As the population becomes more diverse in Reno and other areas of Nevada as a whole, I'm very pleased to see more and more Asian-influenced restaurants pop up. This establishment, located at 199 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, #8M, is an establishment I recently discovered, is one of four locations and features a mix of dishes from Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean cuisines. This may pose a bit of an identity crisis to some, but for someone like me, who may want noodles from all the Asian categories, this is the place to come to deeply satisfy my noodle cravings.
https://ijjireno.com/location/ijji-noodlehouse-pokedon/
Here are some of the things I've enjoyed.
Chicken Karaage. This is one my favorite types of fried chicken and it was done very well. The potato starch coating adds an extra, shatteringly satisfying crunch that flour alone cannot provide. Juicy morsels of chicken thighs were marinated in soy sauce and sugar and served with a lemon wedge and a sprinkle of dried nori.
Imperial Roll. A Vietnamese version of the egg roll, these were filled with minced vegetables, fried until golden brown and served with a sweet chili sauce, gently pickled carrot and daikon and a small bed of cool rice noodle.
Korean Short Rib. Also known as Galbi, these cross-cut beef short ribs were marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, pear and other "secret" ingredients. The succulent meat was charred to perfection and served with white rice and pickled carrot and daikon.
Ijji Noodle. This was a Japanese Hibachi-style egg noodle dish with chicken, shrimp, and vegetables. Slightly smoked from the hibachi and perfectly seasoned with a hit of soy sauce.
Flame Broiled Meat with Shrimp. The meat choice for this version of Vietnamese Bun was pork and the shrimp was fresh and snappy. The sweet chili sauce is not as typical as the sweet fish sauce I'm used to, but it still brought all the great flavors together nicely. After a good dose of mixing, this made for a very delicious meal.
Spicy Tonkotsu. This was a Chinese New Year special. A creamy pork broth was filled with chewy ramen noodles, and then topped with stir fried minced pork, crunchy bok choy, shredded green onion and a soft boiled egg. The spice was just right and added a nice bit of heat to each sip of the savory broth. A very delicious version of ramen.
Banh Mi. Their version of this type of Vietnamese sandwich had our choice of meat. This one was filled with flame-broiled pork. Juicy, flavorful and packed with crunchy, fresh cucumber, carrot and cilantro, all stuffed into a quintessential French-style roll, this was a very tasty sandwich.
Banh Mi. Our other choice of meat filling was Kobe bulgogi beef. The same crunchy vegetables with an equal amount of juicy, tender meat, this was also a wining sandwich.
I hope to try their other locations soon. If the menu themes at each location is as good as the theme at this location, I have no doubt I'll have a great experience each time at every location.
