And the Search for my favorite SD Ramen comes to a Close

Ever since moving back from Las Vegas, I feel like I've been missing my favorite ramen spot Monta.  Sure I've been a huge fan of Santouka and even Underbelly on certain nights, but I just haven't gotten that Tonkotsu flavor I crave until I found Ramen Yamadaya.

On the suggestion of my little sister, I've discovered my new favorite ramen shop(at least in the San Diego area.)  Yamadaya focuses strictly on the tonkotsu broth, claiming to boil pork bones for 20 hours which really shows in it's rich flavorful broth.

Yamadaya even takes tonkotsu a step further with their koterri option, a rich fattier broth with black garlic oil.  If that's not your thing they also have a traditional tonkotsu or even a spicy choice(with 3 levels,) but for me it's about deep rich pork flavor so Kotteri is my usual choice.  Yamadaya has, by far, the best tonkotsu ramen broth I've had.  After a little digging I came to find out this restaurant originated in the LA area and is a favorite of ramen fanatics.

When ordering ramen, you have your choices of meat and toppings, this particular visit I went a little simpler with the already included egg, green onion, black fungus and bamboo shoots.  Of course you can add even more like corn or any of the already mentioned items.  The meat hidden submerged into the broth are roasted chashu pork, simple slices of roast pork taking it's flavor in from the broth with a perfect tender compliment.  The little plate on the side is an order of kakuni pork belly, if you're looking for your meat to add a little more flavor to your ramen this is it.  The kakuni has strong flavors of soy and ginger and is fall apart tender for that contrast to the creaminess of the Tonkotsu. 

The noodles are also a winner for me, thin with the perfect amount of chew.  They air on the side of angel hair as far as noodles go which so happens to be my preferred thickness.

I usually enjoy some grated garlic in my ramen so when I asked for my favorite condiment I was pretty surprised to see this.  This is the only place I've seen this offered but it's definitely a nice change of pace.  Being so fresh in your broth, this is a bit strong of flavor for some but for me I loved it, I don't know if I can go back to the pre-grated stuff again!

At about $8-10 for a bowl of Ramen, Yamadaya is competitive with the better choices in San Diego.  Add on some combos for chashu bowls and gyoza you're looking closer to $15 for a ton of food.  Overall Yamadaya wins me over on taste, with no gimmicks and great tonkotsu choices, I've found a clear winner when it comes to simple ramen done well in San Diego.  Just make sure you make your way there soon because this place is gaining popularity quick within the ramen-loving community.

Ramen Yamadaya

4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

(858) 483-3431

http://www.ramen-yamadaya.com/

Little Italy...home of...great ramen?

If you've read my post about Monta, you understand my love for a good bowl of creamy tonkotsu ramen.  Now that I've moved back to San Diego, I feel like there's a big soup bowl sized part of my stomach missing I just had to fill.  This brings me to Underbelly located in Little Italy, a stones throw away from the downtown area.  Underbelly takes the traditional Tonkotsu concept and fuses modern ingredients into the mix to create a refreshing ramen experience.

Before I get to the food, I have to mention one of the things I enjoy most about this place, the location.  Sure it's small and if it's cold the open concept can be a little chilly, but I appreciate the view and the modern ambiance the area has to offer.  It makes this location not only unique but adds to the whole experience of being in Little Italy.

And here it is, aptly named the underbelly ramen bowl.  The broth is subtle, light on the cream factor but definitely enjoyable with all the traits of tonkotsu I enjoy.  And yes the pork flavor is there, prominent in it's own right.  The noodles here are the thicker type with a thick bite and aren't my favorite but definitely gets the job done.  The meats are what makes the ramen really shine here.  On the right is the Chashu Belly, roasted tender with a good fat:meat content ratio and a really straight forward pork flavor that goes well with the broth.  At the top of the picture is Kurobuta sausage, a pork sausage with great snap and smokey flavor.  The sausage takes a different approach on the pork flavor you don't commonly find in tonkotsu and creates a great contrast to the broth and adds flavor that goes well with the starch of the noodles.  On the left is an applewood smoked bacon.  The bacon is thick and carries the flavor of the smoking process into the soup.  As any bacon would be, this is fatty and carries the applewood flavor adding a great dimension to the ramen.  The way I look at it, it's kind of a re-imagining of the traditional chashu that makes Underbelly so unique.

Sorry for the quality on this pic, this was taken on a night visit and let's just say the lighting isn't the best!  Anywho, this is another offering from underbelly, this one being called Belly of the beast.  The noodles and broth are the same found in a bowl of Underbelly as described above.  Again, the winning factors for this bowl of goodness are the house made meat toppings.  What you can slightly see over top are the hoison glazed short ribs.  The meat was very tender with a great beef flavor.  The glaze over the surface created a char from the cooking process which added a very welcomed burned flavor to the meat which was great in depth of flavor.  On the left is the brisket which also was tender but took on a very straight forward approach to beef with a more subtle flavor and added the much needed meat content to the ramen.  The dumplings on the right were probably the most interesting being filled with oxtail.  For those not familiar with oxtail, the meat is high in fat and collagen content pretty much due to the bone marrow aspect of the meat.  These properties carried over well into dumpling form as each bite was very rich, fatty and beefy working very well with the pork broth.  This ramen was definitely a dive into the fusion aspect of this place.

