Eat, Play, Run

Bellevue: boom noodle

I have been wanting to try Boom Noodle since I saw it about a month ago. It's located at Bellevue Square, facing Lincoln Square.

They have a pretty full menu, but all I was interested in was the ramen. As ramen goes, it was a total disappointment. Before I get to that, though, the restaurant itself is quite nice. There's a big bar and plenty of tables in the main dining room. It's a little too modern, but if you're into that kind of thing, I'm sure you'll like it.

The ramen. I ordered the Tokyo ramen, which is served in a chicken-pork broth. I didn't care for the broth at all. It was really salty, thin and lacked flavor. The noodles weren't great either, but compared to the broth, they were stellar. I actually left half my bowl. Maybe I'm spoiled from all those great NY ramen joints and Samurai Noodle down the street from my apartment. But, I didn't find boom noodle at all appetizing.

New York: Ramen Setagaya

Instead of hitting my usual ramen joint, Ippudo, I went to one that has great buzz, Ramen Setagaya. I only knew of the location on 1st Ave. and 9th Street so I headed out there, only to find out later there were two other closer locations.

I took a seat at the bar and immediately liked the feel of the place. Separated by glass, the bar faces into the kitchen. Besides the bar, there are two or three tables and seats at a counter that face out towards the street.

The ramen is served hot and fairly quickly as far as ramen goes. I'm always somewhat suprised as to how long it takes to prepare a bowl of ramen.

The ramen noodles are quite good, served firm, which is the way I like them. The broth is lighter than I'm used to and a little on the salty side. But overall, it's nice. I prefer Ippudo, but if I'm in the East Village, I definitely wouldn't hesitate to eat here again.

Favorite Places: Samurai Noodle

Currently in New York, Japanese noodle houses are all the rage. While the thought of paying $13 for a bowl of ramen may seem ridiculous to Northwesterners, the truth is, the ramen served at places like (personal fave) Ippudo and Momofuku Noodle Bar, is not the ramen you made for 25 cents a package in college, and quite worth the cost.

Moving back to Seattle, I was afraid I would have a hard time finding a nice pork-based ramen. However, it turns out there's a great noodle house just three blocks from my apartment, Samurai Noodle, located outside of Uwajimaya on 5th Avenue.

I've only ordered one type of ramen, the tonkotsu (pork), so I can't give an in-depth review of the restaurant. All I can tell you is that I keep ordering the same thing because I love it. The broth is rich, pork-goodness. The sliced pork melts in your mouth. The noodles aren't spectacular, but they're good enough. At just $6.95 a bowl, I consider this a bargain priced meal.

When ordering, I recommend the ultra-rich broth with firm noodles. To prevent the noodles from becoming soggy, unless you live close, you should eat in the restaurant (if you can get a table... good luck with that) or take it around the corner to the Uwajimaya food court.