Seattlest: Dishin’: Roamin’ for Ramen

andrew

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:47:48 -0800

Fantastic. That's some great ramen. It's nice to be able to see the kitchen - it seems like everything's fresh.

Jay

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 22:11:09 -0800

Thanks, Minoru and ykat, for the recommendations. Will try to check out those places sometime...

ykat

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 21:20:06 -0800

Haven't tried Samurai Ramen yet, but O-E-She in Factoria Mall has great ramen. Even my Japanese mother thinks so!

Minoru

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 17:52:21 -0800

Koji Osakaya in downtown also serves ramen (menu). I'm not a ramen connoisseur, so I can't comment on the quality -- but I enjoyed it, and I would certainly go back.

Jay

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 06:59:20 -0800

Fu Lin is okay, but Samurai is better. Fu Lin's noodles seem even more Chinese, but the big difference is the broth. It doesn't seem authentic. That's based on my comparison to places in Japan, and also the opinions of Japanese people who've been to Fu Lin. A quality ramen shop cooks its broths for many hours to fully develop their tastes. The broths pull their flavors from ingredients like pork bones, dried sardine or tuna, etc. that take time to cook. Many Japanese people (and non-Japanese, too!) also prefer the taste of Japanese-brand soy sauce over the taste of Chinese-brand soy sauce. My guess is that Fu Lin, with its wider menu, "cheats" on time and ingredients for making its ramen. Don't get me wrong: Fu Lin is a decent place for a decent meal. But ramen from a ramen-only shop will almost always be far better. And Japan is fabulous for its specialized restaurants, be it ramen, yakitori, tempura, soba, beef tongue, etc.

Casey Muratori

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 15:32:11 -0800

How does it compare to Fu Lin's ramen (one block north, next door to Piece of Cake)? Although that restaurant is ostensibly Chinese, it's noodles seem more authentic than those pictured in the snapshot of Samurai's here...

seadevi

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 14:57:56 -0800

We had some good ramen at Fu Lin at 512 S. King St yesterday. I had the #14 spicy ramen which had a peanutty broth - it was pretty good. We'll have to try Samurai next - it's in the same area.