Kumako Ramen

Location: San Jose, CA
Cuisine type: Japanese, Ramen
Atmosphere: hole-in-the-wall cafe, plain decor
Meal: lunch
Overall score: 7.67

Nina

For a quick Saturday lunch we headed to Japantown in San Jose, which we found out with surprise is very close to our place. The neighborhood had a small town feel, with wide, clean streets, and small storefronts with various Japanese owned/run businesses. We walked past a series of restaurants, specialty stores and grocery stores before arriving at this small cafe style restaurant. The interior was fairly dark, but it didn’t convey a romantic atmosphere as much as a feeling of austerity. The wooden tables were worn and darkened by time, and the bar seating had a direct view of the food preparation area. The kitchen was very basic and modest, with a large vat of simmering water used to warm up the ramen noodles, and a few burners and pots used to prepare the meats and veggies.
We ordered a bowl of edamame as an appetizer since we weren’t sure how long it would take to get our food, and I was glad we did since we had time to snack on the entire bowl before we got our ramen. However, I was very disenchanted when I saw the preparation of the edamame (they poured a handful of frozen pods from a bag into a plastic container and microwaved it with a bit of water for a few minutes), and disappointed that it ended up overcooked and mushy.

My entree was a roast duck ramen. The flavor of the broth gets 10 points, it was rich and flavorful, and I would pick it over pho broth anytime. The plate had a great appearance, with a small bundle of green sprouts, mushrooms, bean sprouts and scallions distributed around the bowl, and topped with appetizing chunks of duck. The meat was a little hard to eat, since there was almost as much bone as there was meat in each of the pieces, but the flavor was undeniably well developed and quite enticing. The portion size was appropriate and the dish struck a great balance between the various ingredients.
This place is a solid choice, though I would definitely prefer if they made more of their food from scratch and without the use of microwaves.

Food 7
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 7
Service 8
Value 8

Ben

A dimly lit little restaurant in Japantown in San Jose. A tasty but not overwhelming broth, and a good portion of pork in the curry pork ramen I ordered. I liked the ramen a lot, in the way of a comfort food - tasty, addictive and easy to keep eating. There’s a good amount of options of broth types and all meats one would expect, and hot / sweet sauces to tailor the flavor. I liked the cozy bar running along the few tables, and a TV in the top corner of the bar contributed to a relaxed, homey feel. There were two cooks and 1 waitress working at the time, all entirely visible from the bar, so you could see the whole process of your food being prepared. It does lose a bit of the romance to see edamame poured from a frozen bag into a bowl and microwaved before putting in front of you, but the ramen was cooked fresh from prepared broths. They had a decent bar with some beers on tap and bottled and a spirit selection as well as sakes. The prices were reasonable as well. This is a place I would likely visit a lot if I were within walking distance.

Food 8
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 8
Service 8
Value 8