Noodle knockout
pasta gets star treatment at Naga Naga ramen
By Dan O'Heron 07/09/2009
All the noodles at the new Naga Naga Ramen are either long and narrow, long and wide or long and curly — symbols of long life in Japan. Sticking to time-consuming noodle decorum and not slurping, it took me a good long while to put away a delicious pork ramen with barbecued pork and corn, unctuous of a light broth made from chicken, veggies and soy sauce ($7.95).
Once embarrassingly slipshod with chopsticks and wet noodles, which usually end up dangling like untidy party streamers, I’ve now learned the trick.
To not slurp requires an almost Lenten restriction of intake. Here’s how I do it: Just spin a few strands at a time, using the provided ladle as a fulcrum. Then, with an outward, upward, parallel-to-the-mouth Emily Post movement (Doesn’t sound like much fun this way, does it?), bring the ladle to your lips. This way, there will be enough flavor and nothing will precariously hang over the ladle, only to slide back into the bowl and force you to start all over.
The technique was handy on my next visit in dealing with a beef ramen ($7.95), made special by a creamy, pork-based broth followed by a dessert. Unlike a lot of Japanese restaurants, Naga Naga sweetens the pot with desserts. It shows in a yummy, gem-like, four-scoop, vanilla, coffee, strawberry and green ice cream item, encased in a chewy mochi skin ($3.95).
I also enjoyed a zippy $2.25 side salad with sesame ginger dressing and — for dessert — fresh mango rolls with sweet and sticky rice rolled in soy paper, covered with shredded coconut and sesame seeds.
On my next trip, among 33 noodle-dish choices, I’m going to try tofu kimchee ramen with green onions and spicy soup, and shrimp ramen with fragrantly sour lemon grass and tom yum spicy soup — both terrific, other customers tell me.
When I wasn’t busy working on my noodle-twirling technique, my focus was on a 1,000-gallon aquarium full of a colorful array of fish. Not quick and aggressive, darting back and forth like nervous missiles and creating a tsunami flow of chi, Naga Naga’s fish seemed to be enjoying themselves, up and down, light and easy, like falling in a dream.
Other features of the decor, reflecting a feng shui consciousness of space and style, include simple, large tile rectangles adorning a west wall; a string of vases sitting on a divider and flowering with bamboo; a statue of Buddha looking down from an elevated pedestal. Usually, I see Buddha statues squatting. They look uncomfortable. This Buddha, more upright and sitting on a smooth stone, looked as happy as the golden fish.
Relaxed? Impressed? Yes. But it was the prices on the menu that created the most serenity for me. Except for one dish at $8.95, and two at $8.50, all other ramen dishes are under $8. In a deteriorating economy, faced with the possibility of state-owned restaurants, you really can’t beat this.
While the portions are generous enough that one sees a lot of cartons with wire handles going out the door, I scuffed porcelain. It seemed every plate was licked clean, as if a couple of neurotics had been sitting at my table.
Apart from noodling, there are also 17 rice dishes. All except the grilled salmon plate and a pork cutlet with Japanese curry (each $8.95) are under $8 and come with a bowl of miso soup. People say that Naga’s beef bowl is better than they get elsewhere, as is the beef or chicken teriyaki.
One rice dish in particular sounds good to me: Kimchee wok-fried rice. Here, you get a choice of beef, pork or chicken, pebbled with sesame seeds and mixed with rice, eggs, onion, kimchee and garlic — surely a dragon’s breath of good chi.
For dessert, I expect a flow of good chi will come with a slush made of red beans and mochi nuggets (more like gummi bears than boba tapioca), served over shaved ice with red syrup and condensed milk.
In subsequent trips to the “Zen Zone,” I plan to have more long noodles, drink more beer and wine and spend more time with the fish. This should add years to my night life.
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