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

Leftovers!

I missed on posting a few restaurants that I went to during the summer and decided to combine them in a single post. I might have said this a few times already that I went to Seattle, Washington during the holiday and am going to add on that. Can't believe I forgot to write about my favorite place ever, it is a Russian bakery opened since 1992 also known as Piroshky. Every time I come for a visit to Seattle, I try to come here and buy their Smoked Salmon Pate, no matter how long the queue is. The second place that I forgot to mention is Podnah's Pit located in Northeast Portland and probably the best barbecue in town.

Piroshky, Piroshky, Piroshky :')

Piroshky's Publications. Popular and still the best since 1992. On May 2006, one of the best American chef, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservation came for a visit. Piroshky has been reviewed and published in newspapers: Seattle Post and New York Times, and has got hundreds of good reviews from food critics.

This is the menu, I'm not quite sure why they covered their prices, but it ranges around $4-$5 each buns.

The buns are all fresh from the oven. They rarely run out of the buns because they keep baking it, sometimes if let's say they run out of your favorite buns, the longest time you'll wait is probably around 15-20 minutes.

Buns buns, breads breads, appetizers :)

Most Piroshkies are $4.90 each.

Smoked Salmon Pate, crispy on the outer part of the bun. Hot smoked salmon fillings, they never serve cold buns. Best of the best!

The next place is Podnah's in Portland, Oregon:

It was crowded when we came, so we ended up waiting for around 20-25 minutes.

It was on NE 17th Ave and NE Killingsworth, FYI :)

Pit's Boss with Mac & Cheese and Baked Beans, I really liked the baked beans, mac & cheese, and sausage. I didn't like the beef brisket, I just don't like pork :) My dad and brothers really liked it though.

We ordered the same thing, just with different sides. This is collard greens. We decided to try it because someone said that it was good, it turned out not so bad after all.

Piroshky is quite popular because it is located on the same street as the Pike Place Market or Fish Market. It's always crowded around that area.

That time when I visit Podnah's Pit was my very first time to eat there. My dad saw it on TV and I'm guessing it was on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drives-Ins, & Dives (Video)

For Piroshky, Piroshky the price per person is around $10/person and for Podnah's Pit, it is around  $15/person.

Piroshky, Piroshky
1908 Pike Pl(between Stewart St & Western Ave)
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 441-6068
YELP

Podnah's Pit
1625 NE Killingsworth
Portland, OR 97211
(503) 281-3700
YELP

I Left My Heart in Seattle

During my summer holiday, I went to Seattle for a couple of times and this is one of the many trips. My brother's friend was telling him about some good places to eat and Facing East was on the list. The second place that we always go to whenever we visit Seattle is, Tapioca Express.

We had to wait for around 20 minutes for our table. The wait number was a wooden rice ladle!

Their Opening Hours.

After a long wait, we finally got our table. This dish is called Pork Burger. It tasted a bit weird to me because it was a bit sweet mixed with savory. The wrap bread was really good though. 6/10

Tea Time!

Chinese food without tea is like cereal without milk. This was Jasmine Tea served with sweet-garlic cracker. I'm not sure what that is, but it smells like garlic and it tasted sweet. Good tea and looks quite fancy. 9/10

Five Spices Beef Wrap, the wrap was soft and crispy on the edges. Inside, it's minced beef and tiny bits of onion. I liked this better than the burger because the meat was definitely softer and the wrap is more crunchy. 8/10

Rice is one of the essential in an Asian dine. This is Sakura Fried Rice, I've always loved fried rice no matter what's in it. This simple meal was definitely the best compared to the other meals I tried in this restaurant. It consisted of egg, bacon, onion, and of course rice. 9/10

Egg Tofu, this dish looks more like vegetables with tofu instead of the Tofu being the main ingredient. The was around 5 pieces of heavenly good Egg Tofu. Though I must say that I was quite disappointed my the quantity, but I was really impressed by the quality served. The tofu was really soft and fragile. The sauce was thick and not too strong, just right. 8/10

Sweet and Sour Pork, another yummy pork dish. A mixture of sweet and sour sauce, of course. The pork was really crispy and the sauce was really generous. It consists of crispy pork, onion, red pepper, and the sweet-and-sour sauce. I'm not a fan of sweet and sour, to me they taste funny. 5/10

More pork, Pork Chop. I didn't eat a lot of this because I am not a fan of pork and meat with bones/ribs/whatever you call it. I did eat one of those, it was really soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. YUM! 6/10

There's always space for dessert, am I right? Red Bean Shaved Ice for dessert was definitely the best. We were so full, but we saw a table right across us eating this sweet thing. It was a lot, but we managed to finish the whole thing. Ice was not just cold plain ice, it was sweet. They used condensed milk and some syrup on the bottom for the flavor. The red bean was fresh, soft, and kinda sweet. BEST OF ALL! 10/10

The next day, we went to our favorite bubble tea place, Tapioca Express. Their avocado with pudding and chocolate is definitely a MUST-TRY.

