Jump to content

OKI Bowl and Sake Bar, Rice Bowl, Ramen Shop, and Sake Bar, Downtown and Georgetown


Recommended Posts

Well, f**k.  I hate writing about restaurants any more, but decided to start this thread anyway, and twenty minutes later I was almost done and f**king Invision or whoever lost the post.

Pardon my language.

I'm not going to re-create all that.  The basics:

Nice, cozy ambiance for a quick nosh on a cold evening.  I didn't take notes or play Investigative Reporter.  I think there were four ramens, four rice bowls, and some number of appetizers on the menu.  I had an excellent miso ramen, with flavorful broth, springy noodles, awesomely porky and not too fatty chashu .  Definitely one of the better ramens I've had in awhile.  Better than the tonkatsu (weak flavor, not-chewy-enough noodles) from Nagomi the day before. 

Two things to note: the other patrons (at 8:30 - 9:00 on a weeknight) were loud, possibly drunken 20-somethings who talked in their "HEY WE'D BETTER SHOUT 'CAUSE WE MAY STILL BE IN A LOUD BAR" voices.  I'm not a cranky old lady yet; if that's the clientele, fine, I'll enjoy my ramen, pay the bill and get out quickly.

The other thing: scented candles do not belong in restaurants.  Seriously, restaurateurs: don't you want your customers to enjoy their food?  Isn't smelling that food a significant part of tasting it?  If I push the apple-cinnamon candle to the other end of the communal table, that's not a signal for your hostess to come light the other one.

Anyway: great ramen.  Really hoping ramen catches on in DC.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I ate here for lunch a couple of days ago and was VERY impressed by the miso ramen.  The noodles were wonderfully chewy and tasty, and the broth was rich and delicious; I finished every drop.  The corn was also very nicely cooked.  I'd say the other toppings, including the chashu, were only okay, but on the whole I'm already comfortable ranking them above Sakuramen and most other non-Toki places in DC.

Great to have such a good place so close to my work, as the Farragut area is still pretty fallow.  It's a shame that my doctor has just told me to lower my cholesterol, because otherwise this would be a frequent stop.  :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, f**k.  I hate writing about restaurants any more, but decided to start this thread anyway, and twenty minutes later I was almost done and f**king Invision or whoever lost the post.

Ouch! That's why I always write a long post in Microsoft Word first and then copy it into DR.com.  Had that happen one too many times myself.

BTW, where is this place?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

porcupine are you sure that this is the same ownership as Sala Thai?

This realty listing doesn't rule it out, but it makes me believe it might be owned by someone else:

attachicon.gifScreenshot 2014-11-23 at 15.09.34.png

---

ETA - Their Facebook page answered my question.

That's where I got the info.  As far as I could tell the name of the restaurant is "OKI [all caps] Bowl and Sake Bar by Sala Thai".

Which reminds me, it would be great if every first post in a thread contained the name of the restaurant.  The search function would be more useful that way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've tried two of the more non-traditional bowls, the curry and the Tom Yum, and both were fantastic.

It's interesting that there's no ramen overlap between Nagomi and Oki...the former has tomkatsu, shoyu and shio , the latter Tom Yum, curry, miso, and kimchi.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

porcupine are you sure that this is the same ownership as Sala Thai?

This realty listing doesn't rule it out, but it makes me believe it might be owned by someone else:

attachicon.gifScreenshot 2014-11-23 at 15.09.34.png

[Please see this post about the auto-recover feature.]

---

ETA - Their Facebook page answered my question.

I have not tried this place yet but I came across this listing few months ago, I was tempted by the location and the unique small space. However, gross rent was bit too high for me to feel comfortable on month to month bases. Now within 0.1 mile of each other, there are two Japanese (or Japanese inspired) places. (Izakaya Nagomi 1990 M St NW and this place at 1817 M St NW) Perhaps the organic composition of small Japanese places are appealing to the current trend of small places with small plates in DC. But I`m excited to try their food and sake.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have not tried this place yet but I came across this listing few months ago, I was tempted by the location and the unique small space. However, gross rent was bit too high for me to feel comfortable on month to month bases. Now within 0.1 mile of each other, there are two Japanese (or Japanese inspired) places. (Izakaya Nagomi 1990 M St NW and this place at 1817 M St NW) Perhaps the organic composition of small Japanese places are appealing to the current trend of small places with small plates in DC. But I`m excited to try their food and sake. 

I was musing earlier this morning about DC, in the past six months, switching from an Italian renaissance to a Japanese naissance.

I don't see how France can't be next, completing the trilogy of arguably the world's three greatest cuisines (with due respect to India, Spain, China, etc.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick little review to say yes, OKI is OK!

