There is nothing that excites me as much as a good noodle.
We have been lacking in a noodle habitation, so I was excited to see Raku Ramen
open in in one of the three restaurant spaces in San Luis Obispo’s Mix on
Monterey. A quick stopover delighted my senses with a casual atmosphere, solid
menu, and lunch friendly prices. Focusing on noodle and rice bowls, this little
haven stole my heart. I took my managing editor that is a notorious picky
eater, but they made her a believer.
Owned by the same mastermind of flavor, Steve Supina who runs the Raku
Izakaya in Grover Beach and has been a staple in my family for years. Steve has
opened a noddle centric place, and kept a few favorites from Grover Beach on
the menu for the San Luis Raku Ramen.
First my guest asked me “What is Ramen?” thinking there
would be no way my palate was accepting of the Dollar Store Top Ramen we all subsisted
on in College. I explained, with my noodle passion, what truly comprises a bowl
of ramen. Perfect Ramen subsist with three distinct parts: the soup, noodles,
and toppings. Each part is no less important than the other. The chemistry
between them creates the rich and exquisite taste of Japanese ramen. Each part,
depending on the chef’s tastes and preferences, vary widely as well. The soup
may be created using soy sauce, miso, salt, and countless other ingredients.
The noodles also vary in taste, texture, color, and form, but most noodles
share the consistency shared by the common ingredients of flour, eggs, and
kansui (a type of alkaline water). The toppings help to accentuate the noodles
and the soup, from the Chashu (braised pork belly) to the ni-tamago (boiled egg
pickled in soy sauce). With limitless varieties and variations in each
respective ingredient, Japanese ramen is truly diverse, allowing each chef to
create their own unique flavors and tastes.
We started with the Spicy Garlic Edamame, which she would
pronounce her favorite thing in the world. These Japanese soybeans are enhanced
with a garlic/miso/chili sauce that is out of this world. She went for the
Curry Udon that was done with a Japanese Beef Curry Sauce. She loved every
bite. I went for the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen that was a beautiful to the eye as it
was to my taste buds. The noddle soup was filled with flavor, spicy ground
pork, a slice of chashu pork, and the ni-tamago. It was garnished with chopped
green onions and garlic chips. It was subtle and wonderful, even with its spicy
zest. 
I brought back Gary and friends the next night and we all
went crazy for the food. We all shared the Spicy Garlic Edamame, an order of Mixed
Tempura and Takoyaki. Raku is one of the few restaurants in SLO that serve this
amazing dish that is commonly called octopus balls. All appetizers were flavor
forward and wonderful. We shared a bottle of crispy Pinot Grigio that was
perfect with the subtle flavors and flashes of spice.
We each tried a bowl of Signature Ramen including Basil
Ramen, a unique basil pesto broth with spinach noodles garnished with chashu,
tomato slices, spinach, onions and garlic chips. It was wonderful. We also
tried a Donburi Rice bowl. The Spicy Tuna Don was a bit of enchanting spicy
tuna served over jasmine or brown rice with avocado and Ikura (orange caviar).
I was vacillating over who was my true love, rice or noodles?
The Vegetarian was not lacking anything sans meat with its
house made vegetable broth served with spinach noodles and Japanese vegetables,
shitake mushrooms and tofu. I had the Raku Ramen, a spicy bowl filled with
premium Tonkosu ramen, with pork cutlet, corn bamboo shoots, scallions and Rayu
chili oil. I had them add extra noodles and a fish cake, and it was a heavenly
bowl.
We finished off sharing a Heart Attack with is a jalapeno
sliced and cleaned then stuffed with spicy tuna and cream cheese and tempered,
hot delicious and savory.
This is comfort food in its finest form. I have eaten here
ten times since my first visit. I almost always order a bowl to go for dinner
later. The service is friendly, though the ordering is confusing at first, both
the counter and the cook will help you select what is flawless for your tastes.
Raku Ramen is located at 1308 Monterey
Street
in San Luis Obispo; call them at
(805) 439-3088.
