made with vegetable broth. I also recommend their Chicken Karaage, which is the best one I had so far out of all the ramen places. The mayo and the dipping sauce that comes with the Chicken Karaage are delicious. The cabbage salad that comes with the Chicken Karaage is very light and refreshing, which is a really great balance with the heavier fried chicken.

Chicken Karaage
I will go back to Ryowa again and again if I really want a hearty and carby bowl of Japanese ramen.