Fukuryu Ramen

It's a magnificent sunny day on the weekends, making it another food exploration road trip around Columbus. Last week, I heard there is a new Japanese Ramen restaurant coming to town. As a loyal fan of Ramen, I excitedly wanting to go try this new restaurant.

I arrived at the restaurant at around 12:30 pm and saw the line are outside the restaurant. The line move fairly smooth and I order from the front counter. The staff will give you a buzzer and you seat either on normal or bar table. Even though they are busy and packed with people, the main dish came out pretty quick. It does seem like most of the ramen bowls are being made in advanced though.

Miso Ramen

Originally, I was going to order the Tonkotsu Ramen, but the staff explained that it was available only at dinner time. So, I ordered the Miso Ramen along with two appetizers. I do recommend to mix and dig deep down below the noodles, cause there are some sauteed onion with minced pork. If you don't mix it well enough, the noodles will taste plain and the broth at the end will be extremely salty! Speaking of noodles, as I started digging in, I noticed the noodles were still a bit uncooked . The broth have a rich miso flavor; however, it is a bit over powering for me. 

Tebasaki Chicken Wings

Pork Gyoza

The appetizers came in while I'm half way done with my noodles. The staff then informs me that they are out of Kara-age, so I end up with the Tebasaki Chicken Wings. I never have this style of wings before. Basically, it's deep fried wings topped with salt and pepper. 0 out of 5 for these wings! They were all under-cooked inside. Additionally, you could tell that they just grab a handful of salt, threw it onto the chicken pieces. Making it unbearable to eat. As for the Gyoza, crispy outside but not fully cooked inside, for the price they selling it for, I'm not a fan at all.

There are quite a big room for improvements as a new restaurant. I will be appreciated if the appetizers can come before my noodles, some of the tasting of the dish can be adjust... I'm still very excited about a new Ramen restaurant open in Columbus. As show in their menu, there will be more new menu item in the near future. I will definitely give this place another try later. Oops, one more thing. If you are a fan of green tea ice cream, they do have that available. 

Restaurant Info:

Fukuryu Ramen

1600 W Lane Ave, Ste 160,

Upper Arlington, OH 43221

Day Trip to Cincinnati OH

I've never thought that in the winter, we are able to have a day of spring-like weather. However, while I was venturing into Cincinnati today, it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. The temperature reach above 55 degree. I been to Cincinnati once and figure it will be great to revisit the city again. 

My first stop of this road trip, started out with a tour at the American Sign Museum. Their vision is to promote and preserve the history and culture of the American signage. I am not a big fan of museum, but this place gave me a different perspective about museum. It is open to public, but you can either purchase the ticket on site or online. They do have tours twice a day, and it is included with the admission. The tour guide is super informative and the tour is just about an hour long. So don't forget to reserve a spot for it.

After some educational museum tour, I stopped by Sushi Kingdom to enjoy some All-you-can-eat sushi. If you like to see more detail review for this restaurant, Click here ^^

They provide a pieces of paper that you can order from. From appetizers to desserts, they do have some variety of choices to choose from. 

Next stop is Ikea. Super busy on a Saturday afternoon and there are quite some people waiting at the check out line. I always like to browse around Ikea and love to see different showroom for furniture display. One of the amazing features is their own restaurant. Their prices are very reasonable for a decent quality of food selection. I would recommend their Swedish Meatball if you never try them. 

Before heading back to Columbus, I took a quick coffee break at Cavu. I like the atmosphere of this cafe. They are very spacious, so you can choose to relax in variety of seating; from comfy coach to office desk to bar table. Their Iced Mango Tea is super refreshing. Also, the Iced Hazelnut Mocha have a unique favor from the patch of coffee that were brewed exquisitely by the baristas.

In the end, thanks to the sunny, spring-like weather, another successful relaxation mini-road trip is accomplished. Couldn't ask for more during the winter time! 

Info:

American Sign Museum

1330 Monmouth St,

Cincinnati, OH 45225

Sushi Kingdom

12140 Royal Point Dr,

Cincinnati, OH 45249

IKEA

9500 Ikea Way,

West Chester, OH 45069

Cavu Coffee

7755 Cox Ln,

West Chester, OH 45069

Sushi Kingdom

Located in Cincinnati OH, there is an All-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, called Sushi Kingdom. You have the option to order from the regular menu or choose to pay for the buffet. As being a sushi lover, all-you-can-eat sushi is my first and only choice. They have a list that have all the items that you can order, from appetizers, entrees, sushi, and desserts.

