These days  I’ve been consuming way too much ramen and I still can’t get enough of it.  Most recently, I paid two visits to Toki Underground in the Atlas District.  Masterminded by Chef Erik Bruner-Yang, Toki Underground serves up Taiwanese influenced Japanese ramen.  With very little experience in Taiwanese cuisine, I wasn’t sure of what fusional influences to expect in the Hakata ramen.  But thats not to say it isn’t stellar as I plan on going on a weekly (or bi-weekly basis) to get my fix.  Menu items that are Taiwanese though include soft drinks such as Apple Sidra, Hey Song Sarsaparilla (aka Taiwanese root beer), Taiwanese cold tofu and a handful of side items.

For my first trip, I ordered the Toki Hakata Classic which includes a Tonkotsu base, pork loin chashu, blanched mustard green (confirmed with the waiter, Joe), beni shoga (red pickled ginger), ni tamago and the special side of the evening – duck bacon.  First things first, to date the only ramen house in the DMV that serves a proper ni tamago (soy, mirin, sake and sesame oil bathed soft boiled egg) is Ren’s Ramen.  What Chef Bruner-Yang labels as ni tamago is actually an onsen tamago, better known as a poached egg.  I have zero qualms with this technique as I love runny yolks.  However, it is a daunting task to consume with the provided 90 degree bamboo metal blend ladle.  Overall, this doesn’t deter me from getting the Hakata Classic again as the key ingredients all worked harmoniously together and I was slurp-happy the entire time.  As a side note, the only other thing I ordered was a Hey Song Taiwanese root beer.  My eyes were hungry, but I was on a mission to fully enjoy the bowl of ramen.

Which lead me to ask my friend, Wellta to tag along for round two…

I gave Wellta a heads up that the ladles are cumbersome.  But in the grand scheme of things, Toki Underground is a must-visit.  For this go, I really wanted to try the Curry Chicken or perhaps the Kimchi Hakata.  The waitress gave mention of a special entree called Dan Dan Mian.  Even before the waitress could explain what all went into Toki’s version of the soupless noodle entree, I said YES.  The five spice kara age (fried chicken), onsen egg, sesame seed sprinkled ramen noodles, fresh greens and pickled cucumber were each stars on their own.  However as a whole,  I can say future visits should be reserved for trying out the other items on the menu.  But my belly  (and habitual behavior) demands for Toki Underground’s Dan Dan Mian.  I’m really praying this entree becomes a staple item on the menu.

Wellta, on the other hand, ordered the Curry Chicken Ramen and I believe she fully enjoyed her selection.  For starters, we split a well-plated pan-fried pork gyoza.  Now this is probably where the Taiwanese influence comes in.  Somewhere embedded into my head, I recall being told the quality of Taiwanese and Northern Chinese dumplings are gauged by the texture of the skin.  So how does Toki’s rendition hold up?  First off, the presentation alone is mouth-watering.  The dough is chewy on the inside with a nice charred crispy exterior and the pork filling is real juicy.  My only question is why didn’t I order this on my first visit?

Toki Underground has a hip atmosphere (think skate deck foot rests and wall to wall C.I. Boys vinyl toys), a solid menu for the noodle nomad with desserts and beverages worth trying at least once.  For those curious, I highly suggest paying a visit soon.  I would also recommend going for an early week day dinner.  The restaurant has limited seating, which could cause upwards of a two hour wait for fashionably to horribly late folks.  And last but not least today is the H Street Festival.  Between the hours of 12 to 7, Bruner-Yang and his posse will serving up kimchi porchetta, shochu lemonade, Oskar Blues, dumplings and DC Brau’s signature festival-only Atlas Fest Bier.  Follow Toki Underground on Twitter for their hourly specials.

Toki Underground is located at:
1234 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 388-3086
www.tokiunderground.com