Eat in Oakland: Ramen Shop (Pt. 2)

Filipino Breakfast with two fried eggs, longanisa sausage, garlic fried rice, spicy dill pickle, and cilantro


Hokkaido Milk Bread French Toast with seasonal fruit and maple syrup


Left: Tempura-Fried Maitake Mushroom Donburi with brown rice, poached egg, avocado, cherry tomatoes, pickled gypsy peppers, and scallions
Right: Assorted Pastry Plate with snickerdoodle and sesame mochi muffins, and matcha bear claw


Cappuccino

Apparently I haven't visited (or, at least, reviewed) Ramen Shop, everyone's favorite hipster ramen spot in Rockridge, in four years. The last time I stopped by I had an incredible bowl of Garlic Miso Ramen and was happily mistaken for a member of the food press. (Talk about #goals.) Since then, they've cemented their place in the neighborhood and even expanded their menu to include a fantastic brunch.

When visiting for brunch this past weekend, my friend and I tried an incredible range of dishes. I started with a perfectly made cappuccino, served on sleek slab of wood. My friend and I were then treated to the Assorted Pastry Plate featuring snickerdoodle and sesame mochi muffins, and a matcha bear claw. I've never had a mochi muffin before, but this will definitely not be my last time. They have a spongy texture on the inside and were sprinkled with either sesame seeds or a cinnamon-sugar mixture, creating two flavor profiles I liked. The bear claw had a nice matcha flavored icing and almond slices as well as an almond-y taste within. We were then treated to the Hokkaido Milk Bread French Toast with seasonal fruit and maple syrup. The French toast had a great taste and texture, and the fruit was perfectly ripe.

As for our main entrées, my friend enjoyed his Tempura-Fried Maitake Mushroom Donburi made with brown rice, poached egg, avocado, cherry tomatoes, pickled gypsy peppers, and scallions. I had the cook-recommended Filipino Breakfast made with two fried eggs, longanisa sausage, garlic fried rice, spicy dill pickle, and cilantro. It was really good. The sausage, which I've never tried before, had a nice spiciness and when scooped up with garlicky rice and fried eggs, pretty much were everything I've wanted in a savory breakfast dish. I also enjoyed the flavors brought out by the fresh tomatoes and tangy pickles on the side.

I would definitely stop by Ramen Shop for brunch (...lunch and dinner, let's be real) again. They're still an impressive restaurant four years later and I'm wondering why it's taken me so long to return. If you've visited Ramen Shop recently, what do you recommend trying?

Ramen Shop

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5812 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618
Open: Monday - Thursday 5 - 10:30, Friday 5 - midnight, Saturday 11 - 3 & 4 - midnight, Sunday 11 - 3 & 4 - 10:30

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Eat in San Francisco: Nopa (Pt. 2)

Peach and Thyme Braised Pork Shoulder with creamy polenta, roasted corn, and peach-pepper relish


Custard French Toast with strawberries and housemade butter


Smoked Trout with sea salt bagel, Dill Farmer's cheese, cucumber, and radish


Butter Basted Eggs with black eyed peas, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, lime, and fried chickpeas

I've wanted to revisit Nopa ever since I first stopped by for brunch in March. Located in San Francisco's Alamo Square neighborhood, Nopa has set the bar for what I expect brunch to be. My one true birthday wish was to enjoy a delicious brunch with my close friends. (Wish granted.)

This time around was as equally satisfying as the first. I tried the Custard French Toast, which came with strawberries and was just as moist and custard-soaked as before. In short, it was still mouthwatering. I also tried a bit of my friends' dishes, all of which were pretty good. The pork shoulder was very tender, the polenta flavorful. The trout was salty perfection, while the butter basted eggs and salad were also good.

If you're looking for a more complete review, you can check out my previous entry on Nopa. Everything I said originally is still true. Their food is good; getting a table can be tricky. If you're in the area, you must add it to your restaurant hit list.

If you've stopped by for dinner, what did you think? Was it as good as brunch? Any recommendations?

More mouthwatering photos from Nopa are right this way.

Nopa

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560 Divisadero St., San Francisco, CA 94117
Open: Monday - Friday 5 - 1, Saturday - Sunday 11 - 1

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Eat in Oakland: Ramen Shop

Garlic Miso Ramen with corn, squash blossom butter, ground pork belly, shoyu egg, Tokyo negi, and spicy chili paste

I had a very polar experience at Ramen Shop, a hipster noodle house on College Avenue in the Rockridge part of Oakland. I had been wanting to visit this place ever since it opened up in January 2013. I finally took the plunge and visited a few weeks ago.

Although the wait was first estimated to be a manageable 25 minutes, it turned out to be 45 by the time we were seated. Needless to say, I was pretty hungry and ready to try some delicious ramen. I believe their menu changes daily, so on the night I stopped by, I had the Garlic Miso Ramen with corn, squash blossom butter, ground pork belly, shoyu egg, Tokyo negi, and spicy chili paste. It was very tasty. I'm no ramenhead, but I was very happy with this meal. The noodles were the perfect density, the broth had a great flavor with a good amount of spice, and the bowl was much larger than it seems.

Since I was trying to take photos with my camera, Sam White, one of the owners of the restaurant, introduced himself to me, asking if I were "official press." I'm clearly not, but it was nice to be thought of as such. (Power to my macro lens, I suppose.)

Since this place is so popular, I'd recommend getting here early or visiting on an off-night. Also, expect to pay much more than you would at a traditional ramen shop; each bowl is about $15 a pop. I think I would visit again, although not too frequently since it gets crowded and it's expensive. If only they took reservations...

