Friday, December 16, 2011

Shalala--Mountain View, CA

;

With Jenny having ramen on her mind, we met at Shalala during the workweek. Never one to pass up a peppery bowl of hot soup, I had the spicy miso ramen. It met all the requirements of a good bowl of ramen. The broth was heavy with flavor, the noodles chewy and the appearance pleasing (aren't just about all Japanese dishes?). I asked for their spiciest bowl, which was not quite as hot as at Tai Kee two weekends earlier, but hot enough. The best part of the bowl was the egg, which was boiled until the white was fully cooked but the yolk soft and flowing.

The daikon salad was cold, crisp and was everything we could expect from a $6 salad. As an appetizer it was enough for both of us. Jenny liked that the daikon was shredded into fine strips, thin enough to be pleasing, yet substantial enough to provide a good crunch.

As far as ramen goes, Jenny liked Orenchi in Santa Clara a little more. Everything was fine at Shalala, but the egg, as good as it was, didn't quite have the warm core we found at Orenchi. Also, our bowls were on the expensive side. But, if ramen is your craving, $9 is a fair price to get your fix here. We went in at about 1:10 finished eating at about 1:45. Yet, the small restaurant was very much alive throughout, with never more than a table empty.

Shalala
698 W Dana St
Mountain View, CA 94041
(650) 965-8001
www.ramenshalala.com