Chow Down Atlanta

So if you haven’t been to a Staplehouse underground dinner yet then you’re missing out. I like it that theirs is more intimate. And the food is really good. And Ryan is brilliant. And Jen is so sweet. And. Just go already!

Small batch soup. The soup changes every week. Get on their email list to get the scoop. Last week it was pork rib and udon. This week it was pork and beans. Made from scratch with top notch ingredients. Omg, the soup is so hearty. Lots of chunks of meat. And it’s delicious!!! The pork was so tender and smoky and the broth is so tasty. Perfect with a crusty baguette slathered with lots of butter.

They come in plastic quart tubs that cost $18. There’s a limit of 2 per person. And get this — they deliver free in Midtown, Westside, and East side Atlanta. Pick-up and deliveries are on Saturdays. Cash only.

Technorati Tags: soups

It’s the season for soups and my current obsession (among other ethnic soups especially ramen) includes yukgaejang. This has always been one of my favorite Korean soups. I love the spicy, savory, beef broth with a hint of tang. Gochugaru gives it this beautiful deep red color that glistens. The smell is intoxicating. It is filled with oodles of goodness: shredded tender beef, soft gosari and taro stems, leeks, and in a few places, homemade clear, fat noodles. I find that Tohdam Tofu makes the best yukgaejang. And the second best is here.

The yukgaejang here has all the requisite players including bean sprouts and lots of stirred in beaten eggs. The broth is bold and tasty. But what sets this place apart is their hand-rolled noodles. For an upcharge of $2, you can have chewy noodles added to your soup. What’s not to like?

Other notables here include the spicy pork bulgogi (tender and spiced just right) and bibimbap. Family-owned and attentive service.

In the Kroger plaza on the corner of PIB and Pleasant Hill.

Jang Choong Dong
3455 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.,
Suite 960E
Duluth, GA 30096
678-417-6644

Technorati Tags: soups, Korean, Duluth, Gwinnett

All the ramen I ate in 2010. Total number: 40 45.

That’s a bowl of ramen roughly every 7 days!

Hi. My name is Chloe and I’m a ramenholic.

It all started when I was 4. Homemade ramen was a common 3PM snack at home. My mom’s delicious, from-scratch, bastardized Chinese version had curly ramen noodles, shredded chicken, and hard-boiled eggs.  I ate it with a toast slathered with butter or a roll, dunking pieces of the bread into the hot broth.  Fast forward to today.  I have constant vivid visions of bowls with steaming, glistening broth and chewy, yellow noodles. The mere memory of the smell of the savory soup is enough to drive me nuts. Enough that I’ve missed appointments, driven like a maniac, taken detours, circled the city like a madman, worked my day around kitchen times… just to get to a ramen place.  Luckily, there are great places in the city that can feed my ramen addiction. Foursquare mayorships? Check.  Of three places? Check. Check. Check.

Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup, derived from the Chinese, that consists of egg noodles and broth. There are different types of broth and many kinds of toppings. The four kinds of ramen categorized into flavor bases are: tonkotsu (made with pork bones), shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), and miso (fermented soybean paste). Each has a distinctive taste. All are delicious. Common toppings include roast pork, seafood, chicken, pickled ginger, pickled mustard leaves, seaweed, bamboo shoots, boiled eggs, and mushrooms. It is a comforting dish and a complete meal, good in any weather.

While there are many restaurants to get ramen all over the city, the best true Japanese ramen in Atlanta can be found in four places. Topping the list at number one is none other than: Yakitori Jinbei. The tonkotsu ramen here is nothing short of excellent. The ultimate comfort and happy food –  you know, food that makes you happy when you eat it. The broth, made with pork bones simmered for hours is milky, creamy, and rich. It has that silkiness feel in your mouth.  The taste is so bold and rich.  So balanced.  Thin slices of fork-tender roast pork top the soup. Yellow ramen noodles that are chewy are plentiful.  You haven’t tasted ramen this good in this city.

Hi, my name is Chloe and I’m the foursquare mayor of Haru. Haru Ichiban is the only place in the city that serves all four kinds of ramen. Their tonkotsu ramen comes a close second to Jinbei. This is where Atlanta sushi chefs go to eat ramen.  The broth is as bold and and as rich. You can taste the creaminess in the soup. It comes in a humongous bowl and topped with the traditional pickled ginger. It also has lots of seaweed and pickled mustard leaves. It’s hearty. The noodles are eggy and chewy. The roast pork slices are thicker. Come early in the day when the broth is fresh as it tends to get on the salty side towards the end of the night.

