Samurai Noodle: From Japan to Seattle

Last weekend, me and my friends decided to spend our long memorial day weekend in Seattle, WA. One of the most frequently asked questions were: "where should we go next?" and "what should we eat?" I was craving for Japanese food and so we decided to settle on Samurai Ramen as our next destination.

The Samurai Noodle mission to bring traditional Japanese food to Seattle is ongoing! As the stores expand, so does our menu: our newest location brings the taste of true Japanese Izakaya to Capitol Hill with a new menu of authentic Japanese appetizers and sides and a huge sake bar to compliment our famous Ramen.

----- SAMURAI  NOODLE 

 For their noodle/ramen, you can choose how firm you want it to be. From soggy to extra firm.

Japanese Potato Croquette (US$ 2.95)

The mashed potato was deep fried and served with some soy sauce for dipping and little bit of vegetables. They definitely did a great job with the croquette as it is all well cooked and equal crisp on the outside.

Takoyaki (US$ 4.75)

This deep fried octopus dumpling was served with mayonaisse and soy sauce, yum!

Gyoza (US$ 4.75)

This fried dumpling filled with chicken and pork. The crispy part of the Gyoza makes this dish really unique. I've never seen a Gyoza dish cooked and served this way.

A closer look to their Gyoza.

Miso Ramen (US$ 8.00)

The Sapporo style Miso Ramen comes with a block of butter. Chicken broth with miso flavor, wavy egg green onions, corn, bean sprouts and a pat of butter.

Shoyu Ramen (US$ 8.75)

Chicken broth with wavy egg noodles, a slice of pork, green onions and roasted seaweed.

Tonkotsu from Hell (US$ 9.80)

Spicy pork broth with thin wheat noodles, a slice of pork, green onions, corn and marinated bamboo shoots.

Tetsu Max (US$ 8.75)

A peppery chicken broth with wavy egg noodles served on the side rinsed cold. Toppings include shredded pork, marinated bamboo shoots, roasted seaweed and naruto (fish cake).

Tonkotsu Ramen (US$ 8.75)

Pork broth with thin wheat noodles, a slices of pork, green onions, mushrooms, and soft boiled egg (added).

This was my third time coming back to this place. So far, they never disappoint my tastebuds and so, there will definitely be a fourth time.

Samurai Noodle (1)
606 5th Ave. S
Seattle, WA 98104
206 - 624 - 9321

Opening Hours:
Sunday - Thursday
10:00 - 20:15

Friday - Saturday
10:00 - 21:15

Happy Hour (everyday)
14:00 - 19:00

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Samurai Noodle (2)
4138 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
206 547 1774

Opening Hours:
Sunday - Friday
10:00 - 22:00

Saturday
11:00 - 22:30

Happy Hour (everyday)
14:30 - 18:00
21:00 - close

Student Special:
Monday - Friday
14:00 - 18:00
* Tonkotsu, Shouyu, Shouyu-Tonkotsu, Tounyu, and Daily Special are all US$ 5.25 with any valid student I.D. (Dine-in only)

Carryout Special:
Tonkotsu, Shouyu, Shouyu-Tonkotsu, and Tounyu are US$ 5.25 for take-out all day long

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Samurai Noodle (3)
412 E. Broadway
Seattle, WA 98102
206 323 7991

Opening Hours:
Sunday - Thursday
11:00 - 22:00

Friday - Saturday
11:00 - 22:30

Happy Hour (everyday)
14:30 - 19:00

Japan: The Food Heaven on Earth

A few weeks ago, me and my family decided to visit Japan for a short holiday. It was both hell and heaven on earth to me.

NO NO NO NO, because:

• Language Barrier: Not a lot of people speak English.
• Weather: HOT summer, it was around 30 degrees Celsius/ 86 degrees Fahrenheit pretty much everyday.
• Transportation: It takes time to get used to the railway/subway map. See here.
• Price: When converted to Indonesia Rupiah, everything is quite pricey there.
  ( 1 JPY = 113 IDR = 0.010 USD) expensive in terms of entertainment shopping.

YES YES YES YES, because:

• Food: You will always find good food in Japan, all restaurants serve good food.
• Lifestyle: It's interesting to see their lifestyle. The busy, discipline, and clean lifestyle. Funny seeing almost all of the business people are wearing white collared shirts.

This post is going to be all pictures of food I ate in Japan..

Tokyo Belly: Happy Belly

Tokyo Belly has definitely become one of my favorite restaurants. The food they served definitely made my belly happy. I'll definitely come back to eat their sushis! It's located on the West side of Grand Indonesia Shopping Town. For those who remembers Mr. Curry, here's the replacement of it. Tokyo Belly is also managed by Ismaya, which also runs Mr. Curry, Blowfish, Social House, Pizza e Birra, Fook Yew, Kitchenette, and... What did I miss? Visit their website for more! 

