It’s hard sometimes: you really, really want ramen, and there’s only about 100 or so more places in the city to get some. You begin to wonder, will I ever find the “One”? Will I get what I need out of this ramen experience? What if it’s just terrible? But I can promise you that if you happen to try out MR. TAKA, it might be love at first bite (*or* slurp, whichever way you eat first).
I was with my fellow companion Yarden for a classic #LoopMondays adventure and we were stoked to get a taste of Mr. Taka together as huge ramen junkies ourselves. To start I indulged in some Monday afternoon Chu-Hi, a fruity carbonated Japanese alcoholic beverage (yum!), and Yarden went with the Choya, a 70s-inspired Tokyo cocktail.
We *had* to have some snacks to tide us over including the Tebasaki Karaage, aka fried chicken with yuzu salt, sesame seeds, and special sauce:
The ramen choices on the menu all sounded so good it was hard to decide how I wanted to enjoy my ramen on that particular day, but for whatever reason I was in vegetarian-mode (main pic) and this bowl was filled with veggie broth, soy milk, wavy flat flour noodles, avocado, zucchini, tomato, mushroom, tofu, leeks, and scallions:
Up-close and personal with the most photogenic grilled tomato in the entire world:
For those who like their ramen done curry-style, the Chef’s Curry Ramen (RECOMMENDED!) is a definite option, with chicken and bonito fish broth, wavy flat flour noodles, ground pork, two pieces of karaage chicken, onions, scallions, carrots, and cilantro:
Vanilla ice cream with green tea syrup for dessert:
All in all, I would have to say Mr. Taka has left the biggest impression on me as far as ramen in the city goes: the food was so flavorful and outstanding, and the menu offered so much more than just ramen—making for lots of fun ways to mix up your sake, beer, and ramen dining experience.
