It's at this point that time travel comes in handy. Also known as forethought. Two days earlier (I'm definitely the organised one), I was taken to Southland Shopping Center, in Cheltenham.
Now, I go to Southland pretty often, considering I don't leave the house much. I suppose you could consider it the place that I go with my friends, if we're not inside playing Halo 3. Anyway, in the culinary center of the place, there is this little Japanese place, called "Itami Japanese Cuisine". I go there probably two times in five that I'm there, and I always get the same thing - Tonkatsu Ramen. Why? Because it's pretty good. Nothing like what I had in Japan, but it was the absolute first real Ramen that I ever had, so I have quite a bit of connection to the place.
Aaanyway, it was Friday night, and southland was abuzz with late-night shoppers. My parents went to do some shopping, leaving my sister and I to grab a bite to eat. It was then that the then-present-Lachlan decided that it might be nice to do future-Lachlan a favour and grade the good ol' Itami Ramen, so that there was something to put on the blog next week. Whipping out my notepad and pen (yes, I carry around a notebook and pen. Is there something wrong with that?), I quickly sketched up a table of scores, and prepared to jot down a few comments. Up until then, I'd happily wolfed down my Ramen without much thought into the objective quality of it. That day was different.So I went up to get my Ramen, and as usual, asked for my Tonkatsu Ramen. Something that's always slightly frustrated me about Itami is the fact that if you ask for Tonkatsu Ramen, they'll confirm that you chose the right thing by asking "Number 9, yes?". It's slightly annoying, because it sort of ruins the whole "Japanese restaurant" thing. At least have a little menu on the counter or something and point to what the customer asks for...at least that way you can keep things in Japanese if they want to. =/
Anyway, five minutes later, I was heading over to a table with a tray holding two steaming-hot bowls of Tonkatsu Ramen. Oddly, this time the bowls were clear...they were usually white. It looks better in white, I think, but since they're in a busy shopping center, I suppose they don't really have much choice in terms of the cutlery.
Digging into the Tonkatsu, which was wet, but still crispy, hot and tasty, I was reminded just why I keep coming back. Unfortunately, after the Tonkatsu, there really isn't much left to eat (the snow-peas go down fast), except the bean shoots and seaweed, which you pretty much eat with the noodles. Not that I'm upset about that, the noodles are quite nice, and pretty plentiful. The soup is very salty, but carries the subtle flavour of Tonkatsu. It is, however, quite watery and weak, and lacks a certain substance that would make it truly great.
But that's me ranting about my Ramen, here are some more concrete figures...
Information:
- Restaurant Name: Itami Japanese Cuisine
- Restaurant Location: Southland Shopping Center food-court, Cheltenham
- Ramen Ordered: Tonkatsu Ramen
- Price: $8.50
Scoring:
- Atmosphere: 4/10
In reality, it would be tricky for them to get much in the location that they are in - they can't have any music, or decorate the walls, because it's too noisy and big, and the walls don't belong to them. It would have been nice if there was a little more authenticity in the way they talked about the food though. I came for Ramen, #9.
- Presentation: 6/10
The bowl is too crowded, and a lack of colour coupled with a slightly disconcerting brown colour bring it down further. The clear bowl certainly didn't help, also. Some bright vegetables, like carrot or broccoli would be good, as well as either a wider bowl or less Tonkatsu. In reality, I'd rather it look cramped than give up some of that Tonkatsu-y goodness.
- Toppings: 8/10
Well, the centerpiece, the Tonkatsu, is awesome, but other than that, there's a general lack of toppings. The snow-peas help, but they were fleeting at best. There could be a few less bean shoots, but other than that, it's all pretty solid in the Toppings area.
- Noodles: 8/10
Numerous and tasty. The texture is pretty good, and they have their own flavour, while still reflecting the taste of the soup. They lack a little something that I thought the ones that I had in Tokyo possessed, however.
- Soup Base: 8/10
It tastes good, and I'm not afraid that I'll die from the MSG if I drink a little of it. Could use some more sustenance though, as it seems a little bit thin.
- Overall Quality: 8/10
I like it. That's pretty much the whole story. I come back to Itami because I like the Ramen. It could certainly be better, but when you look at the rest of the food court, while there certainly is lots of good food to choose from, this Ramen is probably my favorite thing.
- Value: 8/10
For $10 with a coke, it's definitely more expensive than say a burger at McDonald's, or some KFC, but for what you get, I'd definitely say it's worth it. It was $7.50 - a dollar cheaper, until last year, and that was when it was really worth it. Sigh...good times.
- Total: 50/70
Far from the Perfect Ramen, I do very much enjoy Itami Japanese Cuisine, they have a lot of awesome-looking things there...in fact, next time, I might try the Yakisoba. But as for the Ramen, it's tasty, the noodles, soup-base and toppings are all very tasty, and if you're shopping or watching a movie (or attending the Nintendo DS Connection Tour), then there certainly isn't a better place to go for lunch. If you're in Southland, or you see an Itami on the street, I'd check it out.
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