They do have a little appitizers bar that you can get your own miso soup or clear broth. I like that they have little self service selection for miso topping. So basically, there is a bowl of little tofu pieces, seaweed and green onions. You can get the appropriate amount for each ingredients, and pour over with a spoonful of broth.

Fried shumai and Gyoza

Kani Salad

Plateful of different sushi rolls

Hibachi Shrimp, Shrimp Tempura Undo, Teriyaki Shrimp and steak with rice

Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Cream

Speaking from a All-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, they did a decent job on food quality. All the food items are made by order, which make the sushi fresh and kitchen entree hot. I really like their mini bowl of undo, but the broth is a little bit too salty for me. If you are craving for some sushi badly, this will be one way to go without empty your wallet.

Restaurant Info:
Sushi Kingdom

12140 Royal Point Dr,

Cincinnati, OH 45249

Sushi Ko

Throughout the weekdays, different restaurants have varieties of happy hour specials. Sushi Ko have their specials on Monday night.

Ebi Shumai come with ponzu sauce

Soft Shell Crab Hand Roll, Spicy Tuna & Avocado Hand Roll, California Dreaming roll

Spicy Tuna & Avocado Hand Roll, Shrimp Tempura Hand Roll, Samurai roll

Seating at the bar for the first time, I enjoy watching the sushi chef make sushi. All the server is very nice and attentive. I would say Sushi Ko do have a variety of selection in term of both appetizers and sushi. The ingredients that they serve is pretty fresh. I would recommend the Spicy Salmon & Avocado Hand Roll to you if you never try a hand roll before. 

Restaurant Info:

Sushi Ko

122 Hutchinson Ave,

Columbus, OH 43235

Edamame Sushi & Grill

Another day off from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and it is another opportunity for me to sneak out from the world of leftover food in my fridge. Recently, my craving for hot bowl of noodle soup increase dramatically. I figure that is cause by the winter weather here in Columbus. Wind chill always make the temperature drops unexpectedly.

Takoyaki is my all time favorite Japanese street food and not every restaurant in Columbus have it available. If I see it on the menu, I will for sure order it. I really like the presentation of the Takoyaki being plated, along with the wavy movement of the bonito flakes. When you eat the takoyaki in one bite, u will feel the crunchiness from the outside and the softness filling from the inside. To top it off, little pieces of octopus in the middle release the sense of freshness.

There are several places locally serving ramen and this restaurant is another one on the list. I would say one of the traits to distinguish this Tonkotsu ramen to others is the big portion size. In addition, one thing to be caution is their braised chashu is a little bit too fatty for me.

During lunch hour, it serves in a food court setting. You will need to order food from the front counter. Then, the cashier will give you a letter tag to put on the table, and the server will bring out the food for you. I really like the set up of the restaurant and their second floor seating. So if you are a fan of Takoyaki like me, you should come and enjoy a few!

Restaurant Info:

Edamame Sushi & Grill

3946 Morse Crossing,

Columbus, OH 43219

Menya Noodle House

I been to Menya Noodle House couple times before and their foods are always good with reasonable pricing. They recently moved from the Powell location to Dublin.

The menu selection is quite small, but that is perfectly fine for an indecisive person like me. I ordered a bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen. Compare to the one that I enjoyed previously, the broth tasted plain. It could have been better if it can still be as rich as flavorful like before the relocation. As for the presentation, minimal amount of broth will be better in contrast to an excessive load of soup; just to make the other ingredients visible at first sight. In addition to the toppings that showed in the picture, there were also bamboo shoots and pork bellies.

To accompany the bowl of ramen,  a Seasoned Pork Belly Rice were included in the lunch combo meal option as well. It was a white-rice bowl topped with a mixture of little pieces of seasoned pork belly. For me, I think this dish is a bit too dry, but I did enjoyed it! By using a small spoonful of the ramen broth, everything tasted better.

Here is a hot bowl of steamed rice, topped with Mapo Tofu. The sauce is over powered by the spiciness and the favor of star anise. Plus, a little more seasoning is needed as it's compliment with the rice.

Restaurant Info:

Menya Noodle House

331 W Bridge St,

Dublin, OH 43017