"What area in SF did you grow up in?"
"Portola."
"Oh, Twin Peaks and Forest Hill - that's a really nice area!"
"No, we weren't rich! Portola, off San Bruno Avenue."
"Oh, near Tanforan Shopping Mall!"
"No dear, that's a totally different city!"
I'm terrible in geography too but it's safe to say that many people don't know where Portola is. Even on the yelp app, it says, "Excelsior" which is about 18-20 blocks up towards Mission.
Yelp moderators, please fix this instead of flagging down our reviews - thanks!
Portola is a humble, working-class neighborhood in SF (for now) which is lacking in good food options so Ramen House (formerly Saigon BBQ) is a welcome addition to the hood!
TBH, I had low expectations but was pleasantly surprised at how good it was for the area. Keep in mind, except for J. Georgie's and Breakfast at Tiffany's, most of the restaurants in the area are divey Chinese restaurant delis and bakeries so it's exciting to have a Japanese food option!
Ramen House is currently in soft opening mode and just opened last week. In addition to serving ramen, they have okonomiyaki, yakisoba, udon, don, curry, and bento boxes. Very reasonable prices with most items in the $10.95-$12.95 range. Ramen Combos ($12.95) come w/ salad, CA roll, and gyoza but the ramen portion is smaller. The most expensive item is the Unagi Don for $16.95.
Beer and wine license pending.
For people with food allergies, they should consider adding food descriptions to the menu items and/or list out the ingredients. My ramen came with narutomaki (fish cake) which is problematic for someone with fish allergies.
To start, we shared the Seafood Okonomiyaki ($13.95): https://bit.ly/2FFgCbc. The savory Japanese pancake was chock full of cabbage and fresh, tender shrimp and squid. The okonomiyaki sauce (like Japanese worcestershire), kewpie mayo, and katsuobushi added a delicious salty-sweet-tangy-creamy umami flavor.
To be nitpicky, the okonomiyaki's exterior could have been crispier but it was still very enjoyable.
For my ramen, I had the Aka [Red] Tonkotsu Ramen ($10.95) which comes with three slices of chashu, a whole egg, narutomaki (fish cake), corn, mushrooms, and green onions: https://bit.ly/2YGfe0J.
The aka tonkotsu broth (not to be confused w/ "tonkatsu", fried pork cutlet) was nicely creamy with good depth of flavor and spiciness without being too salty. I prefer my broth less salty though. I didn't get jittery or thirsty afterwards so no msg effects.
The chashu was meltingly tender with a good ratio of lean meat to fat. If you love meat, definitely pay $2 to add more.
The soft boiled egg had the quintessential molten, custardy center: https://bit.ly/2YJGT0X. Nice that you get a whole egg instead of half like most ramen places.
The noodles were a too soft for my liking: https://bit.ly/2I2Vvm1. I like my noodles extra firm and springy but that could have been my fault because I was taking pictures. I was quick though.
My sister had the Braised Beef Stew Ramen ($11.95) which I would skip: https://bit.ly/2FOkmsn. More Chinese inspired and the tendons were chewy. I tried a sip of the broth and didn't like it.
Service was friendly and our water glasses never went empty which is a huge plus. They're soft opening so expect some kinks. We came at opening so it was empty. It took 15 minutes to get the first bowl of ramen and another five minutes to get the other so your entire table may have to eat separately. I'm sure once they get into their groove, food service will be much faster.
The demographics of the area is mainly Chinese so the staff does speak Cantonese and Mandarin.
The owner(s) did an amazing job transforming the former Vietnamese restaurant. Super clean, minimalist, and zen with a flat screen tv playing Top 40s music videos. Seating for about 40+.
Parking can be a nightmare BUT if you're coming after 5 pm or on Sundays, you can park at the Bank of the West parking lot next door (they close at 5 pm and on Sundays).
Overall, pretty solid ramen for Portola and I can imagine Ramen House being packed with neighboring locals once word gets out.
Next up, can't wait for the small batch, farm fresh ice cream shop: Churn Urban Creamery to open up across the street! read more