Ramen Halu - San Jose

Can you tell we love ramen? Seriously, it doesn't get much better than ramen if you are looking for comfort in a bowl.

Ramen Halu, is a treasure in this little strip mall in San Jose. The simple decor reflects the surfer side of chef Kumao. The menu is a good mix of small plates, and ramen.

Our favourite small plates include the Age Dashi Nasu - deep fried eggplant in dashi, the Hiya Yakko - Fresh cold tofu with Japanese relish, and the non fried croquettes.

Their ramen however, is the reason to visit. They have 5 different types of broth, and a few varieties of noodles. The Tsukemen is probably the most unique. Also called the dipping ramen, this is a deconstructed ramen that comes with the broth to dip the noodles and the toppings in, and a side of hot water that you can add to your broth to drink it at the end of your meal.

The winner of the ramen round however, is the Tantanmen.  Tantanmen is inspired by dandanmian, a spicy noodle soup originating in Szechuan Province of southwestern China.

The rich, and spicy broth is dominated by the taste if  sesame. Unlike many of the other ramen bowls, this one comes with ground meat. One bowl, and I promise you will be hooked!

If it is too spicy, you can cool off with a Japanese soda - Ramune, available in a few different flavors (Original, Orange, Melon, Strawberry, and Litchi), that is if you can get it open (this involves a strong thumb, and stronger determination!

Ramen Halu
(Clockwise from top left: Lichi Ramune, Hiya Yakko,
Tantanmen, Age Dashi Nasu, Cold Tofu)

On a diet, or just not hungry enough to eat an entire bowl of ramen? They have a small plate, sort of like a salad, that has all the toppings that go into ramen.

This place is a gem, definitely add this to your restaurant bucket list. Assuming of course that you are not already driving there...

Bottom Line:
Price - $
Ambience - Casual

Vegetarian Friendly - No

Ramen Dojo - San Mateo

Theres nothing like a bowl full of yummy goodness to make they day better. We stumbled upon Ramen Dojo when trying to find a central location to catch up with ex colleagues...

With over 1300 reviews on Yelp, this place was an instant winner. What we were not prepared for was the wait. This is a very popular lunch location, and with capacity to seat only about 30 people at a time, you must get here early. They open for lunch at 11:30 AM, so be sure to be there by then at the latest to get in on the first seating.

They have 3 choices of broth - soy sauce, garlic pork, and miso. Our favorite is the garlic pork (extra spicy).

The ramen comes with 2 slices of slow roasted pork, mushrooms, fried garlic and chives, and is topped off with a quail egg, so if there is one extra topping we think is a must add, it is the bamboo shoot. The texture adds a lot to a bowl that is already perfect! And at $9.50 a bowl, there is no question that it is great value for money.

Ramen Dojo

If you are a ramen fan, this place is a definite must do!

Bottom Line:
Price - $
Ambience - Casual
Vegetarian friendly - No