Himawari
202 2nd Ave
San Mateo, CA 94401
(650) 375-1005
Yelp
Rated: ♣♣♣♣
I was told about this ramen joint from one of my best friends. Â He was raving about how this may be his new favorite ramen joint, which surprised me since, prior to this, I barely ever heard a buzz about it. Â Being the curious fatso, we quickly wrangled a few of my coworkers to eat here. Â There I was, waiting in front of Himawari with the usual two nincompoops I eat with and our CEO. Â Not awkward at all, but I was hoping to impress the big man with my knowledge of the area. Â All I had was a crack at the Bay Watch restaurant across the street and a mention of the Melting Pot (which his friend owns). Â So, just a note to everyone (in case it wasn’t clear), my attempts at being impressive were failures. Â Anyways, the wait took about 20 minutes before we were able to get a table for 4 at around noon.
The Food
I ordered the Deluxe Miso Ramen. Â It had all the regular fixings like charsiu, bamboo shoots, seaweed, and bean sprouts, but the Deluxe meant it came with Stewed Pork and a soft-boiled egg. Â I found the Stewed Pork to not be as flavorful as Santa Ramen, but it also wasn’t as fatty. Â The soft-boiled egg was delightful and the middle was still runny. Â The broth itself was pretty fatty. Â You could see the fat floating around the top, which made for an unappetizing sight. Â However, the flavor was awesome since it was so rich.
The Scene
The people that were here for lunch were mostly professionals and families. Â People ranged from wearing shorts and t-shirts to full on suits. Â The line can get pretty long, since there are only about 10-12 tables for 2-4 people. Â I definitely would recommend calling ahead if you bring a large group.
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