Food Adventure to Mensho Ramen, SF

Itadakimasu!

Some background to this story, two former co-workers from the San Francisco company I used to work at wanted to hang out with me on the 21st. One of them suggested that we go to this rather new but already well-received ramen house called Mensho Ramen, located at Geary St. It had just opened up in February 2016, just two months ago! Now, I'm from the East Bay in San Lorenzo, so going out there just for some R&R for a few hours at a ramen house... I came with really high hopes.

I got off the BART at Powell St., shopping at H&M before the guys told me they were already there at the restaurant waiting for me. Ugh. I dropped the Coachella Collection clothes I was looking at (I'll come back, I promise) and I made my way over. Got there around 5:08pm, just 8 minutes after the restaurant opened.

We greeted each other. It was great to see them outside of the work setting, feels very different. The energy is there. There's no pretense. No corporate mumbo-jumbo. We stood outside with no line there until we got called in, they had just enough seats for the three of us. Upon entering, I was a little unsettled. It's pretty small of an establishment. We actually had to share a table with another party, as they could only safely seat maybe about 20 hungry, hungry customers in there. I forgot to count. Anyways, it was a petite place. Thinking back on it, it is San Francisco. Maybe that's normal there.

I already knew what I want. Shoyu ramen with double chashu. One of my pals had his heart set on the Tori Paitan ramen with double chashu, while the other was in clear culture shock. We asked him about it, he said he never really ate much Japanese food, so we explain everything to him bit by bit while cracking a few jokes. He ended up getting the Shio ramen, and mistakenly asked for a diet coke. Whoops. No sodas here. That's probably for the best anyways. I absolutely adore the purist nature of the place already. The authenticity and simplicity of it was great. Four types of ramen, select few appetizers, and a small list of beers and sake. In most places, that'd be bad. Here, that's part of the magic.

It all works together. We passed the time talking about work, travelling abroad, and what we'd like to do in our future. We then received our food not that long after, around 12 or so minutes later. The server handed my bowl to me, and I responded with a modest "Itadakimasu." She smiled so wide, it was great. She said something in Japanese but I could tell she was happily surprised. Who know my hikikomori past would come in handy in that way.

By this time, a line had started forming outside the store. Maybe about 10 people. Woah, alright. I took a quick picture of my food and started chowing down. One bite into the chashu. Amazing quality. Melted so well in my mouth, I could swear I was close to nirvana. The thicker than usual noodles worked very well with the ingredients too. In my bowl: Chicken, chashu, kale, kale sprouts, chives, menma (bamboo shoots), and it's adorned with a piece of nori (seaweed). This mouthwatering delight was devoured with gusto.

I was so, so very surprised at the quality of the broth. The shoyu-dare was impeccable. Usually at the ramen houses I go to, the broth is definitely more watery and salty, a harsh combination of excess flavors. Except this one... Oh, my inner Guy Fieri made his pilgrimage to Flavortown. It was amazingly rich, thick, and more soupy than watery. My friend made a comment about his Tori Paitan ramen's broth, saying that just drinking it would probably keep him full well into the night, maybe a few days.

At $16 for my bowl of ramen, it was absolutely fair game. The portion size will leave you wanting for more, but don't spoil your cravings. Tease it. It's better that way. 50 shades of ramen. Definitely worth the price, but I'd go when the store opens so that you can dodge the absurd line. When I left, the line spanned down the block like it was Cream at Berkeley or something. Well over 35+ people. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the shortcomings can easily be averted. If you're ever in the area and you're in the mood for some ambrosial ramen, stop by. You'll be glad you did.

We finished up with our stomachs content, all with great company. I still need to go back to that H&M though.

Find Mensho Ramen at: 672 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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