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Bae and I were craving some hot pot, but didn’t want AYCE nor did we want to spend beaucoup bucks at a fancy hot pot restaurant, so we found Gourmet Sichuan. Gourmet Sichuan took over the old Shibuya restaurant in Eastgate. In fact, Gourmet Sichuan was a tad challenging to find when we were following Google Maps because it kept telling us to go where Shibuya wa/is. We didn’t realize Shibuya had closed nor did we realize it literally is in place of Shibuya since the signage is still Shibuya. Until you get close to the actual restaurant, you see a banner placed on top of one of the Shibuya signs that it’s Gourmet Sichuan. Stepping inside, it’s still Shibuya. It’s all Japanese-themed, with the wood paneling, Japanese artwork, cherry blossom prints, the sushi counter, everything. Some serious renovation needs to be done here because it screams that of a Japanese restaurant. Gourmet Sichuan has a large menu with many Chinese dishes, including hot pot. What I specifically like here is that you can build your own hot pot for less than 15 bucks, with your choosing of two proteins and four toppings. My boyfriend and I both ordered our own hot pots, and when doing so, our server mentioned that we should share since it’s a large portion. He has no idea how much we eat. But yes, the portion was large and we both ended up taking leftovers. We were overzealous, so yes, share the hot pot if you agree on the broth. (Bae can’t do spice.) For my hot pot I chose the spicy broth, with beef and lamb, and ordered enoki mushrooms, cabbage, tofu skin and noodles as my four toppings. Food didn’t take long to get, which was nice, especially since everything is already cooked in the hot pot, like at Boiling Point. For most of the time I had to turn down my pot to low, since the portion was large, and I take a long time to eat hot pot. The only minor issue I would say is the bowl on the cookpot. The server did warn us that it wasn’t stable, so to be careful. But still, it’s scary when your bowl moves with hot ass broth boiling. Be careful! And I truly hope they’ve made adjustments before a lawsuit occurs. Despite that, the hot pot was awesome! Spicy broth was tasty and did have a spice to it, but wasn’t overbearing. I would recommend for any spicy fans. Lamb and beef were both very tender and good. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I did like the beef better. Noodles were bomb. The hot pot doesn’t come with a side of rice, so you’ll have to order it a la carte. However, I think the noodles are better with the hot pot anyway. Slurp your way through the bowl, and they give you hella noods! I would definitely come back to Gourmet Sichuan for hot pot and perhaps to try the other Chinese dishes. I just hope they fix the bowls for the hot pot, so it doesn’t wobble around when you’re trying to eat.

• Uncle Zhu Spicy Hotpot – Menu with Prices – 3875 Venture Dr, Duluth
• Kwei Fei at Charleston Pour House – Menu with Prices – 1977 Maybank Hwy, Charleston
• Ruiji Sichuan Cuisine ç??å??è?å? – Menu with Prices – 13913 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove
• Phá»? K & K Menu with Prices 2533 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley
• Kung Fu Grill – Menu with Prices – 2180 Pleasant Hill Rd ste A6-A7, Duluth
• Chicken Hero Kho Ga Menu with Prices 918 S Magnolia Ave, Anaheim
• Paik’s Noodles – Menu with Prices – 28124 Newhall Ranch Rd, Santa Clarita
• Noodlelicious – Menu with Prices – 3212 N Jupiter Rd #110, Garland
• Dear Chengdu – Menu with Prices – 15455 Jeffrey Rd Ste 325, Irvine
• ë?? (The GOP) ?? ì ??? – Menu with Prices – 2605 Pleasant Hill Rd #400, Duluth
• Dagu Rice Noodle – Menu with Prices – 3710 Payne Ave, Cleveland
• Ramen Kuro Shiro – Menu with Prices – 128 Crown St, New Haven

