Ramen One

Have you ever dined alone?  I'm sure there were times that you had to grab a quick lunch or you just needed food and no one was available to join you.  Maybe you just wanted peace & quiet and couldn't be bothered with company.  Hey, it is possible we just want to be anti-social.  So we could go to any restaurant and dine alone really, but how about a place that is designed for the solo diner in mind?  Imagine individual cubbies where you have dividers separating you from the people next to you and also your own water dispenser, condiments and serving window?  Talk about keeping everything to yourself!

That is the concept at Ramen One on Broadway where you do not have to be bothered by anyone except for the person who takes your order.  Maybe they should have an iPad available so you can just pick what you want...  So as mentioned, you have your own water station and all the condiments to make you happy like sesame seeds, soy and seasoning powders.  Oh and that little curtain?  That is where the food comes out from.  They do a quick knock on the wall and the food slides out.  Get your camera ready!

You can order bowls a la carte, but they are also available as combos with this particular one being the Shoyu Ramen with chashu, bamboo shoots, woodear mushroom, nori and green onions.  We got a Tako Wasabi on the side as well as a Sake Egg.  I thought the broth was clean and balanced in terms of flavour.  It was on the milder side and firm noodles had a good chew.  The thinly-sliced chashu was beautifully seared and was easily eaten.  On the side, the Tako Wasabi had a combo of sweetness, tanginess and the unmistakable hit of wasabi.  The Sake Egg was served on the side due to it being cold and should be eaten cold.  It was similar to other ramen eggs, except the sweet taste of mirin was amped by a hit of sharpness.

The next 2 choices were somewhat similar in the Soy Milk & Dashi and the Soy Milk, Chicken and Spring Onion Oil.  Due to the use of soy milk, I found the broth to be rather thick and creamy.  I didn't get much in the way of soy aftertaste, which was a good thing.  I did notice that when the noodles soaked up the broth, things got a bit goopy.  Better to eat this immediately.  The latter had a noticeable sweetness due to the chicken and also brightness from the oil.

Moving away from soup, we had the Dry Noodles with Chashu as well as the Chashu Rice.  Of course these had the exact flavour profile, but due to the difference in carb, they ate very differently.  I found the noodles to be my personal favourite.  The noodles were al dente and appealingly chewy.  A touch salty, but necessary, the chashu was fatty and tender.  As for the rice, it was more mild-tasting as the plain rice needed the pork to give it impact.  Maybe a bit too much green onion for my liking.  The eggs were good though being custardy in the middle and well-seasoned.

So on the side of the other combos, we had 3 flavours of Onigiri including shiso, pork floss and shredded chasu.  Serving it without the nori encasing the warm rice allowed it to remain crisp.  I found the rice to be slightly dry, but still fine.  I thought the chashu to be the most flavourful and moist due to the amount of flavoured meat.  One of the drink options that I thought was interesting was the cold brew Cream of Earl Grey.  They provide a strainer so that you do not get any loose tea leaves in your drink.  Pretty good and refreshing.

For dessert, we were served a Buttermilk Ice Cream Cone as well as Castella Cheese Tart.  Really enjoyed the ice cream as it had Hokkaido milk vibes.  It was creamy, but not too heavy and purposefully sweet. It was aromatic as well.  If you have ever tried a Castella cheese tart, you will know what I'm talking about when I say they are delicious.  It was served warm and was custardy.  The cheese really came through and again, it was only sweet enough.  The tart shell was firm and had a nice texture.  Overall, the concept here at Ramen One is neat and serves a purpose.  The ramen is quite good but you really do have to eat it right away as the noodles start to absorb the broth quickly.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Concept seems novel but it does serve a purpose
- Decent eats
- Love the Castella desserts

The Bad:
- Need to eat right away as the noodles get soft quickly

Meet Oyster Wagyu AYCE

Jackie and I have been to Meet Oyster recently and we had their steal-of-a-deal Late Night Sukiyaki Set.  Despite being thoroughly satisfied, we were still very curious about their Wagyu AYCE menu.   On weekdays, it is $86.99 for adults while costing $88.99 on weekends.  Late night is $82.99.  There are 2 tiers below the Wagyu AYCE for $56.99/$58.99 and $30.99/$32.99 respectively for weeknights/weekends for adults.  So yes, you can still have most of the menu items at the mid-tier minus the Wagyu.  But for us, it was all about the Wagyu!

