When I had to go to SF for a work conference, I jumped at the chance to go early and visit several of my good friends. First stop, San Mateo to visit Neera and Levi and their adorable daughters. San Mateo is about 15 minutes from the airport, so it's a convenient first stop before heading into the city. It's a cute town with its own downtown area but it's definitely doesn't have the same vibe as being in the city.
I've stayed with Neera and Levi before and have always found good eating options there. I mean, this is California after all. Unfortunately it was pouring rain on Saturday night and we were going to try for Ramen Dojo, which is apparently the best ramen in town, but even with all the rain, people were still standing in line outside. No thank you. So we went to Ramen Parlor right across the street where at least they have an awning you can stand underneath. I like the system here (and in many parts of SF) of putting your name on a list on the door, so that you can see exactly where you stand and how many people are in front of you. But the system is a bit weird here where they will call your name first to say that you're table is coming up and they will hand you a menu. You then have to quickly make a decision on what you want to eat and place your order while you're still waiting in line. So by the time you sit down, your food arrives within minutes. I can't decide if that's genius or really stress inducing. But in any case, I got a basic miso ramen with nappa cabbage, Neera got a spicy pork ramen with corn and we split the fried oysters to start.
It is kind of nice to not have to wait for your food and I guess in a place like there where there aren't that many options to choose from, it's not so bad. The fried oysters were nice and plump but steaming hot inside. Be careful! My ramen was your standard ramen with pork, seaweed and an egg. The egg was done well, the noodles chewy but good, however the broth was a tad bit on the mild side. I wish it had a bit more heat or kick to it (or maybe MSG?). It was definitely good and I inhaled the whole thing but it didn't draw me in like the ramen at Ippudo does. They did have a special lobster oil broth that is apparently their signature dish, so maybe I should have gotten that but for me, I like to keep my ramen more traditional and stick with a pork based broth. Overall, it's a nice casual place that hit the spot on a cold rainy night although if I had to wait in line and order while standing every time I came here, I might be a bit annoyed. Total bill for 2 people with tax and tip: $61
Photo Credit: Yelp
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