Jay Eats Worldwide

Ramen Monday! Last week, I was in the South Bay and we had lunch at Ramen Yamadaya (Ramen Monday - June 6th). It was a good place and I'll probably go back there. Ramen Yamadaya's speciality is Tonkotsu based ramen. Tonkotsu Moyashi Ramen Pork based broth with Bean Sprouts Tonkotsu is a rich pork bone broth that has a cloudy white broth. By simmering the pork bones for hours, pulls out flavor and collagen, giving it the rich and creamy look. I probably shouldn't say this, but many restaurants add amounts of cream or butter to enhance the broth. Have to admit, Ramen Yamadaya has a better Tonkotsu broth than what I had today. As I was passing another ramen place, I thought to give it a shot. Karaage Chicken Japanese Fried Chicken This was disappointing, they didn't cut the chicken correctly Not even worth mentioning this place Happy Ramen Monday! Photos by Jay Terauchi

On a recent trip to the Bay Area, my friend Curtis suggested that I try this pho place. Pho is a Vietnamese rice noodle soup, with either beef or chicken, and served with garnishes and a variety of sauces. Curtis mentioned that the place he wanted me to try is a Northern Vietnamese style pho place in San Francisco called Turtle Tower, which really intrigued me. I was wondering what the difference was between this Northern style and the style that I was familiar with? I asked around and not many knew the difference, hence this blog entry. Southern Vietnamese Style with Garnishes The style of pho that I'm most familiar with is the Saigon style (Southern Vietnam). This style uses a noodle similar to the size of linguine and served with a variety of garnishes: bean sprouts, cilantro, Thai basil, sliced jalapenos, limes, chili sauce, hoisin sauce, etc. Northern Vietnamese Style with Garnishes The style that I tried at Turtle Tower is Hanoi style (Northern Vi...