Gastrolust

Dish: Pho
Place: Pho So 1, Little Saigon
Price: $6.99, large ($6.15, small)
In the bowl: Pictured is #20: pho tai, nam, gau, gan, sach with rare beef, well-done flank, fatty flank, tendon and tripe along with banh pho rice noodles, onions, green onions, and beef broth
Supporting cast/What to do: Before your bowl comes out, [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Tokyo Ramen
Place: Boom Noodle, Bellevue (also in Capitol Hill and University Village)
Price: $10.95
In the bowl: Chashu (braised pork butt), tamago (egg), menma (bamboo shoots), green onion, and a piece of nori (seaweed) in soy seasoned chicken-pork broth
Supporting cast/What to do: You can order fried garlic chips or fried shallots for an [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: “Noodles Combo”
Place: King Noodle, International District
Price: $6.99
In the bowl: Your choice of soup base, noodles, and toppings (including vegetables)
Supporting cast/What to do: Your server will give you a form (in Chinese and English) and a pen. If you’re having a noodle bowl, you’ll need to build it yourself from the ingredient list, [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Chow Mein (with Hand-Shaved Noodles)
Place: Spicy Talk Bistro, Redmond
Price: $8.25
On the plate: Hand-shaved noodles with your choice of pork, chicken, beef, vegetables, tofu, or prawns. Pictured is pork. It’s just noodles and meat, along with some cabbage and green onions, plus chili pepper to your desired level of spice.
Supporting cast/What to [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Kitsune udon
Place: U:Don, University District (”U” is pronounced “You”)
Price: $5.75 for a medium bowl
In the bowl: From the menu: “Udon noodles served hot with our extra thick fried and marinated tofu (Atsu-age), sliced green onions & grated fresh ginger.”
Supporting cast/What to do: Grab a tray and slide along the line, cafeteria-style, [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Ayutthaya Noodles
Place: Ayutthaya Thai Cuisine, Capitol Hill
Price: $8.50
On the plate: From the menu: “Seasoned stir-fried wide noodles with chicken, egg & garlic. Served over green lettuce. Garnish with ground peanuts & green onions.” Julienned carrots add color and crunch.

Supporting cast/What to do: Spice up your dish if you like from the [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Mi Vit Tiem (braised duck noodle soup with Chinese herbs and spices)
Place: Hue Ky Mi Gia, Little Saigon
Price: $7.00
In the bowl: Free-range chicken broth with a leg-thigh section of braised duck, noodles, shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, green onions, Chinese red dates (hong zao, or jujubes), and “five spice” seasoning.
Supporting cast: [...]

[Read more →]

When I attended the Culinary Institute of America’s annual Worlds of Flavor conference last year, one speaker cited a report that there are 25,600 ramen restaurants in Japan. Those are dedicated ramen shops, selling little more than gyoza on the side.
Seattle has two such shops.
To learn more about my favorite Japanese noodle [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Combo Vermicelli
Place: Ba Bar, Capitol Hill
Price: $12.00
In the bowl: From the menu: “Imperial roll, grilled white prawn, grass-fed beef bo mo chai, cucumber, rau thom.” This and more (see below) over cold rice vermicelli noodles.
Supporting cast: A side of nuoc cham (made with nuoc mam, a.k.a. fish sauce).
What to do: Pour the [...]

[Read more →]

Dish: Inaka Udon
Place: Showa, Fremont
Price: $7.50
In the bowl: From the menu: “chilled udon, daikon oroshi and tempura crunch in cold dashi broth.” There are also green onions and nori (seaweed strips) on top. I opted to add a raw egg for fifty cents more.
Supporting cast: Just what’s in the bowl.
What to do: [...]

[Read more →]