RAMEN DINNER AT SAMA ZAMA , KC

"Ramen is now, what Sushi was , maybe 10 years ago. " Mentioned Restaurateur Erika Koike. And she is right. Ramen is the trendiest item, when it comes to Eating Out, all across.

It might be super trending but to find actually good Ramen, is often a quest for a foodie. We were lucky to come across Sama Zama, in Westport, KC. Its been around for 10 years, so they know, what they are doing. And they are doing it right.

My husband and me were planning a Ramen dinner for some time. But we don't go downtown, now as much as we did, before we became parents. So when the shopping bags were full, and our feet achy, we needed some comfort food to settle down. The choice was between Dumplings for dinner at another favorite joint of ours in Westport, or scope out Sama Zama. We decided to head to the latter.

As soon as we settled in, I could not help but appreciate the decor . It was minimalistic, yet modern. Exposed brick, interspersed with statement walls. The owner and her interior designer, surely know how to appeal to the aesthetic of the millennial.

Coming to service, it was literally up in its game. I do a lot of eating out , being a foodie and a food blogger. Sometimes even so called fine dining joints, seem to forget that great service is irreplaceable. Our server was patient and quite well informed about the menu options. Loved her suggestions.

Now for the Food. The most important part of any dinning experience. As I was chatting earlier with owner Erika, she mentioned, that she her aim was to create authentic Japanese Food. She didn't like, how people tend to only associate Japanese food with Sushi. Maybe the mushrooming of Sushi joints across any and every strip mall, in the US, could be a reason for it. I totally understand what she meant by it. Living in the Midwest, and having Indian roots, I hate that there's hardly any decent Indian restaurant, which makes Proper Indian food, and not what is currently served.

We were debating between the Cha Shu Spare Ribs and Tengu Ushi (Jalapeno teriyaki seasoned steak). The spare ribs were caramelised with brown sugar in their dressing, so we skipped that , and went for the Steak. Every serving came with three skewers. The meat was tender yet not overcooked.

We had ordered for a Chahan (Fried Rice) for our daughter. Lets say we all dug in.

Time for the main course - Ramen. My husband opted for the regular and I opted for the spicy version of the Tonkotsu(Pork based broth) . Owner Erika explained that Ramen can usually have three Broth Bases, when we got chatty - Pork Bone broth, Miso broth or the Sho Yu Broth .

The portions were very generous, and came with the customary soft boiled egg and sea weed . The noodles had the perfect bite. The pork pieces were hearty, flavorful, yet not over done at all. And that broth, I could drink and slurp, every weekend. As mine was the spicier, it came topped with some sort of a chilly or spicy oil.I could handle the heat level .

We were a bunch of satisfied souls. I had a blog post, written and scheduled to go live at midnight. But the fact that i got back from dinner, sorted and edited pictures and got this post ready on time, is ample proof of the great time, I had.

Thank you Erika, and your lovely team for taking such good care of us . We will surely be back.