The most memorable ramen I’ve had this year came as a surprise. It’s from none other than Taka. I’ve been to Taka numerous times but never had the ramen.  I tasted it when he first started serving lunch a few weeks ago. It was the most delicious, mind-blowing soy sauce-based broth I have ever tasted. Let me tell you, the wow factor was beyond belief. And it’s been constantly haunting me.  Chewy noodles that are thickish, sourced from Japan, are allowed to swim in Taka’s magnificent broth.  It has the perfect saltiness. Light but bold in flavor. It has hard-boiled eggs and huge pieces of pork belly. This, my friends, is a five-star shoyu ramen.

Hi, my name is Chloe… you get the picture now, right?  Second to Taka, Blue Fin Sushi in Duluth puts out the best chashu shoyu ramen. I grew up eating food from the chefs here who used to work at now defunct SakanaYa. Did you know, I’ve also seen Taka here? The clientele here is mostly Japanese and Korean, thanks to the golf course around back.  The soy sauce-based broth has deep, rich flavors. Soy sauce is used to enhance and season, and does not overpower the true taste of the broth. The noodles here are thin yet chewy. Each bowl comes topped with 5 glorious slices of tender roast pork. Filling, yes.  Good, absolutely.

Four amazing ramen places. Four chances to get your fill.  What are you waiting for?

Oh, by the way, you have to see the movie.  I’m not a drama/chick-flick kind of girl (explosions, guns, blood, and violence are more my thing) but my lovely friend Jen got me into it.  Ramen in a movie — what’s not to love?

Yakitori Jinbei

2421 Cobb Pkwy SE
Smyrna, GA 30080
(770) 818-9215

Haru Ichiban

3646 Satellite Blvd
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 622-4060

Taka Sushi Cafe

375 Pharr Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 869-2802

Blue Fin Sushi

2863 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Duluth, GA 30097
(770) 232-5004

Technorati Tags: ramen, Japanese

Go. Go. Shabu. Shabu. (Asians have a way of repeating words and I love it.) Now if you’re enjoying the cooler weather we’re having as much as I do, then you know it’s time for soups. I’ve waited all year for this: so I can eat (Korean) soups again. Go Go Shabu Shabu opened before the summer and I’ve been meaning to try it out. First thing I noticed about this place is the color of the walls. It’s a migraine-inducing, obnoxious lime. It’s catchy. It’s different. But trust me, take that Maxalt before hand.

So what to eat at this place? Well, shabu shabu, of course! Cooked table-side, a big pot of broth good enough for two is served with an assortment of veggies (yes, I ate them), and paper-thin slices of beef brisket. You let the soup boil and add veggies and the meat to it. Mmmm.

One thing about this place, though, is that I found their broth to be lacking in flavor. You’ll have to doctor it like we did. A splash of this, a shake of that, a spoon of this, and voila– good, hearty soup. $29.99 for two. In the Assi Plaza Suwanee.

Go Go Shabu Shabu
1290 Old Peachtree Rd NW
Suwanee, GA 30024
(770) 814-8989

[tags]Korean, Suwanee, shabu-shabu]/tags]

You know, when you go enough to Asian places, you get wind of what’s hot, what’s not, who’s new, and who isn’t. On my weekly trip to Assi Plaza, I learned of a new ramen place just up the street. I’ve been back twice since it’s July 21 opening. Korean owned, this Japanese ramen house makes fresh noodles on site. You seriously need to watch how they make them especially the part where they cut them.

Just like any true ramen houses, Umaido offers only three kinds of ramen soups: regular, miso, and spicy. Soups are made in huge stainless vats and kept at boiling temperatures. Each bowl is topped with tender, flavorful slices of roasted pork, “hot-off-the-press” noodles, fresh bean sprouts, seaweed, black sesame oil, and a soft boiled egg. While the broth is a little under-salted to my liking on both visits, something a few shakes of salt easily cures, the overall effect is much like the ones they have everywhere in Japan. It is simply comforting. All three choices are excellent.

The Chasyu Rice Bowl is a great accompaniment to the soups and if you’re a big eater like me, you’ll find the soup-rice combo as quite satisfying. Served in a bowl no bigger than a regular rice bowl, the serving is small. Rice is topped with slices of the same pork used in the soups with a few dashes of mayo. I’m not into mayo at all so I just skip it.

On my first visit, the gyoza were over fried. They’ve since perfected this slight kink and they now come perfectly cooked. Incidentally, for a limited time, two soup orders come with a free order of gyoza. Eight pieces of steamed then fried pork gyozas are served with chili oil which you must mix with soy sauce to get the full effect. Pretty tasty.

I really like this place. I love the straight, uncurled ramen noodles they make. I like the contemporary space and über-cool bar tables. Best of all, I love the yelling when they greet you as you come in.

Insider tip:
Just like any good Korean places, cold barley tea is served instead of water which is available upon request.
Service is impeccable.

The scoop:
Umaido
2790 Lawrenceville Suwanee Rd
Suwanee, GA 30024
(678) 318-8568

Technorati Tags: ramen, Suwanee, Japanese ramen