Sobo Ramen & Linden St Brewery Tasting Menu

Tonight L, J, and I went to Sobo Ramen in Oakland for a 4 course food/beer tasting (plus dessert). This was a tickets-only event that was held on a Monday, which is usually the one day that Sobo is closed. I’d eaten at Sobo Ramen twice before – once for take out and once dining in. Both times were delicious (bonus points for separating the noodles and soup broth when ordering take out), so I was excited to see what they would present in a tasting menu. Although I’m aware of Linden St Brewery, I hadn’t had a chance to try out their beers. They’re an Oakland company that started up in 2009 and, except for buying growlers at their tasting room, the only way to try their beers is to frequent various bars and restaurants in the Bay Area.

First Course:  Maguro Salada (Tuna Sashimi with Cured Vegetables and a Wasabi Mayonnaise Dressing) with New Oakland Glow Bohemian style Pilsner

This was L’s favorite course. The wasabi dressing had a distinct horseradish kick to it and was a great palate cleanser to start the meal off. The carrots, cucumber, and onions were salt cured, which was an especially great way to treat the onions because the onion taste was distinct but not too pungent. We agreed that sans tuna the salad would be perfect on top of a roast beef sandwich or bahn mi. The tuna, although fresh and flavorful, was sparse (we each only got 2-3 pieces) but that was OK because the rest of the salad really shined.

The pilsner had a good balance of honey and grain notes, which complemented the heat of the wasabi. I like beer that is easy to drink (i.e. not BITTER) and although this tasted light, it was also full-bodied without being overbearing.

Second Course: Lobster Gyoza with Black Lager

Right off the bat, I appreciated the portion size. 1 potsticker would have felt stingy, 2 potstickers would be acceptable, but 3 potstickers felt hearty. L, J, and I are big eaters and oftentimes tasting menus don’t satisfy our appetites. This was not the case here. In general, although I’m a sucker for decadently stuffed dumplings and pastas, I usually find that the essence of the luxury ingredient (crab, lobster, foie gras, kobe beef, etc) is overshadowed by the wrapper and sauce. The gyoza were plump and I liked the high percentage of lobster inside – reminiscent of a a well-made har gow, but the filling could have easily been shrimp and still achieved the same seafood-y effect. They were served with an orange sesame vinaigrette, which was the perfect foil for the rich dumpling, while not drowning out the taste of the seafood, as many soy-based sauces tend to do.

The exception to my “light tasting beers only” rule is a good dark lager; I drool at the sight of a properly poured glass of draught Guinness. This black lager hit the smooth, dark notes that I crave and it offered a soy element to an otherwise soy sauce-less course. It was a smart decision to keep the soy notes strictly to the drink and I found myself alternating bites of dumping with sips of lager.

Third Course: Ebi Gratin (Rock Shrimp with Potatoes and Cheese) and Ol’ Brick ESB

Except for the ramen course, this was my favorite and I’m now convinced that all gratins should have shrimp in them. Although gratins are very very classically French, the addition of the shrimp in this dish allowed for seamless integration into the Japanese menu. Apparently gratins have become popular in Japan, hence its place in the tasting menu. Potatoes, white sauce, and cheese make for a simple dish but when it is done well, can be exquisite. The sauce was smooth and creamy with a salty infusion of shrimp, the potatoes were fully cooked but not mushy, and the parmesan and gruyere topping was crispy and rich.

The Ol’ Brick ESB is an English ale and had a distinct hoppy flavor. Even so, the ale was not very bitter and instead the more malty and caramel flavors of the beer were present. I think if English pubs served beer and potatoes like this, then the rest of the world wouldn’t hate them so much.

Course Four: Spicy Kaisen Ramen (Crawfish and Shrimp) with California Common Lager

The main event! Kaisen in Japanese loosely translates to “battle”, which in a lot of ways this dish was. The spicy broth was achieved with cajun spices and, with the addition of crawfish and shrimp, it was clear that Southern seafood boils were the inspiration for this fiery dish. The battle was two part: first, in dominating the intensely spicy (yet flavorful) food and second, in wrestling with de-shelling the whole animals. Empty plates were conveniently laid out for discarded exoskeletons. We all really dove into this dish with gusto – sucking crustacean heads and chomping on succulent bodies (in the case of the shrimp, I didn’t even bother to de-shell them before crunching). Hidden beneath the seafood was a nice pile of kale. I have mixed feelings about kale. I do think it’s delicious but it’s become as ubiquitous to fad dining now as sun-dried tomatoes were at the turn of the century. Clearly, kale is not a Japanese green but, because this ramen was already a fusion dish, I thought it was a great substitute for collard greens, which are more traditionally used in southern cooking. And, of course, it appeased the hungry hipsters.

There was a drizzle of spicy crawfish oil which tended to overshadow the earthy tonkotsu (pork bone) broth in the first third of consumption. Once we got passed that intensely hot stratum, we were rewarded with the rich, savory tonkotsu broth and perfectly cooked noodles. In the Bay Area, Sobo Ramen has consistently had my favorite ramen noodles. They start off very al dente, which allows the noodles to retain their texture in the broth for a longer period of time. Some people prefer softer noodles but I appreciate a more toothsome bite of ramen.

In this pairing, the beer took a backseat to the dish. The lager was a little bitter and I probably wouldn’t drink it on its own, but it did serve to temper some of the spice of the ramen. When it comes to spicy food, the best drinks to squelch heat are milk-based or sweet liquids. In a very informal experiment on the Food Network show Food Detectives it was discovered that beer actually slightly exacerbates spiciness instead of quelling it. In this case, the beer was a welcome relief for my palate, but I mostly drank water with the soup.

Course Five: Fresh Strawberries in Sake Jelly

I was so full and content that when dessert came, I completely forgot to take photos. This light dessert was the perfect end to a heavy meal. Strawberries aren’t currently in season, but the sake jelly offered a sweet complement to the tart fruit. An added bonus was that there was extra beer and each of us got another glass!

All in all, it was a fabulous and filling meal. The staff was friendly and informative and I think the tasting accomplished its goals; I’m eager to return to Sobo and also will likely seek out other restaurants that serve Linden St. beer.

Happy Eating,

D.

P.S. Even though this was a tasting, they served full-sized portions of their ramen. L and I combined our leftover soups to eat another day. For tips on how to make your leftovers taste like new, check out this post.