Salmon Ikura Horenso Omurice (IDR 58k) Omurice is basically (omelette and rice) The sauce was yum! Salmon and egg cooked and seasoned perfectly. Under the egg is rice. 7/10

Tokyo Belly House Salad (IDR 48k) This was an okay dish, the fried prawns with a touch of mayonnaise tastes alright. The portion is just right for one person.  6/10

Cute cup, hot green tea.

Tokyo Belly Classic (IDR 53k) I don't wanna say that it's the best ramen I've ever eaten, but the broth was definitely on of the best. I wish the egg could be soft boiled egg instead of hardboiled. 7/10

Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna (IDR 38k) I honestly never had anything like this before. The rice was dried and made into cubes. The sauce was something like yakiniku sauce.  8/10

Twisted Salmon (IDR 38k) This tasted okay, just like any other salmon. The plus side of this is probably the extra stuffs on the top. It was a mix of crunchy and soft, yum! 7/10

Chicken Katsu Curry Rice (IDR 54k) Curry has always been one of the greatest things in life for me. This definitely satisfied my belly. I'll come back for this! 9/10

Seared Salmon Tako Bites (IDR 38k) A great dish for Japanese fusion, creative and original! The thing on top is something like edamame, the next layer is seared salmon, the next one below is soft rice, and last but not least is some kind of Mexican taco. 5/10

Blossom Belly (IDR 55k) A mix of seafood in a sushi roll. Crab stick and salmon, a spoonful of teriyaki sauce. I personally loved it and it was recommended by the waiter. We decided to make a second order for this dish, yum! 9/10

Salad for Sides (part of curry dish) I personally wouldn't call this a salad, too much salad dressing. 4/10

Overall, it was okay and I will definitely come back.

Tokyo Belly
Grand Indonesia, West Mall Level 3A
Jl. M. H. Thamrin No. 1
Jakarta Pusat, 10310

Remembered Spring Break: Chicago, Illinois

Eat like a boss, eat like you have no tomorrow

So apparently, I just checked my drafts and looks like I forgot to post my Spring Break holiday blog. And here goes my late post. This was on March, 2013.

This year, the precious one week holiday I decided to book a ticket to Chicago, IL or known as the third most populous city in the US. This city of architecture surprisingly got good foods that worth the wait.

Toshi's Ramen & Prince Puckler's: Eugene's Best Food Experience

Eugene has always been popular for their University and culinary. Toshi's Ramen has got to be second best Japanese ramen I've ever tasted in Oregon. The best in Oregon is, Yuzu (Click here for the review)  

Our main goal to visit Eugene was to check out the University of Oregon, then for sure I knew we were going to eat good food! Then one of my friends said that she knew a good place to eat ramen. She also said that there's a good place to eat ice cream, Mr. President once visited Prince Pucklers and tried their ice creams.

Boke Bowl: BEST FRIED CHICKEN BUNS!

I just got home from one fine dinner and a well spent Friday. My friend recommended this Japanese fusion restaurant that she tried. She said that the Ramen was not that special, but the steamed buns were YUM! and I agreed.

Boke Bowl is located on Southeast Portland, around 5 minutes from Downtown Portland by car. These are the things that they offered:

It was packed when we came and there was a short queue before we could order. We had to order and pay before we could find our seats, that's just how they roll.

The cashier right near the entrance. PAY BEFORE YOU EAT!

KITCHEN

KITCHEN

KITCHEN

PACKED! :( lucky there was an empty table just enough for us.

Finally got our table and this is how crowded it was.

Pork Ramen. I honestly thought it tasted a bit weird. There's something about the noodle that I don't really like. It wasn't as soft as usual and the soup tasted kind of sweet which is weird to me. They gave such generous pork meat though. (7/10)

Probably the best Fried Chicken Bun I've ever tasted. I will definitely come back for this. It was really crispy and seasoned well. The bun was soft just like Chinese buns, YUM! It was really delicious, one bun was just not enough for me. (10/10) 

Seafood Miso. This was my friend's, he said it wasn't that good.

Seafood Miso close up

Pork Belly bun, my friends said it was not that good compared to the fried chicken. I didn't try it because I don't like pork :|

YUM! Table full of food is always the best.

I will definitely come back for you!

The price per person was around $15-20, I feel that the Ramen was not that worth it. I LIKED THE BUNS A LOT THOUGH! :) They open at 10:30am to 3pm on Monday to Wednesday on Thursday to Saturday, they open at 10:30am to 9:30pm.

Boke Bowl
1028 SE Water Ave
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 719-5698
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