Before we got to that, we had to choose our broth.  Each person has their own personal mini-hot pot atop a butane burner.  For myself, I went for their most popular being the Sukiyaki Soup and Jackie had the Tomato Soup.  I would say that this was great so we didn't have to share valuable hot pot space with each other, but since they were small, the soup evaporated very quickly.  With that being said, they refilled very quickly.  I enjoyed the sweetness of the sukiyaki, but the tomato broth was so delicious, I would probably choose that next time.  It was naturally sweet, tomatoey and with a background tang.

In addition to the raw Sukiyaki items on the AYCE menu, there is also Sashimi & Sushi available.  Despite not looking it, the place dishes up good quality Japanese eats.  The options for sashimi include tuna, hamachi, hokkigai, amaebi and salmon.  As you can see in the picture, the quality is definitely there.  We enjoyed the bright and clean flavours of the sashimi, ordering it twice.  Also included are a few different rolls and aburi sushi.  Those were also solid with chewy sushi rice and fresh ingredients.

Included as well with the sashimi and sushi options, they also have a selection of dishes as well.  We had the Chirashi Don, Tako Wasabi, Unagi Don, Deep-Fried Squid and Baked Oysters.  These were also quite good with the chirashi don having the same good sashimi.  The tako wasabi was good with octopus that had a nice bite while the pickles added more crunch.  Good wasabi hit but not too strong either.  Unagi don featured buttery eel that was adequately sauced.  I found the fried squid to be excellent with a crunchy seasoned batter with tender squid that had an appealing chewiness.  As for the baked oysters, I've had this before and the durian one is the way to go (as long as you enjoy durian that is).  The cheese was plenty cheesy, but I much prefer the garlic as it was loaded and flavourful.

You might've already seen some of the sukiyaki options in the first picture including Squid, Whole Scallops, Shrimp Meatballs, Tripe, Abalone, Snakefish and Shrimp.  These were good quality where the scallops included the mantle (which I love due to the chewy texture).  The snakefish was excellent where it cooked up to be sweet and flaky.  Naturally, the abalone was a treat with its rebound texture and unmistakable aroma.  Shrimp meatballs had a nice bounce and sweetness.  You could also order eggs and use that to dip the meats into after cooking them.

On the topic of meat, the real draw of the Wagyu AYCE is of course the Wagyu Beef!  We got many orders of this (the item on the right) and yes, it was buttery and tender while flavourful.  It goes down so easily, one could do 3 orders of this each for sure.  That didn't stop us from ordering the other beef options too including the Premium Beef Brisket and Premium Beef Chuck.  Naturally, the fatty brisket was more flavourful and slightly more buttery (although still meaty in texture), while the chuck was leaner and beefier.

Among other options on the menu, we also Beef Aorta, Vermicelli, Wide Mung Bean Noodles, Fried Tofu, Bean Curd Sticks, Dried Bean Curd Rolls, Fish Tofu and Dace Meatballs.  I would say these were pretty standard since there was not much to prepare.  Good options though for hot pot.  Overall, the Wagyu AYCE was an inclusive meal that had many cooked and raw choices.  Quality was good and we were definitely satisfied.  However, if you do not want to be that spendy, the mid-tier AYCE option is basically the same minus the Wagyu.  That is probably the best value of the bunch.  Normally, they have premium ice cream bars for dessert, but for this visit, they ran out.  Be sure to get some when you go!

 

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

 

The Good:

- Good food quality

- Sashimi and Sushi are above-average

- Lots of choice

 

The Bad:

- Dining space is pretty small, so limited space for food on the table 

Kintaro Ramen

Our last meal in Paris was actually not Kintaro Ramen.  In actuality, it was McDonald's but I'm not going to blog about that.  But the second-to-last meal was a quick Japanese ramen before we visited the Louvre in the evening.  Again, this was not our first choice, as we had another ramen spot in mind, but they were open.  The positive about walking to Kintaro was that we could take in the sights and sounds of the 2nd arrondissement.

Looking over the menu, there wasn't a whole lot of choice when it came to starters, so we went for the ol' standby being the Chicken Karaage.  This was surely crispy due to the aggressive deep-fry.  However, that also meant that the chicken wasn't as juicy as we would've liked.  It wasn't dry per se, but it was lacking moisture.  In terms of flavour, it was okay, but it could've used a bit more saltiness.  The squeeze of lemon helped.