Uncle Zhu Spicy Hotpot – Menu with Prices – 3875 Venture Dr, Duluth

Uncle Zhu is a food court stall located inside Jusgo Supermarket that serves authentic, spicy, and delicious Chongqing-style (Sichuan) Chinese hot pot. This is the first restaurant you see if you enter the food court from the entrance outside (not the interior entrance from the supermarket side). It’s got a corner stall in the mini-mall’s large rectangular wraparound hub. I really enjoyed the two hot pots I tried from this place. The restaurant offers over a dozen kinds of hot pot and noodle soups along with other dishes like “hot woks” (Sichuan-style stir-fries, kind of like a brothless hot pot), Sichuan cold noodles, spicy shrimp, dried shrimp cauliflower, and three different kinds of “fried cabbage” (bok choy and other leafy green veggies). Expect to spend about $9-10 each for most hot pots. You can also create your own hot pot. The kitchen’s ingredients are on display in multiple bins behind glass at the counter. Pricing for custom hot pots is $6.95 per bowl, $11.50 per pound. I tried the spicy boiled fish hot pot ($12.95) and the beef malatang hot pot ($8.99). Both were excellent. If you like spicy food, especially spicy Sichuan food, then you’ll like both of these dishes. The spicy boiled fish hot pot is a dish you can get at other Sichuan restaurants around metro Atlanta. I really like Uncle Zhu’s version. It comes with plenty of boneless, meaty fish fillets. I’m pretty sure the fish used is tilapia. The fish is served in a large bowl containing a customary deep red, spicy, oily broth with red chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, bean sprouts, cabbage, cilantro. and green onion. Thanks to the Sichuan peppercorns, this dish brings the “mala” which is Chinese for numbing and spicy. It’s a unique mouth-numbing, tingling sensation that only Sichuan peppercorns can bring and I love it. Out of all the Sichuan spicy boiled fish hot pots I’ve tried in metro Atlanta, I think I might like Uncle Zhu’s version the best. The ingredients were fresh and in the ideal proportions and everything about this dish seemed to hit all the right notes. If you like spicy food, you should give it a try. The beef malatang is a unique hot pot dish. Malatang is a popular street food in North China. “Malatang” literally translates as “numbing spicy hot.” At malatang shops, you pick and choose the ingredients you want to be boiled in a spicy broth which is then seasoned. Uncle Zhu offers the same experience. If you don’t want to pick your own ingredients, there are five kinds of malatang on the menu: the aforementioned beef malatang (which is what I got), seafood malatang, shrimp malatang, beef stomach malatang, and ball malatang (either meatballs or fish balls, I’m not sure). The beef malatang was terrific. It was chock-full of all sorts of yummy ingredients including slices of beef, sweet potato noodles, lotus root, Chinese jelly fungus (cloud ear, I believe), tofu skin (or bean curd skin), bok choy, cabbage, bean sprouts, cilantro, red chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns. There was another ingredient in the broth which I think was green seaweed (the long, relatively thicker kind), but I’m not certain. I think I covered most of the ingredients. This dish was quite flavorful and sufficiently spicy, though it didn’t have the same numbing effect as the spicy boiled fish which I would’ve liked. I’m sure I could have asked to have the malatang prepared with even more Sichuan peppercorns and they would have obliged. I question the quality of the beef in the beef malatang because it was a bit too tough and chewy. Perhaps it was overcooked. That’s my only real gripe about the food here and I wouldn’t hesitate to order the beef malatang again. Uncle Zhu’s hot pots are cooked in the back and are served in these nice-looking, large, yellow and red bowls that are decorated with Chinese text and Chinese masks. The restaurant ha

Kwei Fei at Charleston Pour House – Menu with Prices – 1977 Maybank Hwy, Charleston

