Cafe Water

After a rave review from Kevin over at Downtown Lunch, the Spicy Ninja and I headed over to check out this ‘good ramen’ from a generic deli. 

Per usual, true to his name, Spicy Ninja chose the spicy chicken ramen with egg.  This is what he got.  Sure, it stained the entire container a bright red, but to be honest, he didn’t even break a sweat.  (Now me, I wouldn’t go near the stuff, but that’s not the point.  He said it wasn’t spicy, and his face didn’t lie: no sweating, no redness, nothing.  Not spicy.)  Yeah, it wasn’t expensive, but it also was quite meh.  He was really disappointed after reading Kevin’s so-positive review. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love ramen, but I try to avoid the instant stuff since a friend of mine told me it’s covered in wax.  Yes, wax.  Besides, there was udon, and I LOVE udon, so why wouldn’t I get that?  …the answer to that, my friends, is that despite the load of raw veggies (I ordered miso udon, which, it turns out, is also vegetarian-ish [I know miso broth is traditionally made with bonito flakes, so it really isn’t actually supposed to be vegetarian, but there’s no meat in the cup, so… depending on your slant of vegetarianism…], and has chunks of tofu in it) and watching the guy scoop it all together into this container… well, my udon was sadly super limp and overcooked.  Like, it never stood a chance, especially given that the whole container remained super boiling hot for a good 5-10 minutes while I sat there wishing it would cool down just a little bit so I could freakin’ eat it.  The seaweed was a nice touch except it was kelp [I think] and in large sheets that just glomped together and warranted removing so I could eat everything else.  The veggies ARE a great touch, especially since they are fresh, but honestly… just… no. 

Yvo says: A resounding pass.  Sorry to be a downer but there really is nothing special about this… I mean if you really don’t care or maybe you LIKE your noodles overcooked, then the udon (and the ramen, says Spicy Ninja) might be up your alley.  As for me, if I ever went back, you can be damn sure I’m either not going to order the udon (because they pre-cook the udon, I believe) or I’ll ask for the ramen to be less-than-completely-cooked (because it continues cooking in that boiling hot broth!)… or I won’t be ordering these items.  (Although honestly, I probably won’t be back.) 
not recommended