Chibakiya - Mitsuwa Legendary Ramen Fair

2/15 ~ 2/18 Limited Time Only!

Mitsuwa Marketplace
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd # 119
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 569-6699

It's not every day that a ramen fair hits Southern California. With that said, I gave up up one day's pay to make the hour and a half trip down to San Diego. It was definitely worth it just by the beautiful weather alone. A clear blue sky hovering over a crystal clear ocean with Catalina floating in the distance--a great way to start off this mini ramen trip.

Chibakiya is known for their Shinasoba and claims to be very popular in Japan. After waiting in line for 10 minutes, I was getting a bit impatient. Hopefully it will all be worth it.


There's nothing like a gourmet ramen served in a styrofoam bowl. At least they have proper spoons. This ramen looked delicious. I felt my excitement about to burst as I carried my tray to the table. Just seeing the pork fat floating in the soup was giving me goosebumps. And after the first sip...it was lip numbing good. Not bad, not great, just really good. I think my tastebuds have been used to being spoiled from my Japan trip. Anyway, I still liked it. The soup was hot (which was good) and I think I may have burned my tongue. The toppings (a hanjuku egg, menma, negi, nori, and a yummy piece of chashu) worked well together and left me wishing there was more. The thin, crimpy noodles were a tad overcooked, but there was plenty of them. There was also plenty of MSG which crept up on me during the drive home. Overall, it was good to see Chibakiya in southern cali and I would welcome them back anyday!


By the way, I drove by some of the areas affected by last year's wildfires. It was crazy! I hope everyone affected is able to move on from them and rebuild their lives.

Teri Cafe - Oceanside, CA

2249 S El Camino Real
Oceanside, CA 92054
(760) 722-8399
www.tericafe.com

I woke up this morning to the sound of pounding rain and the sight of thick gray clouds. A perfect day to drive down to Oceanside and eat ramen at Teri Cafe I thought. Man...what was I thinking! I didn't realize that traffic from LA to Oceanside would be so bad on this let's-just-stay-home-because-it's-raining day. After close to two hours of driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic, we finally arrived with huge expectations desperately hoping that the drive would be worth it. I've often heard whispers of how great Teri Cafe's ramen is, but being more than just a stone's-throw from LA, I never took them seriously. After all, the Hawaiian-esque nature of the place made me think that it would be more like saimin than ramen. As we approached and entered the cafe, it reminded me a lot like those other hawaiian bbq restaurants (L&L, The Loft, Ono). Strictly here just for the ramen, I found it hard not to salivate after seeing the teriyaki chicken, beef, and fried shrimp. Perhaps I'll just take some of that home to go. Anyway, on to the ramen. We swiftly ordered and sat down, patiently waiting for what could be a huge disappointment or a surprising relief.



Shoyu-ramen: It looked good. It smelled good. It tasted...great! Whew, I'm so glad that we weren't leaving disappointed. No saimin here. This shoyu-ramen would rival many of the top ramen-ya's in LA and OC but I'm still not sure if it's worth the drive just to eat and go home. But if I ever need to go to San Diego, I'm definitely stopping by Teri Cafe every time! The soup was refreshing and perfect for this semi-chilly day. It was full of flavor without the overbearing taste of too much shoyu. The toppings (super moist chashu, egg, moyashi, negi, and seaweed) were delicious. The chashu was melty and worth asking for more. And for the tasty egg noodles...did I mention that they have their own factory? I bet they sell them to most of the ramen-ya's in LA. They taste eerily familiar. Overall, the trip was worth it and I can't wait to go back for more.


Gyoza: The gyoza was really good, but I just wish they weren't fried. They could have been ten times better. I'll probably get the chahan next time.