I enjoyed the Tom-Yum Ramen all over my shirt and when the menu says "prawn" they mean it, one big prawn.   Tom-Yum tends to range in spicy-ness generally and this is a mild version of the broth.

I will report back once I enjoy a few other items off this select menu.  I think I can make my way through it before spring.

For those who are curious, I'd like to add a little note on decor. It's busy.  And fanciful.  And there are about 20 seats and 4 or 5 tables.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick mini-review:  Went there yesterday with two friends.  I got the miso ramen, and my friends got the curry ramen.  I really enjoyed my miso ramen, particularly the portion size.  I often find myself ordering extra noodles (or wishing I got more noodles) with my dish - OKI does not offer an "extra noodles" option, and I was satisfied with the amount I got.  I thought my miso broth was excellent, but then one of my friends let me try his curry broth - I was expecting more of a curry sauce, but it was a spicy, rich broth with curry and coconut flavors.  Really outstanding.

Also, FWIW, we asked our waitress if there was any relationship between OKI and Sala Thai, and she said no.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick little mini-review to say that TobyChun above is right about the miso ramen. Excellent portion size (enough broth for me but I couldn't quite finish the noodles). Pork had just enough fattiness and my cold and sore throat seems eased by the broth.

Oh, and the coke is canned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had an excellent miso ramen, with flavorful broth, springy noodles, awesomely porky and not too fatty chashu .  Definitely one of the better ramens I've had in awhile.

Yeah, I ate here for lunch a couple of days ago and was VERY impressed by the miso ramen.  The noodles were wonderfully chewy and tasty, and the broth was rich and delicious; I finished every drop.  The corn was also very nicely cooked.  I'd say the other toppings, including the chashu, were only okay, but on the whole I'm already comfortable ranking them above Sakuramen and most other non-Toki places in DC.

 

I had dinner at Oki Bowl and Sake Bar recently, and liked it in a Dickson Wine Bar sort of way.

 

When you walk into the restaurant, you feel like you're part of an Erector Set.

 

I started with a small Sapporo ($6), whimsically served in a Mason jar, as I looked around me in a childlike awe - using the restroom here is a must.

 

For starters, I got the Fried Oyster Tempura ($10.95) and the Lotus Root Ship ($7), and I'm still not quite sure if "Ship" is a typo or not, but it says the same thing on Oki's website. These were rectangular plates with a line of fried oysters, and thick-cut lotus root, respectively - the thickest-cut lotus root I think I've ever had, and although I enjoyed them both, I would give the nod to the lotus root which went spectacularly well with the ponzu-like dipping sauce.

 

Then I ordered the Miso Ramen ($10), and can only rate it in the "good, not great" category, the noodles being dried and ordinary, and the half-egg too hard for its own good (I'm not looking for a runny egg, but this was a little overcooked). The decent broth elevated this ramen from something close to middling, from where I was sitting.

 

I had a pretty good laugh when, sitting at the bar, I was able to see through the pass at the person assembling my ramen (but only the torso), and the entire bowl was assembled with the left hand while sitting down, as the cook was typing in text messages with the right - the entire assemblage took place while texting or surfing. and it was pretty funny to watch.

 

There was an initial grimey, 1980s, Times-Square feeling having just walked by Camelot and Bell's before slinking down into a basement to sneak into Oki Bowl, but it passed after a few sips of beer, Erector Set notwithstanding.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 For starters, I got the Fried Oyster Tempura ($10.95) and the Lotus Root Ship ($7), and I'm still not quite sure if "Ship" is a typo or not, but it says the same thing on Oki's website. These were rectangular plates with a line of fried oysters, and thick-cut lotus root, respectively - the thickest-cut lotus root I think I've ever had, and although I enjoyed them both, I would give the nod to the lotus root which went spectacularly well with the ponzu-like dipping sauce.

You know what is a typo?  Their "Taco Wasabi," which a friend ordered without asking what it was.  I pointed out the data gap, but my friend only ordered more brazenly, stating "I like tacos, and I like wasabi - what could possibly go wrong?"  Except that "taco" should have been spelled "tako"....  :lol:

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I stopped in with a friend for lunch. We shared the fried octopus leg (actually many small legs) and then I had the curry ramen while my friend had the kara-age chicken bowl.  The octopus leg(s) were tasty, with a spicy mayonaise sauce, but were also chewy.  I enjoyed it, but would have liked it more if it were a bit more tender.  This was served with a pretty garnish of red pickled ginger and green onion making a flower.

