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I did a lot of walking in Washington D.C. Like, a LOT!

My wandering in Washington took me to Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park. A short stop on a bench to watch a girl hula-hooping and I instinctively reloaded the list I’d found of the best ramen joints in D.C.

To my luck, one was just around the corner. Not just any old ramen, this was the one which offered the option of adding cheese!

The Japanese don’t seem to be massive dairy consumers, so this is far from typical, in fact, something I have never seen before. I HAD to try it!

I psyched myself up first with a summer negroni at Roofers Union before crossing the road to Sakuramen.

The restaurant is in a basement, so from the outside it looked pretty quiet, but inside it was about half full and rock music playing. For a while I was on my own at a giant communal table #BillyNoMates.

There didn’t seem to be an alcoholic option, so I plumped for a Sprite. I then ordered the fried gyoza and the DC miso ramen.

Sadly, the gyoza never showed up, but I didn’t complain because I realised I probably didn’t need it anyway!

It was possible to just see into the kitchen, which seemed to be really busy, but my noodles arrived quickly.

An American couple came in and joined me at the long communal table. Like me, they knew exactly what they wanted before they had sat down! Sakuramen must do a roaring trade in cheesy noodles!

Another kamoboko gently floated in the broth, and there, lurking at the side of the bowl, a small mound of shredded Monterrey Jack cheese.

I sampled all elements separately just to taste, but then stored in the cheese. It gave the broth a slight sourness, without it being flavoured like cheese. It also added to the creaminess of the liquid.

The egg was perfect and pork itself was incredible, maybe some of the best I’ve had. The fashion in America seems to be to cut up the slices of pork, which makes it a lot easier to eat too!

I would highly recommend Sakuramen. It’s such a shame that my starter didn’t arrive and that there wasn’t the option (that I could see) of a cocktail or a sake, so I have to dock points for that. However it did make the meal super cheap, coming in at $18. The addition of the cheese though, that was a revelation! Something I could see becoming popular in the UK, or in my kitchen at least!

Even with the missing starter, I rate Sakuramen a RAMEN (4 out of 5).

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Back in January I committed to a year of eating more noodles. This has had the added bonus advantage of making dinner choices so much easier.

If ever I’m stuck, pondering what to eat, a simple solution is ramen!

That was the case this week in Washington D.C. Sure, I could have had a burger, or a Philly Cheese Steak, or a kebab from one of the thousands of trucks. But I’m committed to my quest for noodles, and I wanted to see what they would be like in a land that invented cheese in an aerosol can.

After some extensive research* I had found the 14 best ramen joints in the city.

With just 72 hours there, it was a tall order!

The first place I tried was Bantam King, where the speciality was chicken-based broth, rather than the more traditional pork. It was a really vibrant place, and I got a sense that it was where locals eat, which I always take as a good sign.

I’ve had chicken ramen before from Bone Daddies, so I was interested to compare and contrast.

Eating alone is a strange affair, but there were at least 4 others in the restaurant without dates.

Bantam King were off to a good start…they offered a special yuzu chuhai cocktail. Which was a no brainier, and as delicious as one would expect.

I ordered the KO Wings and a Shoyu Ramen (with an added marinated egg).

The wings were a slightly less spicy, more sticky version of those at Bone Daddies, and the scattering of spring onions (scallions?!) added a slightly more savoury note.

The ramen arrived, steaming and delicious! I don’t think I’ve seen sweetcorn in a bowl of ramen before, and as much as I love it usually, I wasn’t convinced.

Let’s take a moment to recognise that there was a Kamaboko (the swirly white and pink thing) which is a Ramen Resolution first!

Every bowl in actual Japan had one of these bad boys. I guess the food restrictions in the UK mean they are banned? Either way, serious authenticity points!

The broth was a bit thin (maybe it’s a feature of chicken broth?) and the egg, although tasty, didn’t have the same golden colour that I like.

I really enjoyed Bantam King! The highlight was the wings, which I’d have gladly eaten again!

I also had to have another chuhai so it was pretty pricey ($39) but the staff were super friendly and helped explain different menu options, which is something that hardly ever happens in the UK. I’d definitely recommend, and rate them RAMEN (4 out of 5).

