Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Review - Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori

i love me some good ramen. and i love me some random animal parts cooked on a skewer over a wood burning grill. so if you were to say, hey travis, lets go get some ramen and yakitori, id be all like, yes. so ive been to yakitori yakyudori in hillcrest before and enjoyed it very much, but i was in the mood for ramen, so i decided to go check out the newer Convoy location that focus' on that. the yelp reviewers all mentioned how busy it was all the time and that it was always packed and they always had to wait for a table. but when i arrived there at 8 oclock on a monday night, it was less that half full.
i walked right in, and after a loud greeting from all the guys working the line i sat right at the bar and started my journey on the menu.

 i wanted ramen and yakitori, so i decided to go with two orders of skewers and a bowl of ramen. i ordered the Karamiso Ramen (8.50) with the additions of Par Boiled Egg (1.50) and BBQ Pork Belly (2.50), and boy did it come out quick. i was able to watch the guy make it too, so i know it wasnt just ladled in from a pot.
this was just spot on. the spice was medium id say, the broth was hot when it hit the table, the pork was sooooo tender and slightly smokey, the noodles were perfectly cooked with just a little bit of a bite to them, al dente if you will. the egg was perfect, boiled enough to be cooked, yet left back enough so as to not overcook in the broth. the fresh corn in the broth was a really great addition, it gave pops of freshness and earthiness to the bowl. i hit my broth with a decent amount of sesame chili oil after i ate half of it because i wanted to spice it up. also what i loved was that there was no shortage of pork
huge slices, hardly any fat on them. perfect. shortly after, my skewers arrived, first was the Chicken Hatsu (3.00)
this is just great, offal meats at its finest. these chicken hearts and so good. they are so tender, with some bite to them, yet not chewy, not fatty, smokey, seasoned well, man...hit them with a little Togarashi and a little bit of soy and it takes it over the edge. after that was one of the special on the board the was Gizzard Skin (3.50)
now when i dove into these, i initially felt they were chewy and weird, but after i ate a few, i realized how good they really were. the texture was definately odd, but the flavor more than makes up for it. they are fairly fatty, but not grisly, and tasted more like chicken than anything ive ever eaten. it was the epitome of chicken. plus, like i said earlier, togarashi and soy sauce on anything takes it to the Umpteenth level. i finished my medium sized Sapporo and headed out, to the sound of the same guys that greet you, thanking you and wishing you a grand evening. it was perfect. i sat in my car for a few minutes rethinking about it and wondering if there was anything i would have changed. but came up empty handed. this porridge was juuuuust right.


Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori
4898 Convoy St.
San Diego, 92111

www.yakyudori.us

1 comment:

  1. chicken skin was the one thing I really wanted to get that I forgot when I visited, after seeing your review I may add a bowl of ramen next time I go as well.

    ReplyDelete