Not Your Bog Standard Ramen

If you know me well, you know that I have a lot of opinions on ramen. I justify it with the excuse that I partially grew up in Japan, but let’s face it I’m just a ramen snob. After various pop-ups, Shoryu officially opened its doors (finally). I went for their signature ramen dish, Shoryu Ganso Tonkatsu: thin slices of pork, veg, seaweed, soft boiled egg, and noodles swimming in a sea of pork broth. One of the hardest things to find is good noodles. These were actually spring-y, which was a major plus. The broth was nice and actually tasted as if they bothered to boil some pork bones for a day.  Definitely give this place a try if you’re a ramen connoisseur. I have to admit that this is a bit on the pricier side (£10!). I’m hesitant to even pay $10 for ramen! But as we all know, Japanese cuisine is somehow always priced way above what it’s actually worth. But again, I’m probably just basing this on the fact that I could get a bowl of noodles for ¥700.

Shoryu Ramen
9 Regent Street, SW1Y 4LR

Borough Market Finds

One of my favorite places to go for lunch in London these days is Borough Market. No matter the day of the week, there is always a large selection of bites from which to choose. On our second visit, Fitz and I happened upon Rainha Santa, a roast hog stall. You know it’s promising when they actually have an entire pig in a roaster behind the stand. For only 5 quid, you get pulled pork with apple sauce, a touch of spinach, and topped off with crackling in some nice rustic bread.  I would highly recommend this dish for any pork sandwich enthusiasts.

On my third visit (this time with PH), I ventured back to Roast to try their Scotch Egg Butty. Scotch eggs are one of the British delicacies that I will truly miss when I’m back in the “New Country.” Just in case you’re unfamiliar with this morsel, it is basically a boiled egg wrapped with sausage meat, breaded, and then deep-fried. It may sound disgusting, but I assure you they’re tastier than their description. Roast offers homemade scotch eggs that are about the size of a tennis ball. For the butty (i.e. sandwich), they not only slice one in half, but also fry up additional bacon to place in between the slices of bread. It’s breakfast in sandwich form (one of my new loves in addition to all-day breakfast). This thing will keep you going for HOURS. And as a fellow ex-pat mentioned, it's the best hangover cure.

Borough Market
8 Southwark Street SE1 1TL

Gather Up Kids!

Pork Belly

Pizza

After months of getting cocktails at Gather, K.yo and I finally gave their food a try. Amazingly enough, this was also on Temescal Pilgrimage day. The past year has been pretty awesome for Gather's head chef, Sean Baker. He was named "Chef of the Year" by Esquire and was recently nominated for the James Beard's Rising Star Award. I was actually surprised that the Chronicle did not include him in their "Rising Star Chefs 2011" article, but I am going to assume that they considered him a rising chef last year. I was also surprised that Danny Bowien made the list, since Mission Chinese did not totally amaze Bauer. ANYWAYS, K.yo and I began with the Pork Belly starter, which was served with Tofu Skin, Soft Boiled Egg, Panelle, and Pardina Lentil Vinaigrette. Unique and delicious, it was one of the best starters I have ever head. The flavor of the various items complimented each other well. Baker definitely knows what he is doing. His pizza is equally amazing. He changes it up quite a bit, so the one we ordered is not on the current online menu. I cannot remember the entire description, but it contained a smoky cheese and potatoes. The smokiness gave the illusion of meat, which was perfect for K.yo and I. The crust is thin, crisp, and just right. Baker is incredibly innovative and definitely deserves the Beard award!

Gather
2200 Oxford Street (@ Allston)
Berkeley