Unlike the Americanized-greasy fusion type places – just a heads up – Kwei Fei’s dishes are family-style and meant for sharing. Do not fret if your chopsticks happen to touch your eating companions’. It will be okay. You will survive; I promise. For those unfamiliar with Sichuan/Szechuan cuisine, you are missing out! Sichuan cuisine is typically a very spicy type of Chinese food and is also known for being very flavorful. MANY Sichuan dishes incorporate a lot of garlic and chilli peppers, so make sure those two ingredients are palatable before you hit up Kwei Fei. My husband and I shared three dishes: 1) Dan Dan Mian (noodles) Sesame paste and/or peanut butter is sometimes added, and occasionally replaces the spicy sauce, usually in the Taiwanese and American Chinese style of the dish. In this case, there was peanut/peanut butter in the dan dan noodles, making their dan dan mian (noodle) sweeter, less spicy, and less soupy than its Szechuan/Sichuan counterpart. 2) Dry Fried Green Beans This is a staple in many Chinese restaurants, so we were interested to see Kwei Fei’s take on this particular dish. Although on the smaller side, our order arrived looking delightfully aromatic. Accompanied with rice, the green beans are just the right amount of salt and heat. Without rice, It would be a tad too salty if eaten alone. Great flavor, nonetheless! 3) Sichuan Beef The beef was very tender. By the look of the broth, I had anticipated the beef and broth to be three times more spicy and numbing, but it was actually the most mild of the three dishes we ordered. This is not a spicy dish, so the the name of the dish may be misleading. It may not be the prettiest entree to capture on pictures, but the taste and flavour is right on! Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience. Two things prevented this from being a five-star review. First would be the fact that for a reportedly “spicy” and “Sichuan” place, we left not feeling to numb in the spice department. We have been to other Sichuan places that left us wanting to curl up into our former selves and cry more than usual. Second, the service was a bit slow. We were seated almost immediately, but it took over 30 minutes before our first dish came to the table. It must have been a busy night for take-out? Note to selves for next time – add hot oil provided at the table to the dishes to kick up the spice level!

Ruiji Sichuan Cuisine ç??å??è?å? – Menu with Prices – 13913 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove

Authentic Sichuan food. In Little Saigon. Yes, you read that right. When I first saw construction on Ruiji Sichuan Cuisine, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The space it occupies was once held by a typical Chinese takeout spot, which is what you’d expect in this area. But Sichuan food? I’ll believe it when I see it. Wednesday, May 22, 2019 was opening day and I decided I had to see things for myself… after all, one of my grandmothers grew up in Zigong and I’ve always had a soft spot for Sichuan Cuisine. If you ever eaten in San Gabriel Valley, you’ll know that Sichuan regional cuisine has been the reigning king of Chinese food in Southern California the last 10+ years, inaugurating a Sichuan craze that stretches from Hawaii to New York… but Little Saigon??? I came in around 12 pm, with the only people there being the owner, the waitress, the kitchen staff, and a friend of the business… I guess I’m the first customer! After quizzing Mrs. Wang, the boss of this operation, about what’s popular on the menu I settled on 2 classics: twice-cooked pork and knife-cut noodles with cumin beef. They say the measure of any Sichuan restaurant is their twice-cooked pork and any restaurant that claims to sell authentic Northern-style Chinese noodles lives and dies on either hand-pulled or knife-cut noodles. If this restaurant can do both well, they deserve my patronage. I am happy to report that the twice-cooked pork was solid… no extraneous strips of tofu, just thinly sliced pork belly and green onions. The knife-cut noodles, which were recommended by Mrs. Wang, were delicious: fresh-cut, al dente, and paired well with the cumin beef. At $7.99 for the twice-cooked pork with rice lunch special and $9.99 for the knife-cut noodles, it’s a fair price for cuisine that’s so hard to come by in this area. Ruiji’s original location is in the South Bay city of Lomita, another area not known for authentic Sichuan cuisine. If they can convince folks out there to eat some spicy savory Sichuan food, maybe they’ll have the same effect in Garden Grove? I mean, if nothing else it’s in the same plaza as Cafe 168… maybe they can do some cross-promotion? Spicy food after taking in some spicy sights! I kid, I kid… but Little Saigon restaurant patrons, check this place out… there’s nothing else like it for miles around! Like any Chinese restaurant this place has an extensive menu, far too many dishes for a single sampling, so I’m looking forward to coming back for more!

Phá»? K & K Menu with Prices 2533 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley

I absolutely love pho, so I’m really surprised I haven’t visited earlier. All my friends often came here during our freshman year, but I just haven’t gotten the chance to go! I came here today around 5pm on a cloudy, chilly day – perfect weather for a big bowl of hot noodles. As it wasn’t peak hours, my friend and I were immediately seated and given menus. We both ordered the #9, just typical rare beef pho, priced at $10 a bowl not including tax. I was totally not disappointed by the wait time! Both of our orders came probably around 5 minutes after we ordered. However, usually at pho places you’d be given one plate of veggies (the usual fresh bean sprouts, basil, jalapenos, and lemons to add to the pho) for every single bowl of noodles/pho you order. We were instead given one small plate to share between the two of us, of which I wasn’t a huge fan. I do admit that the broth was fantastically good – I drank all of it – and the noodles were great too, but there just wasn’t enough beef for the price fo $10 and the bowl size. A very good standard-sized bowl of pho, but I feel like they made it look bigger than it was with an overflow of broth so that the noodles and beef were floating in it like tiny leaves on a large pond. My verdict? It was great comfort food (and I definitely need it during this second midterm season), but at the price point, distance from campus, and the portion size, I’d much rather go to Saigon Express on Shattuck and use the $11 to buy both a foot-long banh mi (~$4) and a big bowl of pretty good pho (~$7).

