So, it’s a Friday night in the Mission. I’ve surprised myself that I’m working on this blog again. This has been another week that gave me a swift kick in the ass and I was expecting there to be a lack of motivation to work on this blog. The weather is good for now, but it’s quickly turning to shit. The fog is coming in quick, which I’d prefer to happen in the evening instead of the middle of the fucking day. People are out to get their weekend started. I’m on Valencia Street between 18th and 17th and it’s another night of people in their 20s and 30s partying it up, despite the oncoming cold. I’ve barely seen my friends this past week, so being surrounded by people is not minded at the moment. Like I said previously, I wasn’t planning on working on the blog this week. I just wanted to have a nice time with my girlfriend before next week comes around, but something caught my eye that went under my radar. A new ramen restaurant opened in the neighborhood. It’s not just any ramen joint, it specializes in tsukemen ramen. I’m currently sitting at Taishoken on their opening night in San Francisco.
It’s the restaurant that invented tsukemen, or dipping ramen, starting back in 1951 by Kazuo Yamagishi. They opened their first US location in San Mateo in 2019. Due to the hectic bullshit I’ve been having to deal with these past two months I completely forgot that they were planning on opening an SF location. Modern LED lighting brings the space to life. Lightly-stained wooden furniture with minimal features adorns the interior space. My girlfriend and I are sitting at the bar secretion overlooking their room with all of the various flours that they use to make their ramen. All of their tables are occupied. As the sky darkens more and more people are waiting to be seated. The prospect of eating tsukemen again excited me. Yes, there is an existing restaurant that specializes in tsukemen, but the quality has gone down to the point of being complete ass. I’m excited to be at a restaurant location that started this style of ramen. It’s been a while since I’ve been excited about visiting a new restaurant in the city.
To start things off we had their Cucumber Green Chili Miso, which is cucumber topped with jalapeno miso, fried garlic, chili, and sesame seed oil. It’s a relatively simple dish with a lot going on. The cucumber is fresh. The miso is melding well with the sesame seed oil and the chili. The flavor combinations go well with the brightness of the cucumber. It’s spicy and savory with a bit of sweetness. I didn’t know what to expect and luckily it came out delicious and satisfying.
I’m here as a way to focus on something other than the various stresses that I’ve accumulated these past several months. Have you ever hit that feeling of being close to overwhelmingly unbearable but still enduring without knowing how long? Yeah, I’m at that moment right now. It’s been difficult to let go of all of these feelings by not caring. I’m finding that being care-free is such a hard thing to do. There are now too many responsibilities for me to attend to. Too many things depend on me getting my shit together. Again, it’s tiring and I don’t know if I’ll get through it. It’s fucking exhausting.
The two of us are currently having their Tokusei Tsukemen which consists of buckwheat noodles with nori, two kinds of pork, hard boiled egg, and menma in one bowl and dripping broth made with chicken, pork, fish, and topped with green onion in another. The noodles are flavorful with a nice, springy, and smooth texture. The thickness of the noodles helps collect the viscous, savory broth that is full of different flavors and fats. The egg yolk is slightly overcooked to the point where it’s starting to solidify and I’d prefer it if the yolk was runny. I’m enjoying the two different pieces of pork and how they both taste great with the broth. Even though it’s not perfect, it’s still fucking fantastic.
Yeah, I’ll be coming back here again. I’m impressed by the food and I’m curious to try their ramen offerings. I miss this strong desire to write for the blog. Things have been lacking for the blog as of late.