In a Bowl, on Wheels, Off to Flavortown!

I was hangin' with my brother and our friend Eric yesterday; we decided to go get something to eat because that's our favourite past time.

And it was about 10:30pm and our palates and stomaches were being tortured watching Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate." (And of course there's Guy Fieri of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," whose job we are all secretly coveting... if only it didn't come with the bleach blonde hair and its tool-y disposition).

After making consulting with the crystal ball that is Yelp for a late-night eatery, we decided to make a trip to Asa Ramen, a hole-in-the way ramen shop in the South Bay. It was the last night all three of us were in the same city, so why not grab so local eats!

We were really lucky to have gotten there on the first go as the place is really easy to miss. The shop sign is also in Japanese kanji, which we can barely read. Venturing a guess, we turned out to be right. The restaurant side (I think the other half of the place is a bar) was starting to fill up with its late night patrons so we were seated at the bar. The menu was thankfully short (two ramens with an assortment of takoyaki--fried octopus with various toppings), with big enough writing for the dimly-lit establishment, and reading Yelp reviews made ordering even easier!

"3 Koterri Ramen please!"

I usually smell the food before I eat it--it's just a habit--and I couldn't wait to sip the fragrant broth even though I'm pretty sure they just spooned it out of a boiling hot pot. It tasted just as good as it smelled! Eric told us that "koterri" means "rich," as in "rich in flavour." The seasoning was amazing, having absorbed all the flavour that the sliced pork has to offer (when eating ramen, one of the pillars of judgment is the taste of the broth). It really is one of the best, if not the best, broths I've had in ramen ever! Being both flavourful and tasty, there was a lot of body to the broth, it wasn't oily and the green onions held its hand like an old friend! As a comfort food, there wasn't a crazy lot of dimension to the broth, but that's not what you're looking for in comfort food anyways. Though nice and light, the broth is the statement in the ramen!

The noodles were cooked al dente and are probably made in the shop. The toppings on the ramen were modest, containing plenty of chopped green onions, two slices of pork and sliced bamboo, which I really enjoyed. The bowl cost about $6 (one can upgrade to a large size for an additional $2). Asa is modest in size: when we left, there was a line going out the door. If you do plan a trip there, I would recommend going with a small party, as it's a more intimate eatery. Overall, it was a pleasant eating experience and I am definitely planning on making a trip to Asa Ramen again!

Hanging at Jamie's

Review for Jamie's Italian



So, Jamie Oliver, British Food Network chef and author of Jamie's America just opened up a restaurant in Leeds! As a pretty big fan of the FN, how am I going to pass this one up?

The restaurant is situated in the city centre on Park Row, down the street from Wagamama's, a Japanese restaurant, which is fairly popular in the UK. The entree's at Jamie's run from cheap to mid-range to more expensive, depending on what you order and the portioning. As an Italian grill, pastas, meat-boards, fancy bread baskets, brick-cooked dishes, seafood and salads are available alongside steaks. Click here for the menu. In addition a gamut of wines, hand chosen by Jamie himself, are available for your vintage pleasure. Click here for the wine list. While there is no dress code for the restaurant (I would consider it quite family friendly), I would recommend dressing a bit more smartly than flip flops and shorts, especially for a date.

Food
For my entree, I ordered "Fish in a Bag" and my friends and I shared a starter of Jamie's "Posh Truffle* Chips," which were fantastic. The flavour of the truffles was definitely apparent and popped wonderfully amidst the sprinkled grated mild cheddar. The chips themselves were done very well and were obviously fresh; I expected no less from Mr. Oliver. Although we did not order a starter of bread, I might recommend it as the starter comes with an amazing selection of breads of all shapes, sizes and colours, also picked by Jamie.

The Fish in a Bag was pretty darn good; the fish, caught off the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, was fresh, very tasty and cooked perfectly. The shellfish was a bit small, but considering I'm no connoisseur, this might have just been typical of the types of clams and mussels. What I was most pleased with, however, were the tomatoes that the fish, fennel and shellfish were steamed with. These tomatoes were AMAZING. Generally, I'm neutral about tomatoes; I like them, but I never comment on them-- to me, they're just kind of "there" in most dishes. But these tomatoes most certainly had a presence! They were incredibly sweet, and bursting of flavour. Absolutely wonderful.



Design
Not only is the food good, but the design of the restaurant is fab! When you enter Jamie's Italian, you're greeted by crates of pasta and produce. The building, which was once originally a bank, contains multiple levels, so be prepared to climb a bit. The restaurant is raised half a floor from the entry way, but only contains a ground and first floor, so the stairs aren't terribly daunting. Upstairs there is a bar-style counter from which the food is picked up by the waiters and waitresses so even before you order you can feast your eyes on the fanciful presentations the dishes are served in, usually making your selection even more difficult! :) The colours will blow your mind, especially the colours of the various salads.


Excuse the camera-phone quality
Even the toilets and sinks are awesome; they are really old-fashioned ones made by the original Thomas Crapper company. The font and the cute-ified rococo style appliques are also something to be praised. :) One thing I could knit-pick about, and this is INCREDIBLY petty for a food blog such as mine, mind you, is that there were a few design flaws in the menu such as the white space in the centre, but we'll not pay much attention to that. The ambiance in the restaurant was friendly and the staff amiable. I am happy to say that for those with meager budgets, tap water is available for free (bottled is also available for the not-so-adventurous). Nonetheless, Jamie's Italian proved to be a positive dining experience and I would recommend it!

I will be posting more blogs for my month-long trek across various cities in Europe, so stay tuned! :) Feel free to subscribe to receive updates! Cheers! xx

-Raechel