A First Stab at Ramen in Decatur

Last week, Margaret and I watched Tampopo, and well before we finished, Margaret said out loud what I had been thinking most
of the way through the movie: "We HAVE GOT to go eat noodles!"

We have at least two spots to get ramen within walking distance, to say nothing of the "ramyun" on the menu at KBBQ (untried by me so far), or of the udon and soba on the menu at Sushi Avenue, which are excellent. So last night we began our exploration, our pilgrimage, our homage, by walking over to Brush. We think of Brush as a fancy sushi place, but they also do teppanyaki and ramen. We had a very enjoyable evening, though it ended up being a bit of a splurge. Two bowls of ramen, 8 oz of sake, and a pork belly skewer ended up being just north of $60 (including tip). However, we also got lots of food for thought. Here's the report I sent my son this morning:

We went to Brush for ramen last night. I chose the "dual broth" and Margaret had the "spicy miso" version. The broth for the spicy miso was very rich and had strong notes of sweetness and heat from the slick of chili oil covering the surface, but was oddly lacking in any of the middle and salty notes I expect in a miso broth, almost as though there were no bonito flakes used. The broth was quite cloudy, again what I expect from a miso broth. As promised by our knowledgeable but somewhat chummy waiter, the dollop of pulled pork on top of the bowl melded with the broth to make it even richer, but still it felt like I was tasting "sweet," "spicy," and "rich," with something missing in the middle . . . onion? bonito? The level of heat was not the problem; it was perfectly gauged for both of us and didn't obliterate any flavors. We could even taste the blanched cabbage (which I thought was a nice touch).

The dual broth was, initially, a slap in the face. It seems the last ingredient added was reconstituted dried mushrooms with a very strong aroma, and that was ALL I could smell for a minute. It was a very distinct aroma which invoked strong memories in me - - a dairy barn, right up to and including as its strongest note the pure lanolin rubbed into the cows' udders (and farmers' hands) to prevent irritation. For me this aroma evokes VERY strong, VERY specific memories of my childhood, so in the end it was a positive for me. As the meal went on the aroma faded and the other elements were able to play their roles too. The broth was quite well balanced, less cloudy than the spicy miso but still far from clear. I found it more "satisfying" than the spicy miso, but tasting both at the same meal made me want some of the heat from Margaret's bowl.

I think if I never have another egg that has been marinated in soy sauce and then soft boiled, I'll be just fine.

The two slices of chicken breast in the dual broth had been so gently cooked as to be nearly without texture or flavor. Still, they had umami, and went down nicely with the broth.

Despite their initially overpowering nature, the dried mushrooms became my favorite component of the bowl. They were chewy almost but not quite to the point of crunchiness - - is this controlled by the length of soaking, or is it the nature of this type of mushroom? The barnyard flavor, when tempered by a little time, was quite pleasantly earthy.

The noodles . . . I won't pass final judgement on the noodles until I have some more basis for comparison. To my tooth, they were undercooked. The fact that I had some indigestion later in the evening adds weight to that idea. However, the flavor was fine. I think for now I will say that I prefer a more tender noodle, in general.

Summing up, I have to say there is an awful lot going on here. We both found ourselves really thinking a lot about everything happening in the bowl and our mouths. So I will attach the emperor's critique of Mozart's music: "too many notes." My ideal ramen will comfort me and fill me up with warmth and yummy noodles without yelling in my face the whole time. But Brush's ramen is worth doing and I think it's an excellent starting point for my exploration of Decatur-area ramen spots.

Next up: Taiyo, across the street from KBBQ. I guess I'll go in disguise in case I get spotted on my way there - - Mr. Steve has uttered a few choice words about them.

Unrelated to ramen: we started with a skewer of pork belly teppanyaki. WOW. Best part of the meal, hands down. Margaret said "I never thought pork belly would be like this." She hates the unctuous fattiness of most presentations, including my favorite, the pork belly kimchi tacos at KBBQ.

Also, we had a serving of the house hot sake with our meal. Perfect for a cold wintry night in Georgia.