Kung Fu Grill – Menu with Prices – 2180 Pleasant Hill Rd ste A6-A7, Duluth

Note: This restaurant originally opened in March 2016 as Sichuan Garden. Sometime in late summer/early fall 2017, Sichuan Garden became Kung Fu Grill. This review is based on my experience at Sichuan Garden, not Kung Fu Grill. Sichuan Garden was recommended to me by a Chinese friend who knows good Sichuan food and had been to this restaurant several times. I thought our Sunday lunch here was excellent. It was surprisingly delicious and exceeded my expectations. To me, the food was a solid 4 out of 5 stars. Sichuan Garden was one of the several Asian restaurants, bakeries, and cafes located at GW Marketplace, a.k.a. the Sweet Hut Duluth shopping center, on Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth. It’s closer to the Sweet Hut side of the property, next door to Snowflake Tea House. This was a clean, no-frills, authentic Sichuan restaurant. Inside, it actually resembled other Sichuan restaurants around metro Atlanta like Masterpiece, which is also in Duluth, and Tasty China in Marietta. Of these restaurants, Sichuan Garden had the freshest and “nicest” digs. The casual open-floor layout was simple and traditional of a Chinese restaurant. It was practical for group dining. They had a spiffy touchscreen sound system and a really big round table in a semi-private enclosure for large parties. I guesstimate the dining room could seat about 70-80 customers. One thing that set Sichuan Garden apart from other Sichuan restaurants in the Atlanta area was they served all-you-can-eat hot pot at your table. These included the split hot pots with two flavors of broth. They had a sauce bar too. Unfortunately, the hot pot option wasn’t shown on the English menu and was simply written as “hot pot buffet” on the specials board where everything else was written in Chinese. If you didn’t speak/read Chinese and were interested in getting hot pot here, you’d have to inquire with your server. The restaurant had a relatively streamlined menu with both a mix of authentic Sichuan (and other Chinese) cuisine and Americanized Chinese food (what they call their “classic dishes”). There were no separate lunch and dinner menus as far as I could tell. You could expect to spend roughly $5-12 each for appetizers, soups, noodles, and rice dishes and $15-25 each for entrees not including the market-priced lobster and Dungeness crab. Here’s what we went with: * Cumin lamb – $13.95 * Red braised Japanese tofu stone pot – $13.95 * Eggplant with garlic sauce – $10.95 * Garlic spinach – $11.95 * Fillet in hot spicy soup with needle mushroom – $15.95 In general, everything was tasty and oily, which is common for Sichuan food. Also, I noticed the food wasn’t as intense and spicy as the food at Masterpiece, Tasty China, Jia, etc. However, it’s still plenty flavorful. You just won’t get the saltiness and pronounced “ma” (numbing) and “la” (spicy) sensations as you would at the other Sichuan restaurants. I didn’t see any Sichuan peppercorns in our dishes though if they were to show up in any, it would’ve been the cumin lamb and fish soup. The cumin lamb was my favorite dish. It was excellent, extra savory, and addictive in flavor. Aside from cumin, I’m not sure what the morsels of lamb meat were coated in, but it was good. I thought there might have been MSG in the dish, but we couldn’t taste it. It was just packed with flavor. There were both chili peppers and bell peppers in this dish, but it was hardly spicy (coming from someone who loves spicy food). The lamb was soft and tender with no gamey taste whatsoever. I highly recommend this dish. The red braised Japanese tofu stone pot was terrific. This is a relatively lighter dish (when it comes to Sichuan fare) and another one I recommend. It’s fairly unique. The tofu was cut into thick disc-shaped pieces which had a bit of crispness and firmness on the outside and were silky smooth and soft on the inside. The red sauce was rich in flavor.

