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