Kotetsu Ramen

I like ramen, but I very rarely have a craving for it. And when I do, I am picky. if I am going to eat ramen, it had better be good ramen.

Kotetsu, unfortunately, is not really good ramen.  It is not bad ramen, It is just okay ramen. On the plus side, the meat was better than I was expecting. Sometimes you strike out and get rubbery meat - looks and feels like chewing on an eraser - and that is the worst. But this meat was soft and identifiable.  A little to thin, but let's not split hairs ... Okay, maybe we can split hairs a little. That was pretty thin:

The rest of it was meh. The soup was not as flavorful as I thought it would be. For toppings a seaweed flake or two was not going to do it for me. I want something like 二郎. Look at these photos and tell me if you think there is any comparison.

You might be thinking "But it got 4 stars on yelp!" I think this means that not everyone agrees on what good ramen is, and therefore you just have to go for yourself.

Still eating ...

You know how when you have let something go for so long you are too embarrassed to fix it because fixing it might actually call more attention to the original lapse? That is kind of what happened here. No, that is exactly what happened here. I knew for a long time that this blog was sadly out of date but every time I thought of doing something about it I thought "but how stupid does it look to post 6 months/7 months/3 years later?" Assuming of course someone ever did come here, which is actually assuming quite a lot. 

But for some reason I am starting again! Unfortunately, I am not in Asia anymore. But luckily we live in an era where you don't have to travel to eat something new. Therefore, I am not giving up my "Eats Asia" title. Mostly because I like it but also because I think it still works. 

Today I need to discuss a serious problem in the Asian bread scene. Lately there has been a shocking lack of rose cheese at 85°! 

It tastes nothing like rose. It is not, as they claim on their website, "Japanese." But it is by far the best bread they have. Mochi mochi bread, just enough cranberries for texture, and that cream cheese filling. Have you ever tried taking it home and baking it a bit? Even better! The outside gets a little crunchy but the inside is still soft. SO WHY DON'T THEY SELL IT ANYMORE?? For some reason I can always find it in Westminster, but nowhere else. What is wrong with the rest of 85°? (And what is right with Westminster?) 

There are a few back ups, but nothing quite as good:

Brioche; Only good when it is fresh baked. Otherwise - meh.

Snowflake: When you get a piece with white chocolate in the middle you feel pretty lucky.When you get a piece without ... well, you feel robbed. 

Sea Salt Iced Coffee: This is, of course, liquid crack. Not really a substitute but a requirement no matter what you buy.