Onto the ramen, I decided to have the standard being the Shoyu with chashu, nori and bamboo shoots.  With all of the ramen we've had, the best way to describe this was - serviceable.  The broth was extremely light and although it had enough soy flavour to keep things from being bland, there was no depth.  As for the noodles, they were nicely chewy and the chashu was fairly tender and balanced with meat-to-fat ratio.

Viv ended up with the Tori Ramen with a chicken soup base and served with chicken and a ramen egg.  Due to the fatty broth, this had much more body and overall flavour.  It wasn't as clean as the shoyu broth, yet we were much more happy with the natural sweetness and chicken essence.  As for the meat, it was tender while the egg featured a custardy yolk but was rather mild-tasting.

My daughter had her favourite in the Miso Ramen.  Now this was much more impactful than the shoyu.  Naturally, with the addition of miso, we got the fermented saltiness that gave the broth some depth-of-flavour.  With that being said, it wasn't an umami bomb, but was much tastier.  There was also more fat in the broth which gave it some aromatics.

So my son went big with the Chashu Ramen which was essentially the shoyu ramen, except with double the chashu.  Great for those who are a bit more hungry.  Seeing how the chashu was sliced thin and tender, this was a good call.  Broth was still the weakest of the bunch we had.  With that being said, this was a decent meal that was reasonably-priced.  Naturally, I've had better ramen, yet this served a purpose and did the job.

The Good:
- Decent service
- Serviceable eats
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Broth on the lighter side

 

Septime

Originally, I was trying to make a reservation for Septime to no avail.  You see, like many other restaurants in Paris, Septime was on their Summer break in August.  Hence, it looked like I was out-of-luck in making a reso to this 1-Star Michelin establishment.  But hold on, upon further inspection, I could make a reso since they were re-opening on the last few days we were in Paris.  I was on my computer as the time ticked to when I could book and snagged a table for lunch on our last day in Paris.

At Septime, they only have set menus, for both lunch and dinner.  As such, we had their Menu Carte Blanche for 70 Euros each.  We started our meal with the Vegetable Broth with raspberries.  This was so clean and pure where the flavour was intense, yet subtle.  Now that might not make sense, but believe me, it was all that and more.  The level of umaminess and impact was pretty impressive without the use of any protein.  The addition of raspberries didn't interfere with the broth, rather it enhanced it with a fresh and light brightness.

In a beautiful shade of rose, the Cured Red Tuna was bathed in a peach vinaigrette with rose oil.  Slightly cured with kombu for a week, this aged tuna was buttery soft while having a fermented fish sweetness.  It was bordering on funky, but didn't get there.  Instead, it was full of depth and umami.  Complimenting the natural flavours of the tuna, the fruity vinaigrette provided both acidity and sweetness.  The addition of rose oil was mildly floral and in reality, was mostly in the background.

Next up, we had the Cocos de Paimpol with butter, sea asparagus, seaweed and pickles.  Tender with a bite, these beans took on the butter in terms of flavour and also the silky and nutty film on the outside.  The other ingredients were mild and didn't add much in terms of overall flavour except for the pickles.  The acidity and saltiness did bring impact to the dish.  In addition, it added crunch.  The seaweed and sea asparagus provided some colour contrast and a just a touch of salt.

The best course of the bunch had to be the Tomatoes in poultry broth, satay sauce, coriander flowers and Thai basil.  Normally, I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes due to their bland flavour.  However, these were flavour bombs with acidity and sweetness.  The plump tomatoes sat in a broth that was full-on umami where it was almost like chicken bouillon except completely natural-tasting.  Concentrated flavours were complimented by the slight spice and aromatics from the flowers and basil.  Background lemongrass also came through.

The "meat" of the meal was the Veal Sweetbreads glazed on the BBQ with veal jus.  It was topped with crispy tarragon, sorrel and red pepper.  For me, I love sweetbreads, to this was right up my alley.  It was properly prepared (as in before it was cooked and after it was cooked), where the texture was soft with a rebound.  The intensity of the meatiness from the veal jus was amplified by the caramelization off the grill.  The reduced jus helped add even more meatiness and silkiness.  Add in the aromatic tarragon, tart sorrel and sweet peppers, we had layers of flavour going on.

