Shoki Ramen House - Sacramento, CA

2675 24th Street
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 454-2411
Bowl of Dreams Archive

When you think of Sacramento, you might never think of ramen. That is, until you look closely and realize that ramen is ingrained in Sac-RAMEN-to!

About a year and a half ago, Shoki Ramen House was featured in an article published by the Sacramento Bee called Bowl of Dreams. Coincidentally, I was also interviewed for that article without really knowing exactly what it was about. As it turned out, the article mainly focused on Shoki's owner/chef, Yasushi Ueyama, and the heart and soul of the local ramen scene. And since reading that article, I've been dying to try Ueyama-san's passionate "ippai"--a comforting bowl served out of a building that looks more like grandma's house than an actual restaurant.


Concluding a short flight from LA to SF and an eighty mile drive from SF to Sac, my first priority of business after being greeted and seated by the friendly staff was...to use the restroom (tmi?...haha). That's where I found the aforementioned article posted up behind the restroom door.


Shoki's quaint, little dining area embraces a cozy welcome with barely enough room for the line of patrons waiting at the door. There's a total of six tables with at most nineteen seats--a true neighborhood-ramen-ya-feel. The adjacent wall showcases any specials, sets, or upcoming creations (e.g. Soy Milk Ramen & Tomato Sauce Ramen) along with a giant dry/erase board solely devoted to explaining Shoki's concept and mission.


Rather than repeat it word for word, here's a closer look at the giant dry/erase board. Don't forget to read about the Double Soup!


Here you see Ueyama-san (yellow shirt) and his trusted assistant hard at work during today's opening rush. (I realized after taking this picture that the kitchen was actually bigger than the dining area.)


Tantan Men: The first ramen I tried today was the "Specialized" Tantan Men. It's basically their original shoyu ramen (see later) mixed with a homemade chili oil and topped with goma-miso minced meat, menma, moyashi, kaiware, negi, and seaweed. The spice levels range from mild to super (I chose regular) and you can also select from three different sizes (chose regular again).


Mmmm...did I mention the goma-miso minced meat? This Tantan Men was outstanding! If I can compare it at all to something I've had before, it would come close to challenging Shisen Ramen for the Tantan Title. Seriously, this minced meat thingy mixed with the chili-oiled-shoyu-base tasted amazing! After traveling this far just to spend an hour eating, I was NOT disappointed. And this was only the first bowl!


The noodles come direct from the Yamachan factory based in San Francisco so there's not much to get excited about here, but they still tasted pretty good and paired well with the soup.


Shoyu Ramen: After countless months of eating soul-less shoyu ramen, I've finally found an impressive batch in, of all places, Sacramento. It was truly an interesting experience almost too hard to describe. I could taste its boldness, yet it came across light and refreshing with a hint of power. Could this be due to the "good" oil they mentioned on the wall? I don't know, but it's nothing short of magical. The noodles may bring the magic down a notch, but like before, it was still a good pairing.


Shio Ramen: Before paying the bill, I decided to try a mini bowl of the last ramen on the menu: Shio Ramen. Damn, is that bowl tiny or is that chashu ginormous? I'll get back to the chashu in a bit, but this shio base was also quite the refreshment. You can definitely taste the ocean (in a good way) and the shio-dare really stood out. It's hard to believe there's no MSG, but that just goes to show you how hard Ueyama-san works to bring out the natural umami-flavors.


Now back to this thinly sliced, tender piece of break-apart, juicy chashu. It honestly reminded me of Kobe ramen and what do you know, Ueyama-san is from Kobe! Shocking!


After my lunch, Ueyama-san was gracious enough to give me a tour of his kitchen. He showed me practically everything, including the three stage process that goes into his soup. I also learned that he trained at Ramen Halu in San Jose before opening Shoki (in addition to what he learned as a professional chef in Japan). I was even invited back during his lunch break, but unfortunately I had to head back to the city (darn!). Ueyama-san arigato~!! I'll be back someday! Thanks for putting the ramen in Sacramento. It's only fitting that your name literally translates to Top of the Mountain!


