Ken Ken Ramen--San Francisco (Japanese Ramen)

This popular former pop up now has a brick and mortar location at 3378 18th Street. Dolling out fantastic broth is key for a ramen place and they do it right. The short list of items on their menu lets you know they do a few things very well and that's okay with this ramen lover. With a price that doesn't break the bank, I would say this has become one of my top two spots in the Bay Area for top-notch ramen.

Here are some of the things I've enjoyed.

http://eatkenkenramen.com/


Jitsuraku. Jun mai sake. Slightly fruity and medium bodied. Very light and crisp. It disappears on the palate after each sip, which makes you want to keep sipping and sipping and sipping.

Karaage. Fried chicken with a house-made aioli dipping sauce. Two must haves for fried chicken. 1) Crunchy on the outside. 2) Juicy on the inside. This had both.

Shoyu Ramen. This classic taste had a pork and chicken stock broth base with soy sauce. Noodles with an excellent chew were topped with tender chashu, marinated egg and fresh cilantro.

Spicy Miso (the day's special). A rich miso-based broth with chili oil and loaded with chewy noodles, tender bits of pork, bean sprouts, fresh cilantro and that wonderful marinated egg. This warmed my heart and my soul through and through. Absolutely fantastic.

I was sad to see the Tonkotsu Ramen was only available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I guess that just means I'll have to go back for my favorite broth.