As the seasons change, we inevitably turn our thoughts to tasty autumn dishes. Fatty mackerel, crisp tempura, mouthwatering steak and much much more are featured in this autumn roundup of some of our favorite restaurants.
Interviews and articles by Misa Murohashi, Noriko Hantsinger, Ai Isono, Harmony Kelly, Azusa Ueda and Sumiya Kurihara. Translation by Bruce Rutledge
Ramen Man
~Paitan Chicken Ramen can be habit forming! ~
This popular ramen specialty shop sits along Wallingford’s restaurant row. Each bowl contains Tori (Chicken) Paitan Soup made from the bones of several chickens and slow-cooked to bring out a cloudy white broth. “Even the same chicken carcass can bring out different flavors in the soup stock depending on whether the neck, breast, thigh or other bones are used,” says Ramen Man Chef Toru Imazato, known for his pickiness when it comes to making soup broth. “I choose the pieces that will create the tastiest soups.” He combines the cloudy white Tori Paitan soup, a traditional Japanese style chicken dashi soup and a vegetable stock soup to make the ramen broth.
The Shio Tori Paitan Ramen ($9.50), Shoyu Tori Paitan Ramen ($9.50), and the Tori Paitan Miso ($10.50) combine the Tori Paitan Soup with the Japanese dashi to create a thick, white soup rich in umami and a subtle taste from the chicken stock. The Shio Ramen ($8.50) and Shoyu Ramen ($8.50), which combine Japanese dashi and vegetable dashi, taste like simple, old-fashion Tokyo ramen. The Mayu, made from sesame oil and garlic, is local seasoning from Chef Imazoto’s hometown of Kumamoto. The sweet aroma of burned garlic brings out the depth of the Tori Paitan Soup.
The noodles are custom-made to pair with Chef Imazato’s Soup. The Chef chooses curly egg noodles for shoyu flavor and straight noodles for shio-flavored bowls. But you can also choose your own noodles. Each serving comes with enough noodles to satisfy big appetites. Toppings include homemade chashu pork, avocado, spinach and other vegetables. Hard-boiled eggs are all-you-can-eat with your noodle order! As the season cools and we long for warm noodle dishes, this is a place worth visiting.
Ramen Man
1616 N. 45th St., Seattle | (206) 258-2959
Facebook:www.facebook.com/ramenmanseattle/