Sure they have the red Togarashi pepper you can add, but they also have a chili sauce too!  Look for this little jar, it contains a dialed down ghost pepper puree that caters to those heat seekers.  Although the sauce is made mild, you have the hottest pepper hidden in there and the more you add, the hotter it gets.  The ghost pepper sauce isn't even just about heat though, they managed to get fruity properties of the pepper to come through to add a great flavor to your soup.  Add with caution, but definitely add some.

Until now I've been relegated to the most traditional of Tonkotsu ramen which I enjoyed more than anything.  Underbelly has opened me up to the potential of ramen, using different ingredients to add depth and complexity that I frankly didn't see possible until now.  Underbelly goes beyond simply adding odds and ends to your ramen but rather well thought out meats that compliment the flavors rather than overpower them.

Quick Tip: For you first timers, be prepared to drink from the bowl!  Underbelly does not serve soup spoons, ironically they take the traditional approach and prefer you to slurp the broth straight from the bowl just like the mainland....enjoy!

Underbelly

750 W. Fir St.
San Diego, CA 92101

619.269.4626

Let the King Reign Supreme....RAMEN!

Even though it's starting to get hot around here in Vegas, I stay loyal to my favorite Vegas Ramen, Monta Ramen found in Chinatown.  Actually, now that I think about it, this is definitely on the top of my list for Japanese ramen in general.  I know a few people that think they've tried ramen and that it's no big deal, but ramen goes far beyond the dry noodles you throw in the microwave to cook and a good bowl is a culinary experience everyone should experience.

Monta is small, almost hidden with limited space..  There are about 18 seats with stand-alone tables and about 12 bar seats that look into the kitchen.  If you're a small party, I highly suggest a bar seat just so you get a feel for the whole cooking process.  Size isn't the only issue here though, this place is almost always packed.  If you're lucky you'll come at a slow time and have little to no wait for a table, come at lunch or dinner rush, be prepared for a wait.  This all goes without saying, this place is THAT good, and the locals know it.

Monta Ramen, as you might've guessed is a Ramen house.  At less than $7 a bowl, they have a selection of shoyu(soy-sauce,) Miso(bean paste,) Tonkotsu(pork bone,) and a combination of Shoyu and Tonkotsu broths.  When it comes to choices like this it's definitely all personal preference.  One thing you can be sure of is Monta makes each broth in house, no instant mix here and you can tell. 

This is my typical order of ramen.  Tonkotsu broth is a broth made from boiling pork bones, fat and collagen over a long period of time.  This cooking process creates a milky white broth that's not only rich in flavor but creamy texture.  If you know me, you know this has my name all over it!  The creamy texture is often compared to that of milk or butter without actually having either ingredient involved in the process.  Another integral part of the dish is the noodles.  The noodles are boiled from a soft dough-like state, which I think creates great texture to the noodles.  They are a little bit softer than other ramen noodles I've tried with just enough bite without being overly chewy.

On each bowl of ramen the standard toppings are two slices of chashu pork belly, bamboo shoots, green onions and a few slices of kikurage(Japanese wood ear mushroom.)  On top of that, for a little extra(between .75-2.50,) I usually order extra.  Slices of pork, corn kernels, a soft boiled egg and sliced green onion.  The corn works, because of the butter like nature of the broth, creating a natural and classic pairing of flavor.  The soft boiled egg not only adds a great egg flavor but the richness of the soft boiled yolk just adds another dimension of rich creamy goodness to the broth.  Green onions are added simply because I'm a fan of the stuff and they add a little textural contrast of crunch to the dish.

Ok so you might have noticed I mentioned the chashu pork belly without really getting into it, but really I was saving it for the Chashu bowl($5.75).  Other than the fact the broth(tonkotsu,) is incredible and one of the best I've ever had, this place makes their pork belly in house which just elevates this place to another level all together. The roast pork is cut from a rolled belly preparation, lending to the circular slices you get.  With the ramen the pork literally falls apart in the broth due to how tender it is, held together on the fat side which is perfectly chewy, all of it a perfect meat compliment to the rich broth.  On top of rice is no different, the meat definitely has a more distinct roast flavor with a little bit of seaweed and green onion over top to add some extra flavor and contrast to the dish.  I love that with the ramen, a bite of the pork makes you crave the starch of the noodles and flavor of broth and over rice it begs you to down a little extra rice due to the richness of the fatty pork belly.  Obviously a must order for all you pork belly fans like me.

When it comes to Ramen, I'll just say it, let the king reign supreme.  Monta has been my go to for comfort on many late study nights as the rich broth and pork belly soothes the soul.  There are other great things on the menu like a classic Japanese fried rice, pork belly bowl(slightly thinner and sweeter preparation,) and gyoza.  If you're out just for their delicious ramen, you won't find a shortage of broth choices or toppings, each visit can be just that bit different for you and with prices that I think are very affordable considering the quality.  This ramen, to me, has the total package in elements to create a close to perfect bowl, of course like anything this is highly subjectable.  Like i said, this is about total package grading, not simply broth, noodle or topping alone.  When I leave Las Vegas, this will definitely be a craving I'll miss nursing!

Monta Ramen
5030 Spring Mountain Rd Ste 6
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 367-4600