I really wanted to like this place but there were too many things I didn't like to recommend Hoja. I know most people won't read the whole thing so before you go, be aware that the noodle broth has a strong dashi taste. See the noodle section below for more details.
I had both of their business lunches for is a pretty good deal. When the bowls come you'll think they are small but they use 70/30 FAT to meat ratio so it's really heavy.
The positives first...
Taiwanese sausage - came and they were great. So much umami, sweetness, and a rough grind on the meat. Easily the best thing there. 9/10
Drinks (winter melon and milk tea) were good. They're nothing special.
Milk tea - kind of tastes like a watered down kirin milk tea that comes in bottles at Asian grocery stores. 6/10
Winter melon tea was interesting because it has a barley taste to it. I'm not really knowledgeable in different winter melon teas but my wife likes it. It starts off really sweet but mellows out as ice melts. 8/10
Ok here's where things take a turn for the worst.
Mixed meat noodle bowl - this came first and as soon as we tried it we both were dreading to take another bite. It has a really strong dashi taste to it, something we weren't expecting for this kind of dish. The broth is also really thick like mucous (a good thing) but the noodles were over cooked so there was no variety in textures. The mushy noodles were purely a sauce transportation device and unfortunately we didn't like the sauce. The meat itself is ok, but if you're familiar with velveting meat in canto cooking, this is what they did but with too much breading. 3/10 but mostly because we didn't like the dashi taste for something like this.
Chicken rice bowl - this could have been so good!!! The chicken was great, the second best thing we had. Crispy, umami, juicy. The fish stick was mushy and nothing really redeeming about it. The rice was also overcooked so it had the texture of oatmeal. The worst thing was the sauce, give us more sauce with meat in it!!! I get that you use 70/30 fat/meat ratio but maybe consider adjusting that. A couple of bites of fatty oatmeal and I didn't want anymore. 6/10, chicken on its own 8/10.
Now the condiments, they provided some pickled radish but the pickle on them was really quick. My wife likes it that way but I thought the fattiness really needed more acid to break it up. The hot sauce is ok, nothing special I would want to buy direct from them.
The aesthetics is the place are really cute though. I don't think we'll come back. Would I recommend it? Maybe... maybe it was just whoever cooked it that day did a poor job but with everything being over done on a weekday afternoon, I'm not really interested in giving them a second chance. Maybe knowing it's a dashi broth going into it you'll like it more!
Oh also for such a small menu, time from ordering to getting the food was really long, maybe 20 min for something that is mostly already made. Keep in mind this was on a weekday afternoon at 50%ish capacity.
Overall 4/10 read more