genki ramen

what do you think of when you hear the word ramen? my idea of ramen is a small plastic package of dried, squiggly instant noodles with a small foil envelope of spice and msg. appetizing, eh?

it wasn't until i vacationed in the land of the rising sun 10 years ago that i encountered what ramen can be: steaming hot, soulful goodness. my friend and i entered a tent coming off the side of a van parked on the street at 2am, one of several such ramen street tents that litter tokyo avenues late nite catering to intoxicated kareoke bar revelers. the broth is rich and intense, the noodles slightly chewy, the toppings simple and perfect. and let me not forget, cheap!

since then i have really struggled to find a similar experience in the states. there were a couple of ramen houses in west la's sawtelle corridor, a small neighborhood of authentic japanese restaurants and shops, that were good. another place in the south bay, torrance i believe, was the reputed ramen leader of la. but nothin really compares to authentic street food.

over the years i laid to rest this vain search, never really craving ramen anymore. i still don't. but a hollow stomach will do wonders for a discerning appetite and so my friend cameron and i stumbled into a new japanese restaurant cutely called genki (happy) ramen on geary st at 4th in the richmond.

genki ramen's use of dark woods and a grid ceiling gives it a modern vibe. flat screen tv's line the bare walls like live picture frames, showcasing gleaming j-pop music videos.

the tablesetting was decidedly minimalistic but high style. the big menu sported fantastic, almost artsy, pictures of each dish. and everything was spelled properly!!

we started with an order of cha-shu, thinly sliced pork tenderloin that has been soy-marinated and perfectly roasted. at 6 salami-thin medallions for 5 dollars, it wasn't cheap. but the pork was very, very tasty, had a thin swirl of juicy fat, and was excellent for perking up the tastbuds. it'd get lost in a sea of ramen broth though.

we also shared a small order of agedashi tofu. the batter was a lightly fried, thin coating and the tofu was nicely firm. the broth was carefully seasoned, not too briny, not too sweet. the whole thing was topped off with bonito flakes, shavings of dried fish fillet. another 5 bucks or so. very well executed.

cameron ordered shrimp tempura ramen, which you see below. i would've included a picture of my dish, ramen with chicken karage (fried chicken), but my camera phone doesn't take low light pictures very well and my dish came out blurry. anyway, the pork broth was rich, well-seasoned, and not too fatty. noodles were a little overcooked, but the addition of corn, thinly sliced scallions and bean sprouts to the broth were great textural points. the fried, dark meat chicken was crunchy and pleasantly salty. at under $8-9 a bowl, this was rather good.

what's interesting is the head-to-toe stainless steel kitchen residing behind a glass wall, allowing you to see the ramen chef in action. it's definitely worth a check, because you'll find equipment that only a ramen house would have. it's also kinda fun and voyeristic. this picture almost reminds me of tokyo ramen tents.

all in all, i really liked genki ramen. everything was well executed and flavors seem carefully developed, auspicious signs of a successful start. but only time will tell. as competition heats up (there's a lot of choices on geary at very competitive prices) and as the restaurant gets comfortable and possibly complacent, it may deterioate into one of the many other deadbeat ethnic restaurants littering the richmond district. but for the moment, it seems quite genki to me.