Shalala Ramen
| Address: | 698 W Dana St, Mountain View, CA 94041, USA |
| Phone: | +1 650-965-8001 |
| Site: | ramenshalala.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11:15AM–2PM 11:15AM–2PM 11:15AM–2PM 11:15AM–2PM 11:15AM–2PM 11:15AM–2:30PM 11:15AM–2:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
KY
Kyle Huang
Easily the best ramen restaurant in the Mountain View area, Shalala puts its competitors to shame. Ryowa is a distant second, and Maruichi is a mere step above instant noodles. That people continue to frequent the latter is a testament to how uninformed peoples taste buds are. In general, ramen is made up of two key components: the soup and the noodles. Shalala does a great job on both. The texture of the noodles is excellent, and the broth is tasty. I personally like the niku moyashi ramen, which includes seasoned/cooked ground meat, and a thicker, heartier broth. And always with an egg, though I would prefer the egg to be much runnier. Some of their small plates are very good too. The black pepper chicken is a nice break from the typical chicken karaage. Shalala is a small place, so obviously they cant accommodate as many patrons as other places. But the wait doesnt tend to be bad, and is much more worth it than others. The surge in ramen popularity in California is a bit of a conundrum to me, having visited Japan several times. I do like it, and I get why other people do too. But it is truly Japanese fast-food, not something people fawn over and stand in line for an hour+ to get (Im looking at you, Orenchi). You order, slurp it down fast, maybe with a beer, pay, and leave. On the one hand it is a wonderful thing that there are some good-quality options available now, and seemingly more every day. On the other hand, the promised-land-like status people tend to bestow on certain establishments is way over the top.
ED
Edward Wu
Ive come here twice to try out their ramen and I guess I was kind of disappointed both times. The first time I came with about 7 co-workers and I ended up being squished between a pillar and the desk. Sounds like their most popular ramen is the Spicy Miso Ramen, so I decided to get it mild. Boy was that a mistake! The spiciness level definitely wasnt mild and it masked the flavor of all the ramen so all I could taste was the spice. The second time I around, I learned from the 1st time so I went with the normal miso ramen. This time it wasnt spicey so I could actually taste the ramen. The miso ramen was slightly misleading since they also have a tonkatsu broth base, so it tasted really heavy to me. The noodles are really chewy so thats a plus, but the broth just isnt that good. They also forgot my hard-boiled egg this time, which was a bummer. Even after all this, I still prefer the ramen here over Maru Ichi located a few blocks away.
DI
Dianna Chou
Service - Polite staff. - About 10 min wait when you order for take out - ramen and karage Ambiance - Theres wait for lunch sitting at 1pm on a sunday (maybe because its mothers day?). - Looks like shared tables. Food - I got the Shalala Miso - Broth - nice, thick miso flavor with a slight spicy taste Noodles - medium thickness and nice and chewy The soft egg is good. There was no nori, probably because it would get all soggy in a carry out container. There is also egg, scallion and sliced tree ear fungus. - Black pepper karage - still fairly crispy despite my ordering take out. There is black pepper visibly on it, but it doesnt have a strong black pepper flavor. It also has a slightly sweet sauce drizzled on it. Its seasoned with sesame seeds, and has a lemon and Japanese mayo on the side. Good, but Id probably try the regular karate next time to compare.
DA
Dan Freeman
Firstly was greeted by excellent staff who helped me to a seat. Water was provided without request, for which I was glad! My slightly complex order (Shalala Miso with several additions) came out just as I had hoped. It didnt take too long either, but long enough that I could tell the chef had made it fresh to order. The food itself was great. I chose the level 3 hotness (Ramen dishes can be ordered on on 0-3 hotness scale), and it was just right. The decoratively placed Nori was well seasoned. A ramekin of pickled ginger was set on the table, which was a good addition. At the end, my final surprise was the price - a lot less than I would have expected. A regular bowl of Shalala Miso (with a lot of 50c and $1 toppings) came out at $14. As I left, the staff thanked me for my custom. One of my best experiences yet.
SO
Sophia Yuen
Theres probably a reason why Mt.View doesnt have a lot of ramen places. There was a little bit of a wait when I came here on a Saturday afternoon, but it wasnt too bad. Got seated and I ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen which is what they recommended. My initial reaction was that there was a ton of broth, which I typically love. I had to dig a little for the noodles and when I took a bite, I thought it was just okay. I liked how the broth was thick and creamy, and a plus that it wasnt super salty. I was less than impressed with the toppings. some corn on the side, a piece of seaweed here and some scallions there... eh... the only thing that was good was the pork belly though I typically like it thinner and fattier. Overall, I would drive a little further to Sunnyvale or San Jose. This place was just okay.
JA
James Fong
Above average place. Ramen has good flavor and cuts of meat but not great. It was kind of expensive for just ramen; they have a regular and a large size. I could justify the cost if they added more ingredients or had outstanding flavor, but it wasnt there. The large is equivalent to the normal sizes at other ramen restaurants. The service is very good because they always made sure we were okay. They have booster seats for kids but the place is small where strollers and car seats might be a struggle to bring in. I definitely recommend the Yaki Onigiri. It may seem plain but it is a interesting change from your standard onigiri.
LA
Lauren Rich
Ive eaten there twice now. The miso ramen with minced pork is my new jam! Id eat it every day. The stock is a bit thick which is really good while you still have noodles, but a little overwhelming to...drink? on its own. The noodles are AMAZING though!!!! Id had it with and without the bean sprouts. Normally I like bean sprouts, but in this case, they distract too much from the noodles. The egg is also (in my opinion) perfectly cooked (which means its probably a bit overcooked for ramen purists, but super runny egg weirds me out, so its perfect for me!) Highly recommend this place! Well go back as often as our waist-lines allow!
DO
Don Yang
As of March 2014, they have a new ramen based on a half-pork half-chicken broth, which includes a soft boiled egg (previously the egg was an optional side order). The resulting flavor is not as intense as before, but still pretty good. This replaces their previous "tonkotsu ramen", which was previously called "shio ramen" until near the end of 2013. I have been coming here for a few years since their shio ramen days and the flavor has always been great and consistent up until then. I am not sure if they will remain consistent with the new menu, but I have not been disappointed so far.
BE
Benji Tittle
Really outstanding flavors and reasonable prices... love the thick noodle ramens, and the $6, 21.5oz Sapporo bottles are a great deal. Recommend undershooting the spice level: the spice mixture is in little jars on the table, so you can dial up the spice as much as needed... but you cant dial it down if you order too spicy to begin with! Next time Ill probably pay for a 2nd soft boiled egg... yum! One of the few ramen places that accepts credit cards... no more than two credit cards accepted per party (plus cash), though, so groups will need to plan accordingly.
