"Samurai Noodle (sic is not a fancy place. In fact it's a little austere. The narrow wooden stools cut into my legs and deprive them of some circulation which causes me to stand and walk around occasionally during the meal. It's such a small thing. But why talk about the negative aspects, I want to tell you about the terrific food. Frankly, I haven't delved too deeply into the menu. The ramen, particularly the broth, is like being in Japanese heaven, if there is such a thing. Parking is so difficult in the University District, I reserve my visit to eat the menu item I just can't get past, it's a soupy ramen dish called Ton-kot-su. Not to be confused with Ton-kat-su, the breaded and fried pork cutlet. The noodles can be ordered al dente, medium, or soft. The dish comes with a delicious piece of pork floating in the golden soup that has few rivals (rave, rave, rave! , and a handful of little Japanese veggies. There are additional items you can order. I always ask for corn and the hot sauce. There is a super-hot sauce. I'm too afraid to try it. For $1.50 you can get an extra helping of noodles and there is also a larger portion of pork available if you're hungry. I also had an order of pork gyoza with my meal. There were 5-6 pieces served with a little sauce on the side. Not as good as momma's, but maybe the best in the city. In all fairness, the business is oriented toward the kitchen. The food is more than memorable. The front end is unsupervised for the most part. The servers are like deer in the headlights. They are so reserved and barely present. By that I mean, HELLO! It's the price you pay when the chef is all kitchen and clueless about the front end. I swear, the food is delivered by a kitchen employee I had never seen. Makes no sense. The food is authentic, the service is friendly enough, but helter skelter. With that said, I'll leave you now and say Samurai Noodle is worth the special trip even with its shortcomings."
Garlic Chips