Avocado juice with pudding and chocolate condensed milk. You can choose to add more chocolate, no pudding, or with tapioca. To me, I've never tasted any avocado bubble tea this good. Yum! You can call first and ask whether or not they still have the avocado. 10/10

It looks like a pudding or anything other than a Taiwanese Meatball. I was hoping for something round like any normal meatball would look like. It was soft, gooey, salty with a mix of sweet, and full of meat! The sauce was really yummy and thick. The outer gooey part reminds me of pad see uw, definitely not my favorite. 4/10

Pork Sauce Noodle, YUM! Reminds me of the chicken noodle I love to eat back home in Indonesia. The noodle was soft and the pork was tender and it tastes just right. I love it! 9/10

I love any types of curry rice. This is Curry Chicken Katsu, three of my favorite things mixed in a dish. Egg, chicken katsu, and curry! I must say I loved the pork noodle better than this, but they both scored the same to me. The curry was really thick with a mix of potatoes in it. The smell of the curry was really strong, fresh. Chicken Katsu was crispy and the egg was over-and-easy. 9/10

This is Pork BBQ. The meat is tender and the portion was huge! It was definitely evenly divided, 1/2 portion of rice and the other 1/2 is something to eat it with. The salad was also fresh and healthy because there wasn't that much sauce, it could be a bad thing for some people, but I liked it that way. 10/10

This is their special dish in Tapioca Express, Popcorn Chicken! I suggest that every time you order this, ask for at least 1 star of spiciness because the spices is what makes it a good dish. Not to worry, 1 star isn't that spicy because my brother who has weak tongue could pull it off. 9/10

Last but not the least, Spare Ribs. Let's start with the egg because it's my favorite! It was over-and-easy and cooked perfectly well. The meat was tender and there are lots of fat which makes it really soft, for fat-lovers, this might tastes really good to you :) the portion was big. 7/10

The Facing East is located in Bellevue, WA and it costed around $20 per person for all the meals I ate. Tapioca Express is a whole different kind of dining, this rather small place might count as fast food and people usually hangs out here, not for a dining occasion, but they do serve good food too! It costed around $10 per person max for one drink and a meal.

Facing East
1075 Bellevue Way NE 
(between 10th St & 12th St) Bellevue, WA 98004 
(425) 688-2986
YELP


Tapioca Express
(NEW, better interior and larger)
15230 NE 24th Street. #R
Redmond, WA 98052 
(425) 643-9406
YELP

(OLDER, I like it here better, run out of avocado faster)
22315 Highway 99 Ste. #A
Edmonds, WA 98026
(425) 774-6764
YELP

From Portland to Seattle, Japanese to Chinese

I finally have time to write a blog. It's been, let's see... a few weeks since the last time I wrote something on this site. I guess I was too busy having fun with my family. Sometime last month, we went to Seattle for holiday. Here are some of the food we ate and Hakatamon is my brother's favorite. 

Chicken Curry Rice, Yin and Yang of rice and curry. I always come for this. 9/10

Wakame Soba. Seaweed, noodle, and some broth. Healthy and yummy! 7/10

Dragon Roll, Unagi and avocado and sesame seeds on top. It was crispy and a bit sweet from the avocado. Shareable and I shall give this a 8/10

Every time you order a set meal, you will always get a miso soup. By set meal, I meant curry rice, noodle, and all the single meals. 

This place is rather small so sometimes it can be quite packed. That small door leads to an asian market, Uwajimaya.

Next, I'm gonna move on to what I ate in Seattle, Washington. My family would go head over heels for pork. This is our first time to visit this place and it was worth it. It was recommended by my brother's friend and now I'm recommending this to you all. Hue Ky Mi Gia is a chinese noodle house and their specialty is pork noodle. The business started in Saigon, Vietnam in a food cart, they got more popular and now opened a restaurant with 2 branches.

So this is the barbecue pork noodle I was telling you. Those brown stuff are crispy and that's pork. 9/10

This is fried chicken wings. Crispy on every sides, you won't miss it. Yum! 8/10

Warm and soothing wonton soup. This is perfect for dinner! The wonton was FULL of pork. 8/10

Last but not least, roast duck! It tasted like chicken, but better. 7/10

Hakatamon
10500 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 641-4613


Hue Ky Mi Gia
1207 S Jackson St
Ste 101 (between S 12th Ave & S 14th Ave)
Seattle, WA 98144(206) 568-1268

The other location:
18230 E Valley Hwy
Ste 152 (at 184th St) 
Kent, WA 
98032(425) 282-1268
WEB