The handwritten board on the wall will inform you that the special broths require 8 hours of slow simmering. Also, the board claims, because there is no MSG or presveratives in the broth, it will not make you as thirsty as other versions will. (I appreciate this as I once had a bad experience with a bowl of noodles in Japantown, San Francisco that left me parched as the Sahara for the rest of the day.)
Two of the most popular dishes include Shoyu, or soy-sauce based broth, with cha siu pork:
and the spicy Tan Tan Men, served with flavorful minced meat, greens, and bamboo shoots. I got extra shitake mushrooms in my bowl as well since I love me some mushrooms.
Pictures of newspaper articles on the wall show the owner gently massaging the ramen noodles, as part of the traditional method of preparing them. Formerly a nutritionist in Japan, he developed a wonderful whole wheat ramen noodle which I tried and found to be just as toothsome and delicious as the traditional variety.The chef's efforts prove worthwhile, as each bowl warms and satisfies the hungry customers and keeps them coming back for more. Another sign on the wall indicates that Shoki will be moving to a larger location soon, promising more seating and convenience with the same high quality food. Sacramento looks forward to this move!
I'd love to visit this place. You are not the first person I've heard complain of ramen in SF Japantown. Because of this, I've never tried it myself. I guess I'll have to travel to Japan, or Sacramento : )
ReplyDeleteLaramie and I had a wonderful lunch experience there this week thanks to you! I even ventured out and tried the soy milk one with whole wheat noodles and it was pretty good (they bring it out with sesame oil on the side). I'm definitely trying the tan tan next!
ReplyDeleteEven the wait was fun. It's always nice to see a place filled the capacity with happily waiting customers :) Makes you know you're in for a treat.