This is a cold weather related blog post, as it’s 24 degrees as I write this – darn cold for Atlanta.
I went by Taka the other day and decided to try his ramen, which he reports on his chef blog is becoming a big seller for him. Taka sells a few kinds of ramen – the ever-popular tonkotsu (pork bone), shoyu (salt), miso (bean paste), and shio (salt). I opted to try the latter, which I don’t often order, as I tend to go for the sinful, gut-busting pork broth.
A lighter meal felt more appropriate on this day, and a light touch is exactly what I enjoyed. It was a very in balance and satisfying bowl of soup, akin to a traditional chicken soup, with slick, mildly chewy noodles, scallions, bamboo shoots, medium boiled egg, and pork tenderloin.
I heartily recommend giving it a try. It’s not so big or heavy that one cannot try a few pieces of sushi.
Lately, I’ve been using tekka maki (tuna roll) as a sushi benchmark. It’s one of those seemingly simple dishes that some sushi fans might eschew as too simple and boring. But I want to see the quality of the nori, rice, and tuna. The quality of tuna and rice was good, but I do not prefer an inside out roll such as the below – they were a little sloppily made, and I want to enjoy the crisp nori on the outside.
It was redeemed by the fantastic gunkamaki uni, piled high and wrapped with just cut, crunchy nori. Taka made it and handed them to me, and watched as I devoured them, asking “It’s good today, right?”
Affirmative.
I’ve had mixed experiences at Taka, and hear others say the same thing, but the quality and potential is always there, and an early or late lunch is a nice time to sit at the bar and get a personal experience.