Chicken Hero Kho Ga Menu with Prices 918 S Magnolia Ave, Anaheim

Saw this place pop up in yelp and came here to try itself. Restaurant was clean and big. It’s located in a small plaza. Service overall was awesome. We didnt have to wait that long for our food. We ordered the banh bot loc and the pho ga dac biet/special pho ga. The banh bot loc was good! It was the right amount of batter ratio to the shrimp. The star of the menu is the pho though. I really liked it! The broth tasted like homemade pho broth – subtlely sweet like it’s been cooking for hours and really really flavorful. The chicken tasted like ga di bo/walking chicken – nice and chewy texture not mushy at all. The noodles were cooked perfectly too! The portion for the 7.99 price was huuuge!! They also gave us a sample of their chicken jerky and it was really good and unique! Slightly sweet, tangy, and spicy! We ended up buying a large bag. I will definitely be back!

Paik’s Noodles – Menu with Prices – 28124 Newhall Ranch Rd, Santa Clarita

This is a review for lunch to-go order on a cold weekday! What I ordered: Beef Jjamppongbap (no spice) Food: The broth was flavorful and PERFECT for a cold and rainy weather. I ended up slurping the soup after I finished eating the noodles and toppings! As what others noted, it has a peppery taste which might not be for everyone. But works for me!! The actual bowl was full of vegetables, beef, and a couple of shrimps. You would get a good amount for each mouthful of noodle and soup! Price: $ CHEAP for the quality and quantity! Parking: It always has ample parking. This is located inside the plaza. Service: For the TO-GO experience only! I like the fact that they didn’t forget the necessities that comes with the order such as utensils and napkins. Plus points for me! Just like ordering a bowl of noodle soup, the broth and noodles/toppings are separated. The noodles I got wasn’t sticking and the veggies seem fresh and not too wilted. However, I would suggest for a bigger bowl for the broth. I had to slurp the soup before putting in the noodles because the bowl was a little shallow to put everything in. It’d be a mess if I just drop all the contents in!! Not to mention it was also hard to mix it in since the to-go bowl is small. WILL COME BACK!!! I will probably order Jajangmyeon during summer time and get the beef soup for winter/cold days. So many items on the menu I’d love to explore!

Noodlelicious – Menu with Prices – 3212 N Jupiter Rd #110, Garland

It appears to be an unassuming pho restaurant in the Saigon Asian shopping center. There is access from outside the mall as well as from inside. I like this restaurant because of the fresh noodles (made in house) and flavorful broth. I’ve been here a few times and tried a few things, and I can say that you need to stick to ordering the pho here. My daughter had the chicken pho and said it was super delicious-lots of chicken and noodles along with an excellent broth. My son ordered a pho dac biet and really enjoyed it-lots of meat and noodles. They come in 3 sizes. If you have a regular appetite, the small is really all you need. That’s what I order. The large is if you are super hungry-it’s a giant bowl. Pros: clear flavorful broth that is not too oily, fast service Cons: anything that’s not pho. Inconsistent in quality of dishes-a couple times the spring rolls had hard noodles in it. Also, not a fan of the preboiled bean sprouts. Tip: don’t come late because they do run out of fresh noodles. We came within an hour of closing one time, and they were out.

Dear Chengdu – Menu with Prices – 15455 Jeffrey Rd Ste 325, Irvine

This is probably the closest taste to authentic Sichuan cuisine that I’ve had in the States. A lot of “Sichuan restaurants” and consumers in the west seem to think that Sichuan food just means really spicy Chinese food, which is an incredibly and disgustingly low-cultured perspective. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the homestyle flavors and implementation of genuine Sichuan peppercorn in the dishes served here. Funny enough, I’m not usually a fan of spicy food, but I absolutely love the heat and kick that Sichuan peppercorns give. Sadly, it seems that most western folk simply aren’t accustomed to peppercorn, so most Sichuan places (including here) are pretty sparing in the amount of peppercorn they use. I even asked if they could do less chili peppers and more Sichuan peppercorn, but they told me that their ratios are fixed (aka pre-made lol). The restaurant is pretty small and you might face a 20-30 minute wait depending on the day. Interior is clean and the servers are friendly. There are some minor inconsistency issues with the food (sometimes the rice is undercooked or the portions seem off), but my main issue with this restaurant is the pricing. It’s pretty expensive, and a lot of the prices for what you get are definitely cringe-worthy. The food is great and authentic by all means, but at these high prices, I would personally rather spend my money at some other fine dining establishment.