Oh yeah, on my way home I drove past the State Capitol just so I could say I've been there. After all this was my first visit to Sacramento. :P

Seeking shade in the Wonton Forest...

Rarely, during the dead heat of summer, does someone crave a hot noodle soup (unless of course you're like me :P). That's precisely why every young noodle restaurant seeks to find a cool, refreshing soup-less version of their signature dish that can thrive throughout the scorching months. Lucky for me, while taking a short break from my customary bowl of ramen, I was chosen to sample Chef Paul's own summer concoction on a recent visit to Wonton Forest.


Still without an official name (suggestions are now being taken), this WoFo Summer Noodle is a cross between Sōmen and Hiyashi-Chuuka with everything you love about the "classic" WoFo tradition. You know what that means--scrumptious wontons! Basically the same toppings as the Wonton Forest Noodle Soup (pork & shrimp wontons, choy sum, sliced pork, flavored egg, green onion, roasted garlic, chopped lettuce), the only difference is a rice noodle minus the soup.


Served with a small bowl of a prepared menmi base, there are two ways to eat this Summer Noodle: You can either dip it sōmen-style or just pour the entire menmi base on top.


After trying a few dips of the sleek rice noodle, I enthusiastically poured the rest of the menmi base over everything and proceeded to massage and mix things up. My first reaction was "wow, this is pretty good!" And then I added some homemade chili sauce and was like "WOW, this is DAMN good!" It really reminded me of those hot summer days spent during college (without a/c) when I would slurp down some cold sōmen or zaru udon in bliss, while my roommate bit**ed about the heat. Those were the days...


As you can see from the pic below (please excuse my mess) I really enjoyed myself and my new favorite summer noodle. Although it would surely beat the heat of a hot summer day, I personally would enjoy it in any weather. You can take it from me or you can take it from someone who likes to eat--Wonton Forest is highly recommended!


It's not on the menu (yet), but Chef Paul will be more than willing to prepare it for you if you ask. He's still working on perfecting it for summer (e.g. replacing the flavored pork with a slice of black forest ham) so your honest opinions will be taken very seriously. Do me a favor, give it a try and let me know what you think. Take a stand against deforestation!

Japanese Food Ramen & Sake Festival 2009

Once a year, the JFCA presents the Japanese Food & Sake Festival at the Hyatt Regency in Orange County. I normally wouldn't attend because it's held mid-week and trying to get from LA to OC during rush hour is worse than snorting instant ramen packets. But...according to an email I received last month, this year's attendance would become mandatory. No, it's not a performance by Amuro Namie (remember her?), but RAMEN!! What else did you think it was?

The first of two ramen booths within the festival was Chibakiya from Tokyo, prepared by Chef Kenji Chiba. You might remember them from last year's Legendary Ramen Fair or that "scary surprise" at the Umaimono Gourmet Fair held at Mitsuwa Market. Today, they would once again be showcasing their "classic" Shinasoba--a clean, refreshing broth made with both chicken and pork.


While waiting for our bowls to be ready, the delightful aroma from the soup immersed our senses. As I carelessly wiped the stream of drool from my chin, I had to fight the urge to just dive in.


The best ramen found in a styrofoam bowl! Remarkably fresh for being cooked in a hotel banquet hall, my soul just yearned for more. Although the soup was less kotteri than the last time, it's "sappari" feel was impressive. The toppings (chashu, naruto, kaiware sprouts, menma, nori, negi) were surprisingly fresh as well.


Sponsored by Sun Noodle, it was no surprise to learn that Chibakiya was using their factory-made noodles. But better than expected, these noodles did not disappoint.


Even the moist chashu mesmerized like its neighbor's swirl. I sure hope Chibakiya opens up a ramen-ya in Socal soon! I mean...what are they waiting for?


The second ramen booth was the instant 生 ramen maker Yamachan. Although I'm not a big fan of their nama ramen, it was nice to see the actual Yamachan cooking his noodles.


This is Yamachan. Can you see the resemblance?


