Ryowa

»Butabara Shoyu Ramen at Mountain View’s Ryowa and Redesign the Ramen Experience Project

In my post about the ramen at Namu in San Francisco,
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/755048 , I referenced the Stanford design class assignment, “Redesign the ramen experience. make it better.” A Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, Jigar Mehta, had contacted me for a ramen tutorial. http://knight.stanford.edu/fellows/2011/mehta/ Here’s some info on the project:

...+READ In my post about the ramen at Namu in San Francisco,
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/755048 , I referenced the Stanford design class assignment, “Redesign the ramen experience. make it better.” A Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, Jigar Mehta, had contacted me for a ramen tutorial. http://knight.stanford.edu/fellows/2011/mehta/ Here’s some info on the project:

http://humanitieslab.stanford.edu/Bootcamp/admin/download.html?attachid=23888

http://wootie-mc-wootwoot.blogspot.com/2010/10/reinventing-ramen.html

http://dschool.typepad.com/news/2009/09/arts-intensive-teams-noodle-on-ramen-experience.html

Noting his surname, my first question to him was “Do you eat meat?” When the answer was “No”, I suggested that we meet on Sept. 23 at Ryowa in Mountain View because it has a vegetarian ramen bowl.

In earlier visits to Ryowa, my favorite ramen offering had been the Hiyashi chuka (cold ramen, summer only), $8.50, ordered with the thickish special noodles ($1 supplement). Oddly, when I made the request this time, our waitress came back from the kitchen saying that the salad would not be right and suggesting that I stick with the regular ones. So I did, and was the worse for it. The thinner default noodles were cooked to the right degree for me, but just could not offer the same chewy satisfaction. The salad was arranged more haphazardly than in the past and the dressing was more acidic than before. The shreds of chicken breast were so dry and hay-like. Not a good showing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5019330381/

The vegetarian toppings on Mr. Mehta’s bowl looked good: Black mushroom, wakame, swirls of carrot, daikon sprouts, bamboo shoots, scallions, spinach, nori, and bean sprouts.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5019945552/

I didn’t get to taste the Vegetarian ramen, $8.50, but it did smell good. The sesame-scented broth that was more caramel colored than the hue in the photo and was judged as more complex and well-crafted than most vegetarian soup bases.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5019945562/

My brother ordered the Butabara (stewed pork) ramen. The soft, flavorful and fatty meat with its braising juices added a sweeter, rounder note to the shoyu broth.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5019945548/

Topped with Shanghai cabbages, dewy fresh bean sprouts, scallions, and nori, the Butabara shoyu ramen ordered with special noodles became my new favorite at Ryowa.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5019330385/

And I still love the addictive hot chili paste and chive condiment.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5019330373/

William and I split the Kara age (fried chicken), large order. Sorry, the flash went off, but this order was uncharacteristically pale and softish in any case and disappointing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/5019330367/

Certainly a mixed bag. Ryowa has dropped down in the rankings, but not as far as it could have. The Butabara shoyu ramen earns the #15 slot.

