Comfort Food, Japanese Style at Sapporo-ya
Written: Dec 23 '00 (Updated Aug 04 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Home-made ramen and okonomiyaki!
Cons: nada
The Bottom Line: Yum! Sapporo - Ya has homemade ramen and okonomiyaki.
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| megugrrrl's Full Review: Sapporo-Ya |
Yes, there is Japanese comfort food – it’s not about sushi, it’s not quite teriyaki… it’s cheap, satisfying, and yummy… it’s ramen -- and like all cheap comfort food, tis good! (And don’t worry, the ramen at Sapporo-ya only resembles Top Ramen by name!) Essentially, ramen is like a bowl of wavy thin spaghetti in a broth. Now Sapporo-Ya’s ramen is special not only because it’s good, but also because it’s the only ramen place in the Bay Area I know of that makes its own ramen. (You can ogle at the ancient noodle-making machine by the front entrance.) What makes homemade ramen different is just like the differences with Italian pastas – homemades are usually more flavorful and have a nicer texture. Incidentally, ramen noodles are adapted from the Chinese mien -- (traditional Japanese noodles are the more smooth udon or soba). You’ll find that udon and soba are more popular offerings around the Japan Center in San Fran – but in Japan, I’d venture to say that ramen is more popular… at 4 am in the morning you can buy ramen from a man pushing around a ramen cart – and get free entertainment from all the late night drinkers looking for something to fill their bellies.
Food:
Sapporo-ya, which really has nothing to do with Sapporo beer, other than offer it, has almost a dozen varieties of ramen (soy, miso, barbecue pork, tempura). We skipped appetizers and ordered our ramen. My husband got the miso ramen ($7.00), its broth was opaque, full-bodied and robust (sounds like I’m describing a beer) – but it was definitely miso; strong but not over-powering. I opted for the corn ramen ($6.25); its broth was vegetable and not pork/chicken-based and therefore not as savory but still good; it had a hint of sesame oil, which I liked.
Both our ramen bowls were topped with thin slices of hard-boiled egg, green onions, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, deep green spinach, and the miso ramen had charsui (barbecued pork). Each bowl of ramen comes with a mini-dish of salty pickled cabbage; very Japanese, very salty.
We skipped the appetizers because I wanted to order a second course - okonomiyaki—which I’ve seen described as either a Japanese pancake, crepe, or pizza – whichever way, it’s really good and just the thing to compliment a hot bowl of noodles. While okonomiyaki in Japan is as common as pizza joints are here, finding okonomikayi here is pretty rare – the only other restaurant I know of outside of Japan that serves it is in San Diego. Unfortunately the okonomiyaki at Sapporo - ya is marginal. It's mushy and they used chopped rather than coleslaw-cut cabbage.
Essentially, okonomiyaki is made of shredded cabbage mixed into a batter, dolled up with spices and fillings, and cooked like a fat pancake. Literally translating to “grilled as you like” you can have things added like chicken, shrimp, noodles, etc. As it's being cooked, it's topped with this wonderful brown sauce(which is like a Worcestershire, soy sauce, oyster sauce, mustard mix – it’s a lot better than it sounds.) The “as you like” part doesn’t really refer to Sapporo-ya because you have to order off the menu – pork, beef, or seafood. Nevertheless it’s still good, really good when prepared right.
While the ramen and okonomiyaki are the main reasons why I strongly recommend Sapporo-ya, they also offers combo platters, terikyaki things, sashimi, and tempura, which many people were ordering.
Decor:
Very Japanese rustic/farm (read dark woodsy) and small - probably able to fit 30 or 40 diners. The tables are no-nonsense plastic topped and hold a bowl of disposable chopsticks and paper napkins.
Service:
This is not a fancy restaurant – no fancy dishes, no fancy diners, so naturally, no fancy service. Not fancy doesn’t mean not friendly, though. Our service was quick, polite, and yet unremarkable. It was fully functional without the bells and whistles, but I really didn’t mind… Besides, when I feel like going out for Japanese comfort food, it’s really the food I’m after and not the service.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
megugrrrl
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: Oakland
Reviews written: 151
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