Best bowl of ramen noodles

Okay, so I haven’t actually tried the ramen from every single place possible in Belgium.  But this ain’t Japan, folks.  Ramen stands are not like the kebab shops.  So if you’ve found one bowl of delicious noodles around here that stands out above all the rest so far, then you can safely bet that you’ve found the best in Brussels, at least for now.

Such is the case for the miso katsu ramen (9 euros) at tiny Yamato off St. Boniface.  The homemade noodles are a little chewier and denser than at other places, and consequently they carry flavor really well.  The miso broth with bean sprouts and green onions is flavored richly without being too salty, and the small portion of fried battered pork on top finishes the whole creation.

Yes, you might think it strange to pay that much for post-work snack food.  And… you’d be right.  But sometimes when you’ve got a craving, you have to give in.  It’s all about the textured long noodles, about the meat, about the cold Asahi.  It’s about sitting at the bar jam-packed side-by-side with everyone else waiting for the same thing; about smelling the spring onions and the gyoza in the air.  The chefs toil in front of you to bring you what you order.  You sit on the waiting chairs in the back for half an hour just to get a seat.  You see the steam from the miso broth rise from the center of the bar to heat the whole place up, while the cold Brussels rain falls outside the plate windows behind you.  Then a seat opens up, and now you’re hungry and ready to order ramen in Europe.

No, this is not exactly like Japan.  Maybe that’s why we like it.

Yamato
Rue Francart 11 (St. Boniface), Brussels

Food: B+
Atmosphere: C
Charm: A
Price: B+
Languages: French, Japanese?

Preview to Pork Ramen

My friend recently had a bowl of ramen (~10 euros) with pork over at Hana in St. Boniface.  Look at that:

Delicious to the eyes, but what about to the tongue?  It’s still just ramen.  Coming from a place that’s sort of Korean and sort of Japanese.  Is this not glorified college food?  Or is it transcendental, after coming in from a cold Brussels rain?

We went there after not wanting to queue in front of the small yet ultimate ramen place around the corner, so maybe we just had noodles on the brain that clouded judgment.  What was the final verdict?

Hana
Rue Saint Boniface 21
Languages: French, English

Anata

I just had a quick lunch at the Chinese-owned Anata restaurant down Anspachlaan for the first time today after wanting to try it for some time, and it did not disappoint.  If you aren’t looking for perfect food, but just want a reliably good, fast, and substantial meal for not too many euros, this is the place.

When we got there, the hostess, though brusque, was nice and seated us away from the door of the small place when we asked, even if we were two people sitting at a table for four.  Service was quicker than expected, they spoke our language, and they even gave us a new drinking glass when we asked for one, without any of the guff that you might expect in other places.  Granted, we had to get a new glass because the old one had an odorous quality reminiscent of fish, but keep everything in perspective here.  All things considered:  not bad.

I had the Katsudon hot bowl of rice with fried pork and egg, with vegetables (~€10).  In the cold of the day, when I was hungry after the gym, it really was pretty good.  I got it fast and was satisfied, though I would have liked more meat.  I would go again, and next time I’ll have the courage to try the sushi in the bento boxes.

Anata, Boulvard Anspach 74
Food: B
Drink: B
Service: A-
Value for money For food: A-
Interior: B-
Other factors: They speak French, English, and Mandarin

-Pie Guy