ë?? (The GOP) ?? ì ??? – Menu with Prices – 2605 Pleasant Hill Rd #400, Duluth

Let me start off by saying that the food here is pretty solid, but their service needs a ton of work. We were a party of three, and we arrived on Friday for dinner. After we were seated, we ordered 2 servings of the Large Gopchang BBQ (beef large intestines) and 1 Spicy Pork Rib Stew (serving for two). They were offering a free side of either naengmyun broth (cold noodle broth) or jjampong soup (spicy seafood soup) and we chose the latter. The side dishes came out relatively quickly and consisted of radish wraps, various assortments of kimchi and other pickled veggies, and a bowl of chives, which all tasted pretty decent. After a while, they brought out chawanmushi, a Japanese egg custard, as appetizer which is completely different from the Korean steamed egg (gyeran jjim) that I’m familiar with. The chawanmushi had a very silky texture (much like Chinese steamed eggs or soft tofu) but tastes really seafood-y because of the dashi. I’m just confused as to why they serve Japanese egg custard at a KBBQ place, but I’m not complaining as it was free. While we were waiting for our food, the server returned to ask about our order because he forgot. Okay, I understand that you’re busy, but remembering orders is part of your responsibility as a server. Little did I know things would get worse from then on. When our food finally came, they brought out the naengmyun broth instead of the jjampong. Maybe it was our Asian passivity at work or maybe it was just our growing frustration and hangry-ness, but we decided not to say anything about it. Now, I love naengmyun, and this broth was actually really good, better than a lot of the ones I’ve tasted at traditional Korean restaurants; I’ll give them credit for that. And their beef intestines, when fully cooked, are so, SO good; it’s fatty and flavorful without being stinky. The Spicy Pork Rib Stew was actually pretty small and definitely more on the braised side (heavily marinated with no liquid/soup) than other places, but my friends really liked the flavor, and the meat itself was very tender and fell off the bone easily. But their portion size and price I have a problem with. I mean, come on. I understand it’s a Korean joint, so serving size is probably in reference to how much Koreans deem is the right amount. But how are two servings of gopchang (worth $31.98) equal to nine little tubes of intestines, two slices of mushroom, three very thin slices of potatoes and a few pieces of onions and asparagus?? And how is that supposed to feed two adults?? Granted, they give you some slices of beef heart, but even then, it’s not enough food to satisfy fully-grown people with fully-grown appetites. Even the Spicy Pork Rib Stew, at $28.99, is a hefty price for what they give. And if the service was impeccable, I would not be so salty. But we had to flag down the server THREE times for him to get us a bowl of rice (which costs $1.99 by the way & isn’t even filled to the top), and they don’t even come around to refill your water unless you ask them to. I almost feel like we were given less attention because we didn’t speak Korean like the other customers, but I’ll never know because I don’t plan on coming back. I fully understand that The Gop is new. But they are severely lacking in their service and need to hire more employees (I only saw 3 or 4 servers working the floor with a full house.) I want places like this to do well because Duluth needs more gopchang restaurants, and I’m sad I can only give them 3 stars. Hopefully, things will turn around for the better.

