Join the Club: ‘Top’ Ramen at Peninsula noodle house
December 31, 2004
The fast-food industry has packaged instant gratification. This convenient way of eating, or grazing, has grown from Big Grab and snack-sized pouches of cookies, chips and candy to ready-cooked soups and meals that only need heating.
Sure we can say that “it’s fast,” or, “Hey, it was 10 for $1,” but eating plastic containers of pre-made ravioli or pouches of freeze-dried fried noodles and dehydrated vegetables always seemed as if I was getting the short end of the stick. My body thinks I ate something because food is in my stomach, but my mind is lacking fresh and wholesome food and all the flavors that go with it.
Take “Cup of Noodles.” How many times have we seen stacks of the light blue, pink and brown packages of the crunchy, wiggly noodles in college dwellings? My friends would tell me about their buys at Costco, Target or Grocery Outlet, and the word “ramen” would always find its way in between “toilet paper” and “detergent.” Rip open a package or a lid, add hot water, let it sit, and it’s ready for eating.
Ramen has become synonymous with instant noodles. But it is not an instant food. Fresh noodles are used, and it takes hours, sometimes all day, to cook and perfect the broth.
Ramen originated in China, and the word “ramen” is the Japanese-pronunciation kanji characters for “lo mein,” a Chinese noodle dish. Ramen was eventually introduced to Japan, and the dish became popularized by a samurai in the 17th century. After 400 years, ramen is still one of the most popular dishes in Japan, with varying and flavorful soup bases and toppings.
Making homemade ramen isn’t something you want to do. Leave it to the cooks at Ramen Club in Burlingame, who will present a big bowl of steaming hot ramen in front of you in less than 10 minutes.
The small Peninsula restaurant fills up quickly during lunchtime, and those on the waiting list mill about outside watching Caltrain whiz by. I grabbed a corner table by the window and began my ramen meal somewhat instantly.
Simple wood and green vinyl chairs set the tone for the modest Ramen Club. Colorful face masks line the bar, which seats about 10 and provides a front-row view of cooks preparing noodles, sushi and sashimi.
The sweet and savory smell of the ramen hit me as soon as I walked in and saw chopsticks diving into bowls of noodles. Ramen is categorized by the type of broth and seasonings, the four most popular being shio (plain, salted, transparent soup), shoyu (clear broth, with a soy-sauce base), miso (seasoned with crushed miso-soy-bean paste) and tonkotsu (white and milky color from pork-bone soup base).
There is a quartet of straightforward toppings: seaweed, spinach, preserved bamboo shoots and roasted pork. Shio Ramen ($6.50) was about one of the most honest bowls of noodles I’ve had in a while. Nothing pretentious, no curve balls: just fresh and fluffy ropes of tender egg noodles surrounded by a simple yet savory broth.
Three thick slices of marbled pork were fork-tender and fell apart nicely into my noodles. The pork, or chashu, wasn’t the overly sweet and pink kind you’d find at a Chinese restaurant — this pork looked and tasted like pork.
A whole new experience came with the Miso Ramen ($6.50). My noodles were coated in flavorful and fragrant miso. The broth was just slightly oily, but the flavors and the textures went well together, especially the way the subtle saltiness of the bamboo shoots worked with the succulent spinach. At lunch you also get a plate of fried gyoza — potstickers stuffed with minced pork and vegetables.
There is a nice selection of appetizers, from pickles and salads to yakitori and a simple Ume Onigiri ($3.25). The warmth of the rice brought out the flavor of the dried nori and softened the salty and tart pickled plums, all tightly wrapped in seaweed.
Curry Rice ($6.50) is a quintessential Japanese comfort food, and it was served here as an excellent orange-brown stew of soft carrots and potatoes. Sometimes you get gluey curries, with an Elmer’s consistency and a grainy undertone. Ramen Club’s was smooth, velvety and scrumptious with the sticky and moist rice.
Although a bowl can set you back a couple economy packs of that packaged stuff, you can’t go wrong by treating your stomach and mind to a decent and delicious bowl of noodles at Ramen Club. Give your taste buds a break, and enjoy the simple sweetness of the broth, without all the MSG and sodium.
Ramen Club
723 California Dr.
Burlingame, CA 94010
650-347-3690
Hours: Lunch: Tue. – Fri. 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.; dinner: Tue. – Sat. 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Prices: Ramen: $4.75 - $8.50; appetizers: $3.25 - $10.50; sushi: $2.75 - $9.50; entrees: $5.75 - $6.50
Credit cards accepted.
Reach the Picky Eater at pickyeater@asianweek.com.
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