Noodelist: The Plant-based Instant Noodles

Plant-based instant noodles? Yep. And it actually tastes good. Noodelist makes plant-based instant noodles that is also nutritious. Their noodles are made with moroheiya (also known as mulukhiya, mallow leaf and other names). This plant comes from Egypt and has a high nutritional value. According to their website, it is high in fiber, carotene, calcium, iron, vitamin B, C, and antioxidants (the noodles also contain wheat, though, so it's not gluten free). 

   

Noodelist offers a couple of flavors right now. The company is started by a Vietnamese-born Finn, so the flavors certainly skew towards the Asian palate, including the lemongrass "chicken'ish". It has a vegan "chicken" and lemongrass soup with the moroheiya noodles. It's easy to make, just put the noodles and the seasoning base in boiling / hot water for 5 minutes and cover.

   

This vegan lemongrass is surprisingly flavorful and the noodles has a nice bounce to it. Perhaps because of the moroheiya but you don't have to worry about it getting overcooked or soggy as much as regular instant noodles.

   

 The "bold & juicy shiitake" has small chunks of dried shiitake and a little bit of a kick to the broth.

   

 I'm used to the $0.50 instant noodles so Noodelist is of course more expensive, but it's definitely more nutritious and healthier. It's easy to make and is quite tasty, so I can definitely see having these handy in the pantry during lockdown1 You never know when you need a quick meal.

Wagamama Seaport (Boston, MA)

Wagamama is a chain of restaurants serving Asian food - primarily Japanese - which started in UK. I wasn't familiar until I moved to Boston 3 years ago, and I actually only tried it for the first time recently. Wagamama had opened a new location in the Boston Seaport district and invited some bloggers and instagrammers to try them out.

We started with a plate of Chili squid (crispy fried squid, shichimi, chili cilantro dipping sauce, $9)

For calamari lovers, this squid dish is a great variation. It's crispy but tasted light and spiced just right. I couldn't start eating them.

We also had some dumplings, both steamed and fried. Our favorite was the fried duck gyoza ($8)


The drinks at Wagamama are better than I would've expected from a chain restaurant. While a lot of them tended on the sweet and fruity side, they're not overly sweet and fairly well balanced. What I like most is the fact that they use spirits from Asia as much as possible.

For example, the Wagamama Mai Tai is made with Tanduay rum which is from the Philippines. They also use Iwai Whisky from Japan

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Xi'An Hand Pulled Noodles at Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe (Boston, MA)

I've tried a few Chinese restaurants in the Boston area, and I wasn't really wowed by any of them. They're fine and would satisfy cravings, but there wasn't really many shops that specialize in any particular thing. But I kept reading about Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe, and I thought, this would be it. Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe, despite the name, really specializes in Xi'An style hand pulled noodles, also known as biang biang noodles.

The owner, Gene Wu, hand pulls the noodles every morning. There are a variety of noodle dishes you can try with the hand pulled noodles, but the crowd favorite seems to be the #9, served with cumin lamb. You'd also want to get a side of the cumin lamb skewer for $1.50 each.

The #9 dish consists of a base of chili oil, then hand pulled noodles, thin slices of cumin-seasoned lamb and topped with fresh bean sprouts, carrots, and cilantro.

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Hakata Ramen at Shinsengumi and How I Devoured the Whole Bowl

Ramen! Like I said pre-French Laundry, I'll be eating lots of ramen after that gorgeous meal. I'm slowly making my way through the South Bay eateries (though this weekend I'm planning a full-blown marathon!!). Since for some reason I always get my chance to go down on Sundays, my only ramen option in the area was Hakata Shinsengumi in Gardena.

There was a waiting list and we waited for about 15 minutes.

For $7.95 at lunch you can get a bowl of chashu ramen and one of a selection of small sides. I opted for the gyoza.
The gyozas are small but they're great. I like the thin, crispy skin and the fillings aren't fatty and greasy.

My friend got the chicken onigiri as a side dish.
I did like the onigiri itself, but I don't think I actually got any chicken.

I ordered the "normal" ramen (medium level of oil, etc) but with extra chashu (as you can see below, I ended up getting lots of chashu) and egg for extra charge.
A bit of info on the Hakata variation of ramen: The broth is a rich tonkotsu (pork-bone) broth, and typically topped with some beni shoga (pickled ginger). The noodles in the Hakata ramen are thin and straight (as opposed to the curly, thicker noodles).
I personally like this type of noodles better (and the texture makes it easier to slurp too! ;) ).
So how was the ramen, you ask? I'll say this: I cleaned up the whole bowl. Yes, after devouring the noodles+chashu+egg, I picked up the bowl and drank the broth. Down.to.the.last.drop.
Maybe I was just starving. But it just tasted sooooo good to me.

For dessert: yogurt mousse ($4)
Pretty rich but the tartness and the fresh fruits make it refreshing. Like a mousse-y Pinkberry actually.

A different style, but definitely one of the best ramen places in the LA area. I can't speak for their other locations, but the Gardena location is definitely worth a try!

Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi
2015 W Redondo Beach Blvd
Gardena, CA 90247
www.shinsengumiusa.com
(310)329-1335