For dessert, we were served a Fig Ice Cream with extra virgin olive oil, figs, blackberries and almonds.  This was a refreshing end to an intricately-prepared meal.  The ice cream was light and creamy with purposeful sweetness.  The blackberries and figs provided sweetness and at ouch of tang.  Almonds added texture while the olive oil afforded some aromatics and ever-so-slight pepperiness.  Overall, this was a thoughtful and expertly-prepared meal.  No wonder Septime clocks in at 11 on the world's best restaurant list.

The Good:

- Intricate dishes

- Balanced

- Excellent, unpretentious service

The Bad:

- With a set tasting menu, it might not appeal to everyone

- Hard to get a reservation!  

Papa Poule Paris Bastille

Wandering around near our hotel near Bastille, we were looking for a place to eat.  We had a place in mind, but we fell in the trap of "restaurant is closed for August".  Hence, we went from place to place trying to find a reasonably-priced, yet tasty spot.  After an hour of mindless walking, I had enough and put my foot down.  We are eating at this place! - pointing at Papa Poule Paris Bastille.  I really had no clue about it and at this point, being hangry, didn't care!

The main draw about this place is that when you get Appies to share, they serve you a huge selection.  Look at all the goodies!  We had some Cold Seafood with rouille, Eggs Mayonaisse, Slaw, Beets & Apples, Bread, Pate and Lentil Salad.  They also have this option for desserts, but we didn't end up doing that since we were so full.  Back to the appies, the seafood was well-prepared with whole shrimp, mussels and conch.  I really enjoyed the lentils as they were soft yet still had a bite.  Good sweetness from the onions.

Onto our entrees, they came in pretty generous portions including the Veal Breast with confit olives, scamorza potato puree and tomatoes.  Oh this was purely delicious as the veal breast was tender and nicely seared.  The potato puree was creamy and cheesy.  Really enjoyed the sauce as it was meaty, tangy and sweet.  It was great compliment to the meat.  Also, those tomatoes were pops of tang.

Beautifully plated, the Duck Breast was complimented by figs.  The duck breast itself (that you can just barely see) was prepared medium with fairly rendered skin.  Hence, the meat was juicy and while the skin was slightly crispy.  It was properly seasoned where the sweetness from the fig puree was a natural match.  Loved the fresh figs on the plate, not only for aesthetics, but also great to eat. 

We ended up ordering the featured fish dish with the Seared Sea Bream with zucchini and peas with a cream sauce.  The fish was cooked perfectly being moist and flaky.  It was a touch buttery too.  The skin was crispy and well-seasoned.  The cream sauce was full of umaminess and was lightly sweet.  Those peas were super fresh and had pops of added sweetness.  Zucchini was slightly charred and still firm.

For myself, I had the Rack of Lamb with hazelnut crust and served with beans and onion tartin.  This was a huge portion of medium-rare lamb that was not as tender as I would've hoped.  It was not chewy though, but a little difficult to eat including the large fat cap.  However, it was seasoned nicely though and the onions added sweetness.  The jus mixed with herb oil provided more aromatics.

We decided not to do the "all the desserts" thing that they have here (maybe regretting it a bit), but they ended up serving us some Gougères anyways.  These featured choux pastry that was light and airy with a bit of crispiness on the ouside.  The cream in the middle was lightly sweet.  In the end, I actually regretted that we didn't do the dessert spread.  This was especially true after Joyce had it and raved about it.  But at least I got to try the appies and the mains.  Those were really good and in generous portions.  Prices were reasonable too.  Highly-recommended.

The Good:
- Those appy and dessert spreads!
- Solid eats
- Generous portions

The Bad:
- For once, I really have nothing bad to say about the place!

Bouillon République

Tipped off by one of my French friends, we made a reservation for Bouillon République that was within walking distance of our hotel.  A bouillon in France is a traditional expansive restaurant that serves up French cuisine at reasonable prices.  That is exactly what Bouillon République is known for since it opened in 2021 in the former home of Chez Jenny.  After a brief wait, we were seated in a very traditional-looking dining room that was bustling with activity.

We ended up ordering a good amount of food beginning with the Eggs with Mayonnaise and Farmhouse Pâté with toast and gherkin.  I thought the eggs were quite good where the whites were not rubbery while the mayonnaise was creamy, light and well-seasoned.  The pâté was a little dense, but was definitely meaty and also well-seasoned.  We definitely got some natural pork flavour and aroma.  The toast wasn't really toasted, so it was somewhat lukewarm and bready.