PERSONAL RAMEN RANKING
1. Ramen Halu, 375 Saratoga Ave Ste M, San Jose
2. Santouka, 675 Saratoga Ave, San Jose
3. Himawari, 202 2nd Ave, San Mateo
4. Orenchi Ramen, 3540 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara
5. Maru Ichi, 368 Castro St, Mountain View;
6. Izakaya Mai, 212 2nd Avenue, San Mateo
7. Ajisen Noodle, 47890 Warm Springs Blvd, Fremont
8. Maru Ichi, 530 Barber Lane, Milpitas
9. Ramen Dojo, 805 South B St, San Mateo
10. Tanto, 1063 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
11. Alexander’s Steakhouse Lounge, 10330 N Wolfe Rd, Cupertino
12. Santa, 1944 South El Camino Real, San Mateo (post-move)
13. Do-Henkotsu House of Tokushima Ramen, 4330 Moorpark Ave, San Jose (closed)
14. Ramen Tenma, 487 Saratoga Ave, San Jose
15.Ryowa, 859 Villa St, Mountain View
16. Orson Restaurant Bar + Lounge, 508 4th St, San Francisco
17. Sumiya, 2634 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara
18. Gen Ramen, 47890 Warm Springs Blvd, Fremont (closed)
19. Hana Japanese Restaurant, 101 Golf Course Dr, Rohnert Park
20. Kyora Japanese Restaurant, 1217 Wildwood Ave, Sunnyvale
21. Izakaya Restaurant, 1335 N 1st St, San Jose
22. BY Grill, 3226 Geary Blvd, San Francisco (closed)
23. Norikonoko, 2556 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley
24. Dohatsuten, 799 San Antonio Rd, Palo Alto
25. Hana, 4320 Moorpark, San Jose
26. Ozumo, 2251 Broadway, Oakland
27. Muracci’s, 244 State St, Los Altos
28. Katanaya, 430 Geary Blvd., San Francisco
29. Tadamasa, 34672 Alvarado Niles Road, Union City
30. Masa's Sushi, 400 San Antonio Road, Mountain View
31. Nombe, 2491 Mission St, San Francisco
32. Gochi, 19980 Homestead Rd, Cupertino
33. Oyaji, 3123 Clement St, San Francisco
34. Namu, 439 Balboa St, San Francisco
35. Halu Restaurant, 312 8th Ave, San Francisco
36. Sanmi, 3226 Geary Blvd, San Francisco
37. Hatcho, 1271 Franklin Mall, Santa Clara
38. Kahoo, 4330 Moorpark Ave, San Jose
39. Tomoe, 810 3rd St, San Rafael (closed)
40. Ringer Hut, 1072 Saratoga Ave, San Jose
41. Noodle Theory, 3242 Scott St, San Francisco (closed)
42. Watami Shabu Shabu and Ramen, 5344 Geary Blvd, San Francisco (closed)
43. Where’s Buta by Elgin Espiritu and June Lee, Eat Real Festival, Oakland
44. Kumako, 211 E. Jackson Street, San Jose
45. Japanese Restaurant Hoshi, 246 Saratoga Avenue, Santa Clara
46. Ramen Club, 723 California Dr, Burlingame
47. Ryowa, 2068 University Ave, Berkeley (after ownership change)
48. King Won Ton, 1936 Irving St, San Francisco
49. Tazaki Sushi, 3420 Judah St, San Francisco
50. Ramen Rama, 19774 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino (closed)
51. Ogi-San Ramen, 10789 Blaney Ave, Cupertino (closed)
52. Kaimuki Grill, 104 S El Camino Real, San Mateo (closed)
53. Tanto, 1306 Saratoga Ave, San Jose (name change to Dan Izakaya)
54. Okazu Ya SF (Noriega), 2445 Noriega St, San Francisco
55. King's Garden Ramen, 39055 Cedar Blvd, Newark (closed)
56. Sushi Bistro, 445 Balboa St, San Francisco
57. Genki Ramen, 3944 Geary Blvd, San Francisco
58. Mitsuwa Hokkaido festival booth, 675 Saratoga Ave, San Jose
59. Lakuni, 325 E 4th Ave, San Mateo
60. 100% Healthy Desserts, 1155 Taraval St., San Francisco
61. Mifune, 1737 Post St, San Francisco
62. H2A Noodle, 42318 Fremont Blvd., Fremont (closed)
63. Iroha, 1728 Buchanan St, San Francisco
64. Miraku Noodles, 2131 N Broadway, Walnut Creek
65. Manpuku, 2977 College Ave, Berkeley
66. Tanpopo, 1740 Buchanan Street, San Francisco
67. Sushi Yoshi, 39261 Cedar Blvd, Newark
68. La Shang Niang Ramen (OEC), 42 Dixon Rd, Milpitas
69. Oidon, 71 E. 4th Avenue, San Mateo
70. Taraval Okazu Ya, 1735 Taraval St., San Francisco
71. Suzu Noodle House, 1581 Webster Street, San Francisco
72. Bushido Izakaya, 156 Castro St, Mountain View
73. Fresh Taste, 2107 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
74. Asuka Ramen, 883 Bush St, San Francisco
75. Sapporo-ya, 1581 Webster St, San Francisco
76. Tokyo Ramen, 678 Barber Lane, Milpitas (closed)
77. Kamakura, 2549 Santa Clara Ave, Alameda
78. Mama-san!, 312 8th Ave, San Francisco (closed)
79. Katana-ya Ramen, 10546 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito
80. Hotei, 1290 9th Ave, San Francisco
81. Bear's Ramen House, 2521 Durant, Berkeley-COLLAPSE / REPLY (by Melanie Wong, created June 26, 2011)