Dagu Rice Noodle – Menu with Prices – 3710 Payne Ave, Cleveland

I am EXCITED to welcome this unique addition to the Asiatown food scene. I’m all about the new and exciting, but at the same time, when I’m trying out a new restaurant, I think about how it stacks up to other favorites I have in the area, and whether it’s worth revisiting. One question I ask myself is whether I’d visit this new restaurant over an old favorite, and given that I have a LOT of old favorites in the Asiatown area, there’s a lot of healthy competition for tasty options. On top of that, given that there are always food trends that come around, it’s interesting to think about the sustainability of certain trends, and whether they will stack up over time. After that very long winded introduction, I have to say that after visiting Dagu, I’m very confident both in its ability to hold its own in the growing Asiatown area, and in its ability to become a staple of the area and not just a food trend. All that being said, I bet you’re wondering, so what is this place all about? I think Wayne W. did an excellent job of summing up the concept, but I’ll add here where I can. If you’re familiar with Chinese style hotpot, or Japanese style Shabu Shabu, I would say that “crossing the bridge noodles” is a very specific variation of that. One key difference is while hotpot typically is served with the pot on top of a heating element, so you can constantly keep the broth simmering and add ingredients as you go, Crossing the Bridge noodle broth is served extremely hot (300 degrees!) so the ingredients only need to be dipped very quickly into the broth before ready for eating. Beware though, as the broth is extremely hot! The broth is served in an earthenware bowl that is also extremely hot, but there is a protective container that protects you from possibly burning yourself on the bowl itself. If this all sounds very intimidating to you, don’t be! I actually found that Crossing the Bridge noodles may be more approachable way of eating for some as you don’t need to choose your fillings (all bowls come with the same accoutrements) and there’s no waiting around for things to cook, making this a great quicker meal option. The only thing I would say is that the type of rice noodles they use are one of the more unwieldy of noodles, and can easily slip off your chopsticks, so be sure to utilize the big spoon they also provide to help with getting those delicious noodles from your bowl to your mouth! As for the food itself, I really appreciate that the menu is somewhat streamlined and clearly explained. There are descriptions of the dish titles so the customer can know what to expect in terms of flavor profile, and it can pretty simply be summed up into two categories: “A” noodles come with everything but the noodles already in the broth, and “B” noodles come with a those same ingredients, but served on a tray on the side so you can add them as you go. There are variations in the broth itself, as well as if you want to add things like sliced lamb or meatballs (which are an extra charge) My husband ordered the A3- sour & spicy broth with pulled beef, while I ordered the B1- original crossing the bridge noodle soup. Both were excellent, but I will say the complexity in the sour & spicy broth is really something special. You’ll notice that all of the broths has a milky appearance, which comes from the concentration of collagen in the bones the broth is made from. It makes for a really rich and satisfying taste, I can’t wait to eat this in wintertime! The fillings are fairly traditional, there’s things like dry paste, a substance with a lot of flavor and depth, and more simple items like ham, tofu, bamboo shoots, and quail egg. It doesn’t look as though the portions of the fillings are a lot, however I will say I was extremely full at the end of our meal, and I didn’t even finish half of the rice noodles. At $10-$12 for this filling

Ramen Kuro Shiro – Menu with Prices – 128 Crown St, New Haven

Very impressed by this authentic ramen shop! Do not expect a large menu here that caters all kinds of Asian noodles but everything they do here, they do it right. We had spicy roasted edamame and chicken karage (Japanese fried chicken) as our appetizers. The edamame was good with nice flavors from the coating from spicy sauce. Then came our freshly made karage, for those of you who are not familiar with Japanese fried chicken, they are typically sized similar to popcorn chicken with very thin batter using corn starch instead of flour and instead of buttermilk marinate, they are usually marinated with Asian spices such as ginger, sake, white pepper powder, sesame oil, etc. This dish is outstanding, the chicken bits are so juicy and flavorful, very crispy on the outside and very tender on the inside. We could taste the meat had soaked up all these goodness from spices and wine and did not have any gamy taste at all. Our appetizer literally served the purpose and opened up our appetizer for the main star. I had the original Tonkotsu while my hubby had the spicy Tonkotsu. First let me tell you how affordable it is here to have a satisfying bowl of ramen, you don’t have to spend $18 like most of the NYC joints. Here for $11-12, you get amazing toppings already included like tamago (marinated soft boiled egg), bamboo shoots and nicely roasted char Siu (roast pork belly). When my bowl was served, I knew the broth must have been done right. It was milky white from long hours of slow simmering, it had a thin layer of fat which makes it flavorful but not too much grease. It was rich and porky, the right amount of texture to coat the noodles well and the right amount of seasoning that it is still nice to drink by itself. Spicy toasted edamame – 8/10. It would have been 10/10 if the shell ends are trimmed to allow seasoning penetrating inside the shell. Karage – 10/10. Tonkotsu Ramen and Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen – 9/10 Broth, 7/10 toppings, 9/10 noodles. Overall 8/10. Pretty solid. Wish there could be more topping options like wood ear mushrooms, nori to add another level of texture and black garlic oils, roasted sesame to enhance flavor. If you are a ramen lover in New Haven, you are missing out if you have not given this restaurant a try by now.