I had looked at the menu beforehand and Rairaiken had decent prices suitable for the impoverished students in the area looking for a good meal. I had some hopes, but perhaps for some I set it too high.
Being a ramen bar, I went straight for the miso ramen which was known to be a popular menu item. $10.50 for a bowl and $1 for my added menma (bamboo shoots). I was with my two friends, Lils and Bow, and we decided to share the $7 kara-age special they had. It was also happy hour so we got $3 Sapporos. I initially wanted Sapporo, but then I saw Shirayuki and couldn't resist going for $3 sake instead. I even wanted to order a plate of gyoza, but we all refrained from adding more items which turned out to be the right decision in the end.
The kara-age and drinks came first. The kara-age (fried chicken) was fresh from the fryer and was served with a plate of spicy mayo. It had been marinated for a long time so all the flavors have been seeped into the meat and kept moist when deep fried. They kept it simple, seasoned with salt and black peppercorn. The spicy mayo gave it a kick of heat which was a nicely added element. I had a sip of my sake served in a masu, it felt like roughly a little more than half a cup. Beer was served in a can. I could have easily gotten a full bottle for $3 someplace else. Shirayuki was served in a chilled container on a chilled plate. The server poured it until it overflowed. The first thing that hit me when I sipped was the fragrance of sweet rice. Cheap sake has a lingering taste and smell of rubbing alcohol. This one didn't have it and the hint of it disappeared very quickly. What I didn't know was how well chilled sake and kara-age went together. No wonder booze and grease are best buddies. If I didn't order ramen that night, I would gotten another round of sake and kara-age.
Next came my miso ramen. As described on the menu, it is a thick and slightly spicy broth with noodles topped with bean sprouts, corn, scallions, fried garlic, cabbage, onion (I don't remember seeing it on mine), and shredded chicken. When I dove into my bowl, I was greeted with a strong broth, extremely salty however. I was dismayed by my choice because Lils had said last time she had miso ramen it was less saltier. What a waste because the broth had blinded my tongue to the other ingredients. I couldn't taste the sweetness of corn or scallions. Was there even cabbage and onions? The shredded chicken was just chicken, how was I to know how it tasted like? If they had added less miso, it would have been better. The noodles were al dente which I like, but they lack the springiness you get in Chinese styled noodles. This is Japanese ramen so I suppose this is the preferred texture.
After a full meal at Rairaiken, we all took a stroll before heading for dessert. There's always room for dessert. Lils said that Veniero's is near the area and that she highly recommended their cake slices. The establishment is divided into two sections, one for purely purchase and the other as a seated cafe. We stayed for the seated cafe. It was empty save for two tables, but more people came later around 7-8pm. I had trouble deciding what dessert I wanted since all of them looked tantalizing. The cake slices are around $5 each and their pastries are a bit less. Since I came here for cake, I was torn between a cheesecake with mousse and chocolate windmill cake. In the end I went for the chocolate windmill cake, the best choice I made for the night. Lils went for the dark chocolate layer cake and Bow went for the torta di mandorle.
The slices came quickly and they were huge. A great deal if you are craving just one slice of cake. They go great with coffee or tea. Eating it alone is a bit too much. I kept downing my water. We each savored each other's cakes to get a feel for how other options would be. I was instantly glad that I got the chocolate windmill cake. Mine was layers of chocolate spongecake with chocolate mousse. Out of all cakes it was lightest in terms of flavor which I thought was the right amount of sugar. The dark chocolate layer cake was very dense, but moist. The cake itself is salty bitter and the cream and ganache alone is very sweet. You have to eat it together in order to have the flavors work together. As for the torta di mandorle, it is a apricot flavored sponge cake inside an almond cookie shell. The cookie was very sweet, too sweet for my tastes and the almond flavor was heavy. It's a very Italian flavor and if you're an almond lover, this might be the cake for you. I barely tasted the apricot. To me it felt like a very tart inside. I am still wondering how I managed to finish a whole slice of cake by myself. All that sugar and cream in one night.
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