The folks over at their sister station, Santa Ramen, are a bunch of ramen Nazis. That’s why I’m much more at ease at Ramen Dojo — the ambiance is more relaxing and less frenetic. You don’t get the feeling the servers are trying to rush you out to fill the seating arrangement.
We called first to check on the foot traffic since these folks don’t take reservations, and decided it was worth giving it a try. This place wasn’t as packed when we arrived early Sunday evening.
There’s an $8.95/person fee. The ramen alone costs that much (without all the extra-fixings) so it’s nothing to cry about. The set toppings were lovely. There’s a consistency about both bowls that impressed us both visually and aromatically.
Tried both the soybean and garlic pork broth. Both were extremely different in flavor. The soybean (miso) flavored broth was “creamier” and slightly sweeter to taste. Very interesting. As for the garlic pork? Saltier and slightly spicier. We ordered both bowls medium-regular spicy. They definitely were — my tastebuds and eyes were smarting the whole time!
TONS better than their sister restaurant SANTA RAMEN. I’m talking, better broth, better service, better seating arrangements. We left around 8 p.m. and it looked like we missed the mad crush by THAT much.
RAMEN DOJO does not take reservations and is located in San Mateo @ 805 South B Street. They’re CLOSED on Tuesdays and are OPEN for lunch on Wednesdays through Mondays from 11:30 am – 2 pm. Dinner begins at 5:30 pm and ends at 9 pm on the same days.
RITUAL has gone and done it. Captured the essence of the ’80s and roasted it to perfection. For folks unfamiliar with this boutique coffee roaster — Ritual has a caffeinated cult following AND serves up the BEST latte’s — HANDS DOWN. For those of you who have a distaste for straight espresso, opt for an americano instead. You’ll still get the silly grin after sipping something so utterly smooth and sensual.
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