Kenji Tei is a new ramen house along President Avenue that's been drawing raves, and with good reason. The food here, according to owner Kenneth Kho, is a blend of traditional Japanese ramen recipes and new Japanese-inspired fusion dishes. Why Japanese? Simple, says Kenneth, it's the food he likes best. Kho shared some of the house specialties with us in a marathon sampling session that started at one p.m. and ended at well past three. We got to try the Spicy Negi Ramen, a traditional Gomoku Shio Ramen, Crispy Chicken Teriyaki, fried Cheese Gyoza, traditional steamed Gyoza, and Chahan.
One of the great things about being a food blogger is that I get to write about something I really love. On the other hand, the bad thing about being a food blogger is that writing each and every blog post brings back a full-sensory recollection of the subject, making me really hungry. Which is exactly what's happening right now, as I review the pics I'm going to use for this entry on Kenji Tei. Kenji Tei is a new ramen house along President Avenue that's been drawing raves, and with good reason. The food here, according to owner Kenneth Kho, is a blend of traditional Japanese ramen recipes and new Japanese-inspired fusion dishes. Why Japanese? Simple, says Kenneth, it's the food he likes best. Kho shared some of the house specialties with us in a marathon sampling session that started at one p.m. and ended at well past three. We got to try the Spicy Negi Ramen, a traditional Gomoku Shio Ramen, Crispy Chicken Teriyaki, fried Cheese Gyoza, traditional steamed Gyoza, and Chahan. The Spicy Negi Ramen was ramen noodles and succulent slices of roast pork floating in a bowl of rich, savory broth with a kick. This is exactly the kind of comfort food I'd look for after a really tiring day and something to pick up my spirits. The spicy soup also went very well with the Cheese Gyoza, pork dumplings in a thick dough wrapper, but fried crispy golden brown instead of steamed, with a nugget of creamily melted mozzarella cheese in the middle. The cheese gyozas are served with a dip of mayo and chili oil, which perfectly set off the mildness of the cheese. I can see why this is a crowd favorite! The Gomoku Shio Ramen will certainly please lovers of traditional style ramen--noodles in a very umami Japanese soup stock, topped with shrimp, beef, roast pork, cuttlefish, vegetables, and half a boiled egg, and it comes in a really big bowl. Were I dining alone, a bowl of this would be a match even for my rather wolfish appetite. Next came two dishes usually eaten with rice, though they also make great sides for ramen; the Crispy Chicken Teriyaki and steamed Gyoza. The teriyaki consisted of boneless pieces of chicken, skin on and fried to a nice crunch, glazed in Kenji Tei's special teriyaki sauce and rolled in fresh toasted sesame seeds. It's sweet-salty-peppery, crackling crisp outside and really tender inside. Cat of course was delighted with her favorite, the gyoza; it's something she invariably orders in every Japanese restaurant we go to. Which means I've tasted a lot of gyoza. Some are too salty, some soggy, some have a funny taste that's reminiscent of chorizo. Kenji Tei's gyoza was none of the above -- it was simply excellent. We had the teriyaki and gyoza with chahan fried rice, and I have to say Kenji Tei's cooks have a nice light hand with oil. I often find fried rice too oily, but this tasted like it had none at all. And now I've done it. I just had a nice, heavy dinner -- but my stomach is growling. Again. And it wants Japanese. Kenji Tei
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