Man, he looks so happy! See...ramen makes you happy. Everyone should eat ramen...daily!


Not the most impressive presentation, but we'll take it. Like I said, I'm not a big fan, but it still works to put a smile on your face.


Here's a little slide show of the rest of the event to give you an idea of what it was like. It was actually quite interesting and fun. I highly recommend that you try attending next year. I might even go regardless of ramen.

Much thanks to my ramen informant for the heads up! Good looking out! And props to Exile Kiss for joining me. I told you it wouldn't be that bad! Lastly, a shoutout to Foo-Foo Tei's Murakami-san (whom we ran into in front of the Sapporo booth).

Santouka's Limited Edition Toromi Shoyu

I received a ramenramenramen alert last week in the form of a text message declaring a limited edition Toromi (Gravy) Shoyu Ramen being served at a Santouka near you (thanks edjusted!). And by "limited" they sure do mean it. They will be serving just 20 bowls/day until Sunday (3/8). So with 3 days left, you only have 60 chances to visit your local Santouka and give it a try. You better get there early too because 20 bowls can disappear in a flash (especially when I'm hungry).


I'll try to keep this brief cuz I know you're in a hurry to get in line. (If you can, check out edjusted's blog for a more detailed post.) I'll get straight to the point. Until today, I've never been completely satisfied with a bowl of ramen from Santouka! I'm a sucker for gravy and this was undeniably amazing. Individually, the toppings (menma, chashu, abura-age, minced pork, negi, goma, caramelized onions) may not have been great, but as a team they were coached by the John Wooden of ramen--a.k.a. Toromi Shoyu.


Yum!


Yum! Yum!


Ooooh...can you feel the gravy inching meticulously down your throat? Mmmm...


Darn...all gone! One down, nineteen more to go...hahaha...j/k I won't hog them all for myself. Now you better get out there quick! Hurry...run!


I still don't know why the Costa Mesa Santouka doesn't provide proper renge spoons...oh well.

Kyushu Ramen - Van Nuys, CA (Now Feat. Shuchan?)

15355 Sherman Way
Van Nuys, CA 91406
(818) 786-6005
Village Plaza

New sign, new decor, new chef? Back in August, someone left an anonymous comment on this post stating that Shuchan (from Shuchan Ramen) would be training in Van Nuys for 1 year. Since there's only one ramen-ya in Van Nuys, I often wondered if it was Kyushu Ramen. Then, last week my "secret ramen informant" sent me an email confirming this inside information and indeed I saw the truth today [with my own eyes] when Shuchan himself came out from the kitchen to greet me. Sweet!

Kyushu Ramen has been steadily declining since my first visit in 2007 so it's no surprise that they brought in some serious talent to revive the valley ramen scene. An experience I had last year with their chanpon was a complete, utter disaster and I refused to post my revisit. But now, hearing that Shuchan is here changes the whole ball game. Could he really make a big difference and provide some much needed noodle resuscitation? Let's go find out!


Shoyu Ramen: Immediately, I noticed something different. The soup was not overbearing like it used to be and it also didn't stain the noodles with a dark brown tinge. Although it's a very light "assari" shoyu without much fanfare, the soup was far from being bland and had Shuchan written all over it. Perfect?...not quite. Impressive?...yes! The toppings (chashu, menma, spinach, egg, naruto, negi) were noticeably fresh yet simple enough to remain in the shadows.


The noodles were slightly different from what I remember, but still nothing to write home about. They're just your average factory-born ramen noodle. Sigh...


Chahan (Fried Rice): Believe it or not, this chahan impressed me tenfold. I can almost declare that it will compete with the best of them. I only say "almost" because I'm still in fried-rice-shock. The amount of oil used can make or break a good chahan recipe, like a badly splintered chopstick, and this case was no exception. The oil was perfect, which left the rice far from being mushy.


Shuchan has definitely improved Kyushu Ramen, but I'd still be curious to taste his influence on all the other dishes. Looks like I'll be going back soon...perhaps even tomorrow...care to join me?