We also got the Pickled Herring with French potato salad and also the classic Escargots in parsley butter.  Served cold, the pickled herring was tender and flaky with the unmistakable fishiness.  It had a good tang to it while the potatoes underneath were tender and delicate.  As for the snails, they were soft and completely seasoned by the rich seasoned butter.  Of course we dipped some bread into this.

For our mains, I went for the Boeuf Bourguignon with smoked bacon and pasta.  This was pretty good with tender nuggets of beef with a rich cooked down red wine sauce.  The sweetness of the onions were present while the meatiness of the bacon and beef came through.  Viv went for the Sea Bream Fillet atop ratatouille.  The fish itself was slightly overdone, but wasn't dry.  It was mildly-seasoned, but the tangy and sweet ratatouille added plenty of impact to the dish.

My daughter went for the 1/2 Caramelized Ham Hock & Fries.  This was quite good as the ham hock was tender and shred easily off the bone.  Naturally, it was salty with some sweetness.  The side of fries were crispy and served hot.  My son didn't stray from the usual, having the Steak Frites with a shallot sauce.  This steak was cooked to medium-rare and was somewhat chewy, but still wasn't difficult to eat.  It was nicely seared while the aroma from the shallot sauce was a good compliment.

Finally, we ended with the Chocolate Mousse and Strawberry Tart.  Similarly with all of the food we had, these desserts were solid.  The mousse was light and chocolatey while being purposefully sweet.   As for the tart, the shell was firm with an appealing crunch.  The custard was semi-sweet while the strawberries were ripe.  Overall, the food at Bouillon République wasn't amazing, but it was good.  Considering the price, it did the job and we went away happy and satisfied.

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Inexpensive

- Lots of choice

The Bad:

- Don't expect the most amazing food

- Service is good, but hurried

Breizh Cafe

After spending the morning heading to the Eiffel Tower, heading up the tower (all the way to the top!) and then descending down, we were pretty hungry.  Seeing how we hadn't had a legit crêpe yet (we had one from a food truck on the first day), we headed over to the closest location of Breizh Cafe.  Often known as one of the best places to grab crêpes in Paris, it is also one of the most expensive.  But whatever, we were on vacation where calories and prices do not count...

We snagged one of the last unreserved tables and it took quite a long time before we had a chance to put our order in.  Our server was friendly, but seemed to be overworked.  Viv ended up with the Cured Ham with egg and comté.  You can actually see it in the picture where the thin crêpe was nicely browned and crispy.  I found it to be appealingly thin and aromatic.  Inside, there was plenty of the aforementioned components which made it fulfilling and flavourful.

For myself, I decided to get something meaty in the Beef Pastrami with comté, cabbage, caramelized onions and yuzu-kosho cream.  With a consistent crêpe like the previous one, it housed a good amount of pastrami, hence making it a fairly hearty creation.  I thought the caramelized onions were a good match for the salty pastrami adding a balancing sweetness.  The cabbage provided a fresh crunch while the yuzu-kosho added both acidity and spice.

My son loves smoked salmon.  So much so, when I get the entire fillet from Costco, he devours it within a few days.  Hence, it was no surprise he went for the Organic Smoke Salmon with goat cheese, chive cream and green salad.  Naturally, the combination of buttery smoked salmon and whipped cream cheese was a match made in heaven.  That reminded him of having that atop a bagel, but instead in a light crispy crepe.

For my daughter, it was all about the duck in the Smoked Duck Fillet with pan-fried mushrooms, comté, organic scrambled eggs, fresh cream and espelette pepper.  If the components elicit thoughts of a rich and robust crêpe, you would be correct.  Lots of cheese and eggs meant this would be filling.  Add in the tender smoky duck and the aromatic and buttery mushrooms, there was a lot to like about this creation.

To end things off, we had a dessert crêpe with the Churned Butter with brown sugar.  There were 3 choices for the butter, but we went for the classic slightly salted butter.  Unlike the savoury versions, this crepe was soft, fluffy and a bit chewy.  It was aromatic and of course slightly sweet from the caramelized brown sugar.  Adding a velvety hug, the butter brought it all together.  So from this experience, I would agree that Breizh Cafe is definitely a good spot for crêpes in Paris (and apparently in other places in the world).  A little pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

The Good:

- Excellent crêpes

- Lots of choice

- Multiple locations

The Bad:

- Pricey

- Service is really slow