Ogenki Sushi
I thought Ogenki would be a small low-end place like Jumbo Sushi or Asuka Sushi, and it was small but clean and tidy and nicely furnished. Paper lanterns were suspended from the ceiling and lighted ad boxes shone above the open kitchen. On the right-hand side of the picture below is a doorway leading to an adjacent unit with additional seating and another open kitchen for preparing ramen. Although the restaurant is Chinese-owned, the ramen chef next door is a Japanese chef famous for his homemade noodles.
We tried one of the premium rolls: the maple roll ($7.95) with spicy tuna filling and topped with spicy salmon and tobiko. It tasted good but the texture was strangely starchy. I found it difficult to distinguish between the different components of the roll, as all of the textures seemed to blend together.
Since the ramen is supposed to be famous, I decided to give it a try and ordered the tonkotsu ramen ($8.25) with chashu, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, jelly ear, seaweed, egg, red ginger and green onions. There were a lot of toppings and overall the bowl of ramen tasted decent, but there were a couple of shortcomings. The noodles were slightly undercooked and lacked that soft yet bouncy texture. The soup was tasty but so greasy that I could see pools of oil floating on the surface. At least it wasn't very salty though, and I didn't feel particularly thirsty after finishing the whole thing.
Mom tried the miso ramen ($7.95) which was just as greasy and had fewer toppings (no egg, jelly ear, or red ginger). Plus the miso soup base was not as tasty as the tonkotsu, so I would advise against getting it.
Although my comments haven't been entirely positive, I actually like this little place quite a bit. The prices are good and the ambiance is cozy and relaxing. It's the neighborhood sushi joint that diners frequent for cheap unpretentious fare.
We tried one of the premium rolls: the maple roll ($7.95) with spicy tuna filling and topped with spicy salmon and tobiko. It tasted good but the texture was strangely starchy. I found it difficult to distinguish between the different components of the roll, as all of the textures seemed to blend together.
Since the ramen is supposed to be famous, I decided to give it a try and ordered the tonkotsu ramen ($8.25) with chashu, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, jelly ear, seaweed, egg, red ginger and green onions. There were a lot of toppings and overall the bowl of ramen tasted decent, but there were a couple of shortcomings. The noodles were slightly undercooked and lacked that soft yet bouncy texture. The soup was tasty but so greasy that I could see pools of oil floating on the surface. At least it wasn't very salty though, and I didn't feel particularly thirsty after finishing the whole thing.
Mom tried the miso ramen ($7.95) which was just as greasy and had fewer toppings (no egg, jelly ear, or red ginger). Plus the miso soup base was not as tasty as the tonkotsu, so I would advise against getting it.
Although my comments haven't been entirely positive, I actually like this little place quite a bit. The prices are good and the ambiance is cozy and relaxing. It's the neighborhood sushi joint that diners frequent for cheap unpretentious fare.
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