After my last post on having the Hiyashi Chuka from Santouka, “FOY” Matt sent me an email. Apparently, his friends live in OB and really enjoy the ramen and “stuffs” from a place named “The Bowl”. He was curious to see if I’d been there…or even the places parent restaurant named “the Joint”? Talk about the perfect name for a place in OB, right? I’ve never been to either place; the Joint claims to serve “sushi and tapas”? They must be quite popular since they’ve been around since 2011……. And since it was a bajillion degrees out and the Bowl seemed to serve Hiyashi Chuka…I thought why not? So, I headed over for a Sunday lunch. Now, this being OB and with the Bowl located right on Newport….add in that the place doesn’t open until noon, well, I thought parking might be an issue. But surprisingly, I found two hour parking right across the street form the place.
And the crosswalk led right up to the place.
Walking in, the nice young lady greeted me and told me to grab a seat wherever I wanted.
In keeping with the location, the place gave off a pseudo Japanese – beachy vibe. In fact, it would probably fit in well “back home“. The place seemed more of a bar than restaurant….but heck, it claimed to be an izakaya, right?
And yes, there’s ramen on the menu…but also Smashburgers, Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches, Kale Caesar Salads…..along with a load of “rolls”. Yikes! I started having some doubts here.
Anyway, I did order the Hiyashi Chuka ($14.95) along with a “small” Karaage ($7.95), from the very friendly young lady.
First up, the Chicken Karaage, which I got with the spicy aioli….sort of like the Spicy Kewpie mayo or a Sriracha mayo.
Not as crisp as I prefer, but dark meat chicken was appropriately used. Decent toothsomeness, good soy flavor. This would have been ok, except for one thing. Take a good look at this piece. See all of those little “grains” on the karaage?
Yep, that’s salt….oh man…and combined with the rather salty spicy aioli? Sheesh. Now, if I was having a couple of “biru”….this might have been ok….but in this framework it was a major sodium bomb.
And then the Hiyashi Chuka.
I actually enjoyed the texture of avocado in this…along with the sneaky jalapenos, both of which are not traditional ingredients. I’m guessing the chilies kind of replaced the benishoga? A good portion of “krab”. I did miss the tamago in this version. The tare was salty and sour. Perhaps some yellow mustard would have balanced things a bit? The cilantro was also a good addition.
As for the noodles? Well, as much as I enjoy my noodles katame – firm, these were more katai – hard. Really kind of difficult to eat. It’s like they just took it out of the bag and dumped it in the bowl.
Well, this was an interesting experience. Definitely westernized, a bit heavy handed in the sodium department, perhaps the regular ramen might be better? It looks like a nice place to grab some cocktails or a beer….perhaps a Smashburger? The woman working was very friendly….I’m thinking it’s a nice neighborhood place…just not for my “neighborhood”.
The Bowl Ramen & Izakaya
4953 Newport Ave.
San Diego, CA 92107
Current Hours:
Monday 420pm – 830pm
Tuesday 12pm – 830pm
Wed – Sat 12pm – 930pm
Sunday 12pm – 830pm
Thanks for letting me know about this place Matt! After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained…...