Ramen Wars: Toki Underground on H St. NE

First of all, Toki Underground is NOT UNDERGROUND. It is upstairs. This is extremely confusing to those of us who dwell in NW. But, if you see a small round logo that at first glance looks like Korean characters but really says T-O-K-I, you're in the right place.

We met up with our friends A & M who recently acquired a Mini Cooper and are now taking advantage of all the nomz far and wide throughout the DC metro area! A long continuous bar goes around the perimeter of the (extremely tiny) restaurant, so the four of us sat like ducks in a row to slurp our noodles contentedly.

Started out with steamed dumplings ($5 for a half dozen) -- one set of chicken and one set of veggie. (Can't remember which one this is, not that you could tell anyway from the outside.) The filling was flavorful, the veggie especially, but the steaming process shrank the filling quite a bit so you were left with an excess of floppy jiaozi skin, which combined with the ample teriyaki sauce splashed on top, resulted in the little morsels slipping and sliding off your chopsticks. And I ain't no chopstix n00b, let me tell you. Maybe better to try pan fried or deep fried next time.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! The heavens opened, a stream of the purest light filtered down from the ramen heavens, and my ramen facial commenced. Curry chicken hakata ramen ($10), you make me so happy. First off, it's not real chicken ramen. It's actually tiny pieces of deep fried kara-age floating around in your soup, so eat it quick before it gets too soggy. The soft-boiled egg was so lightly cooked it dissolved immediately in your mouth like a creamy, light vision of pillowy ramen cloud happiness. A rolled and sliced bundle of mustard greens gave a little bitter kick, and the curry broth was flavorful but not too spicy. This one is a winner, folks.

I won't lie to you, Toki Underground is a certifiable Taiwanese ramen hipster joint. The place is covered in little anime-like figurines, including Mr. Curry Metal above, and the footrests under the bar are made out of skateboard decks. Although it's pretty much dinner hour for blue-hairs, show up at 5:00 p.m. or earlier for dinner, otherwise the place is slammed until 9:00 p.m.

Check it out: 1234 H St. NE www.tokiunderground.com

Ramen Wars: Sakuramen in Adams Morgan

Good food is a rarity in Washington. Want Mexican? Here, have some Salvadorean. Want Japanese? Here, have some terrible food court sushi. So imagine my surprise when I get an email from Thrillist saying there is going to be a subterranean ramen joint...IN MY HOOD.

I harrassed my neighbor into coming with me. One of the waiters was from his small hometown in California. How strange.

On to the noms.

"Chosun" Ramen, $13

From Sakuramen.net: A distinctly Korean inspiration with sliced Angus ribeye bulgogi, roasted kimchi, seasoned egg, and nori in shoyu broth Broth: Chicken Stock with Shoyu / Noodles: Thin & Wavy 

Portion size was good, bulgogi was well seasoned and plenty of it. Average amount of noodles, and they seemed homemade. The broth tasted entirely of kimchi (as I expected) so can't really discuss the flavor there. Egg yolk was runny and there was a TON OF GREEN ONION SPRINKLED ON TOP. Every bite was green and oniony. But, it did taste good with the Korean BBQ beef shreds.

My neighbor went with his hometown homie's suggestion:

"Shoki Bowl," $15

From Sakuramen.net: For our meat loving customers, Shoki’s favorite ramen dish, filled with extra chashu, bulgogi, seasoned egg, green onion, sprouts, nori, and ninniku dare Broth: Chicken Stock with Shoyu / Noodles: Thin & Wavy 

I snagged a bit of pork belly and a sip of broth. It was delish and meaty. The broth itself didn't have that six-hour simmered "thickness" to it, but it still tasted good. I'm not a huge fan of pork belly but I did like it in this iteration.

Overall, it is a hip joint, convenient to get to with pretty solid food. The people are nice and it's not too terribly crowded on a weeknight (so far). It's a little pricey compared to what you'd get for a similar price back home, but one cannot be too picky nor choosy on the East Coast. 

Check it out: 2441 18th Street NW in Adams Morgan.