The curry ramen is very Thai, like Khao Soi with the crispy fried noodle bun on top, soft noodles in the spicy coconut curry broth with pickled vegetables, thin pieces of red onion, red cabbage, and four or five nuggets of fried chicken.  The kara-age chicken bowl apparently was tasty, my friend laid into it like a chicken hawk and didn't leave me any to taste.  She did say the curry ramen I had was very sweet. I thought it was balanced, but could have used a slice of lime on the side - I like things on the sour side. Having said that, I think they could have used a couple of more pieces of chicken.  As it was, I was left feeling like a had a ton of noodles and very little meat.

My experience with Khao Soi is from Rabieng's Provincial Chicken, so I may be expecting a dish with too much meat, using the broth as a sauce rather than as a soup.  Just remember this if you want more chicken than a few nuggets.

The place wasn't busy.  I wish the lone server for all three long tables had suggested we sit at the bar, but he seated us at one table that had another person at it.  It left me needing to ask the lone occupant to move the bench back which was fine, but seriously, why have benches at communal tables?  Instead, if you want people to share, have individual chairs or stools.

So, what's my take?  Dunno, I need to go back and try the miso ramen.  But having said that, I'm obviously thinking about going back, so it's good enough to keep my attention.  The flavors are good. Give it a shot if you're nearby.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went today for the first time and enjoyed the miso ramen. A big caveat though that I came from the dentist and my upper teeth and lip were rather numb - but that is why I went for soup for lunch ;-) I don't eat pork so I asked which of the ramen soups didn't have pork in the base and he said the only one was the miso ramen and they'd swap the pork belly for their nippon tofu (2 big pieces of soft tofus that is lightly fried - agedashi tofu-style).  I thought the portion was large and ample with lots of good quality noodles, fresh tasting broth. I'm an onion lover with a sweet tooth so the combo of the fresh sweet corn and the scallions was spot on for me. Worth a trip again - even for the same dish.  I saw a bunch of rice bowls and they looked good, but a little less interesting than the soups.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At the risk of over-posting in one thread, I wanted to briefly describe my lunch at Oki today.  I had the Oki Curry Ramen and oh my goodness was it heavy.  I expected a broth-based, coconut milk added broth oh but no.

The broth was pretty much coconut milk and curry. Spicy, tasty, but so very rich.

Just know going in.  To be clear, I enjoyed it but it is way too heavy for lunch IMHO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just passed by and there's a big sign out front declairing new management. Wow. Less than one year with founding managment? Crazy.

Yeah, I'm not sure about that.  Doesn't the sign say both New Management and New Menu?  I went in for lunch last week, and as far as I could tell the menu -- along with the decor and everything else -- was identical.  So maybe it's just a belated way of getting people to notice the place, since their own sign is sort of unobtrusive.  I dunno.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I finished my ramen today!  Why am I telling you? I think Oki is under new management and they cut the serving size and (In my opinion) service quality.  This is the third time in a row I've been less than impressed with lunch. I wanted to make sure it was a true trend before complaining.

The ramen was, however, as good as ever. I wish I could order extra broth. I asked today and was told flat out "no." I'd pay a bit for that pleasure.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I finished my ramen today!  Why am I telling you? I think Oki is under new management and they cut the serving size and (In my opinion) service quality.  This is the third time in a row I've been less than impressed with lunch. I wanted to make sure it was a true trend before complaining.

The ramen was, however, as good as ever. I wish I could order extra broth. I asked today and was told flat out "no." I'd pay a bit for that pleasure.

Having been to Oki only once, not long after it opened, I just wanted to say that this little Minibite is extremely useful information. Sometimes, people - myself included - don't write reviews because they think it's going to be a long, drawn-out ordeal (which it can be), but it doesn't have to be. This was a fine, instructive post you wrote - I just tweeted this about Tweaked's review of Iron Gate Inn, and if I were teaching that hypothetical course, I would also use your post as an example of how to journal a "short-short restaurant visit." Brief, fair, measured (the phrases "I think" and "in my opinion" are critical), informative - well done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, DIShGo said:

Has anyone been to the second location that opened in Georgetown last July?

I went last night.  The décor is just as cool as the original on M Street.  Great vibe and friendly service.

We started with decent but unexciting chicken potstickers.  There were other, more interesting appetizers available (including a couple of octopus dishes) but we didn't want anything deep fried to keep the health resolutions in check.  The big winner for me and my fiancé was the curry noodle bowl topped with chicken karaage and crispy noodles.  Rich, spicy, absolutely delicious!  The karaage gets soggy pretty quickly but is still delicious and an ample portion.  We also had the kimchi ramen, which was solid but not the best rendition of a Korean kimchi stew. 

The dessert (Japaense waffle enclosed ice cream sandwich!) and drink menu was also pretty cool for a casual restaurant like this, albeit brief.  Overall, this place has never disappointed me, especially at the price point.  I wonder why it's not more packed since the quality, style, and value are nearly in line with Toki across town. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...