Have you visited Ramen Shop? How was your experience?

Mm mmm... more mouth-watering photos from Ramen Shop right this way.

Ramen Shop

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5812 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618
Open: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 5 - 10:30, Friday 5 - 12am, Saturday 4 - 12am, Sunday 4 - 10:30

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Eat in San Francisco: Nopa

Oven Baked Egg served with creamed lentils, mustard, shaved pantaleo, and toast 


Custard French Toast served with caramelized apples, and maple butter


Whiskey Braised Pork served with butter beans, butternut squash, and olive tapenade


Wood Grilled Rosemary Sausage served with orange glazed sweet potatoes, bacon, onions, and poached eggs

I've wanted to try Nopa ever since my old friend, who's a master at brunching in San Francisco, recommended it long ago. I finally ventured out to this Alamo Square fixture on Divisadero between Hayes and Fell this past weekend. Our brunch group included myself, my friend, and his three friends. We opted to share five dishes so we could all try a bit of everything. Considering how rich certain dishes were, I think we made the right choice.

We started with the Date and Walnut Crumb Muffin served with a side of crème fraîche for dipping. Although this is not pictured, just imagine the moistest muffin you've ever had with a good helping of crumbs on top. Nopa took the muffin to another level.

We then had the the Oven Baked Egg, which was surrounded by the most flavorful lentils around, pantaleo cheese, and toast. If you've ever made lentils, you know that they need something extra to give them that kick of flavor. These lentils had that and more. Combine that with a baked egg and you've got a pretty tasty dip for your toast.

Our next course took the eightieth spot on 7x7's The Big Eat 2014, which features a hundred must-try dishes in restaurants across the city. (This list is sure to be my guidebook for what to try this year. Stay tuned.) It's their famous Custard French Toast. Every part of this dish was incredible. The French toast was soaked in custard overnight (or at least for several hours, I believe) and was very moist and rich. After the first bite, I'm pretty sure at least half of our table had to take a moment to just let the French toast melt in our mouth. It's that good. It was topped with perfectly caramelized apples and a healthy serving of maple butter. This dish comes in either a half serving of one slice or a full serving of two. Unless you have a huge sweet tooth, the half serving should be suffice.

We then had more savory dishes that were equally as good. The Whiskey Braised Pork was impossibly tender. It was served with butter beans, butternut squash, olives, and some greens, which gave the dish even more dimension. It was a hands-down favorite for our table.

The final dish was the Wood Grilled Rosemary Sausage served with orange glazed sweet potatoes, bacon, onions, and poached eggs. Although the flavors in this dish didn't complement each other as well as the previous one, it was still pretty good. The sausage was accentuated by the diverse flavors of the poached eggs, sweet potatoes, and bacon. This was certainly one of the best presented and, dare I say, prettiest dishes of the meal.

Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend trying Nopa. Their food is very high quality and not too heavy, leaving you feeling like you went on a culinary adventure in your seat. The problem is that it can be hard to get a table, especially during weekend brunch. You can either make a reservation weeks or months in advance on their website, or put your name on the list when they open at 10:30 am and, depending on the size of your party, wait to be served an hour (although probably more) later.

Moreover, the restaurant is rather large and great for people-watching. I'd suggest trying to get a table on the second floor where you'll have an excellent view of the kitchen and the patrons below.

Nopa

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560 Divisadero St., San Francisco, CA 94117
Open: Monday - Friday 5 - 1, Saturday - Sunday 11 - 1

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Eat in San Francisco: Flour + Water

Complimentary bread and olive oil 

Butter lettuce salad with blue cheese, beets, and smoked walnuts

Mixed roast of pork with crispy potato, artichoke, fennel, and olive

Carrot tortelli with aleppo pepper, hazelnuts, and mint

Chocolate budino with espresso cream and sea salt

Macchiato with brown sugar

After reserving a table for two at Flour + Water in February, I was finally able to see what all the fuss surrounding this Mission hot spot was about this past week. With my new macro lens attached to my trusty DSLR and my 5 pm hunger pains a-churnin', I was ready to get my pasta on at this Italian eatery. I started off my meal with a couple pieces of complimentary bread and the butter lettuce salad. With my appetite whetted, I moved on to my main course of carrot tortelli as well as a taste of the pork. I finished with a splash: the chocolate budino with a generous sprinkling of sea salt and a sip of macchiato.

The verdict? Although every dish was rather delicious, they were quite small for their relatively large price tags. The plate whose size was least proportional to its cost was ironically the main course, my stuffed pasta. When the waitress brought it out, it was hard for me to disguise the disappointment in my face upon seeing that this $17 dish was made up of what appeared to be only seven pieces of ravioli folded in half. Sure, it was good, but not packed with as much flavor as anticipated. Fortunately, I curbed my hunger once and for all with a good helping of the chocolate budino, which was certainly bigger than my pasta dish.

Apart from the two-month wait time, high prices, and small portions, there's still a silver lining. Now I know to be more skeptical of Yelp reviews, which directed me towards the pasta instead of the pizza that is equally delicious and multitudes larger. Two old truths were also bolstered: don't be afraid to stuff yourself with bread and don't trust the hype. Or... why not just grab a burrito at El Farolito on Mission and 24th instead?

Flour + Water
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2401 Harrison St., San Francisco, CA 94110
Open: Sunday - Thursday 5:30 - 11, Friday - Saturday 5:30 - midnight

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