* Or just chose the top result on Google

Reading Time: 2 minutes

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…Friday night is noodle night! 

After one of the longest weeks at work in a while (I’ve clocked up 102 hours) I couldn’t be bothered cooking. I didn’t fancy the typical takeaway staples, but thankfully found the nearby Koi Ramen on Deliveroo!

I was skeptical about what they would actually be like when they arrived, but anything was better than slaving in the kitchen!

This is sort of what ramen is all about, a quick, tasty and filling meal, with few frills. Noodles came packaged in plastic cartons which I’d associate with Play D’oh. But as is often the case, appearance isn’t everything.

The menu options are limited. Choice of three types of gyoza (we tried all of them, obvs!) and choice of three types of ramen – spicy, normal and veggie. There was an option to add an egg (why would anybody not?!) but this was not the customisable affair offered by other Ramen Resolution places.

On our trip to Japan we sadly didn’t get chance to go to the gyoza museum in Osaka, but I understand that they’re relatively recent additions, only really becoming popular after the Second World War.

The crispy gyoza were excellent. I think the chicken was my favourite.

The miso pork bone broth was up there with some of the best I’ve had, and did that ‘stick to the roof of your mouth’ thing that, to me at least, indicates goooooood ramen.

This is also the cheapest ramen that I have had since starting out on this quest. Admittedly we didn’t have alcohol but the whole lot came in at £28.50 between two of us.

I’m giving a solid RAMEN (4 out of 5), but I have to add that this feels unfair.I’m marking it down only because I was eating it at home. I will definitely have to check out one of the three Koi Ramen popup restaurants for the full experience.

The discovery of noodles to the door could be the start of a slippery yet delicious slope!

Reading Time: 3 minutes

As much as I like to think I am, I’m definitely not cool enough to live in East London. Wonky haircuts, Dr Martens, skinny jeans…it’s  just not my aesthetic. However, I lured Adam and Melissa there this weekend to visit a cat estate agent.

That’s correct, an estate agent for cats!

It’s an art thing. It’s a charity thing. It was a bit of a let-down if I’m honest, but here’s cat Taj Mahal…

After schlepping all the way to Old Street, I needed sustenance, so we located our nearest ramen joint.

I have previously reviewed Bone Daddies, so I was initially hesitant to return so soon, but the only other nearby option was closed. I have to say that I wasn’t a fan of the location of the restaurant – it felt like a bit of a soul-less ‘mixed use development’, but once inside the rock music added much needed atmosphere.

I have lost count of the number of times I’ve had the Korean chicken wings. So in an effort to broaden my culinary horizons we decided to share two starters between us. We chose two kushikatsu (breaded and fried meat and vegetables).

One (on the right in the photo below) had cheese, bacon and padron peppers…definitely not very Japanese. The other was spicy chicken and spring onion. They were nice, but I don’t think I’d get the chicken one again, it was a bit too spicy for me.

Strangely the ramen arrived before the starters, which was good because it meant I wasn’t fully already when I tucked into my Tonkotsu. It’s 20-hour pork broth was delicious, almost like gravy. If anything it was a little too rich, but incredibly tasty.

I have noticed that none of the ramen I’ve had since January have had the white and pink fishcake. Presumably this is because of some regulation or other, but that little floating thing does make a bowl of noodles look a bit more special.

This is how a bowl of ramen should look…

Sadly the tonkotsu came without many extras, just spring onion, beansprouts and bamboo shoots, so I added lots of nori, which I’d recommend.

Sidebar: Nori originates in the Asakusa area of Tokyo, where I spent more than a hour browsing in kitchenware shops in the Kappbashi district.

Adam and Mel shared some cold broccoli which came with a spicy mayonnaise; but they ate it too quickly and I didn’t get to have any.

This is, I’m not overstating here, the best ramen that I have eaten in the UK. I think I’d add mushrooms as well next time, but the broth was simply divine and the pork literally melted in my mouth.

The bill came to just over £75 for the three of us, with drinks included. I’m awarding this meal my first RAMEN (5 out of 5) of my Ramen Resolution.

I was literally full for the rest of the day too! Bonus!

In short; go to Bone Daddies, order the Tonkotsu, thank me later.  Or if you can’t get there straight away, go drool over the foodporn on their Instagram.