PORK BELLY

I know Christmas is done, but here is how I spent my Christmas eve! My father had to go to San Jose to say hello to a dear client of his, and so my sister and I tagged along. I was dying to check out the Kinokuniya Bookstore and Mitsuwa Marketplace there, so I was looking forward to it! :)
After shopping at Kinokuniya for a bit, my sister and I went over to a cute little bakery called Clover Cake Shop. It was very Japanese in style and food, so it was fun to check out! All the pastries and breads were cheap, and I was so tempted to buy a lot, but I didn't.

This was an almond danish. I ate it on Christmas morning, and it was pretty good. It seemed more bready than I would have thought a danish to be, but the almond flavor was strong and tasty. :)

This doughnut was a hit! It was lightly coated in sugar and inside it there was smooth azuki red bean paste....yummm! This was still warm and really hit the spot! :) The flavors of the bean paste and the sugary doughnut outside complemented each other; it was a rich and sweet treat! :D

For lunch, I was DYING to try Santouka Ramen, the ramen place inside Mitsuwa. Their ramen is supposedly extremely authentic and delicious. I told my dad about it and he was all for trying it! Above is what I ordered, the #83: miso ramen, pork chashu bowl, and an egg. SO GOOOD! :D

Close-ups please......

This was heaven in a bowl. I devoured the whole bowl, and tried to eat slowly so I could savor it as long as I could. Bits of pork belly doused in some sort of soy sauce?? Only it didn't totally taste like soy sauce? I am not really sure about what was in here.....I would love to know though! The pork belly was rich and succulent; I can eat the fatty pieces much better when it is cut up into smaller pieces. Now, I am a devout follower of pork belly awesomeness! Andrew started it of course! ;)
Here is a close-up shot of my ramen, which was rich and thick. Amazing, in other words! The noodles were chewy and tasted so good with the almost milky miso broth. The broth wasn't very overpowering, which is a great sign. Instead, it was satisfying and had that lovely taste of miso that isn't fishy haha. Thumbs up from me and my dad! (He ordered the miso too; he was the one who got me into miso ramen)

Last of all was an egg that had been hard-boiled and soaked in a soy sauce-like sauce....again, I don't know what they soaked this in. I wish I did, since it was very tasty. Ramen and eggs go so well together!

This ramen set was $10.45 each, which I think is a good deal, considering how much food we got and the quality of it. Eating there was fun too; it felt very Japanese since we were sitting in a grocery store that was full of Asians! It is not exactly a restaurant....more like a storefront where you order and then pick up your tray(s). The kitchen in behind it and sure looked busy.

Here's me, looking forward to my delicious meal! I really enjoyed hanging in the San Jose Japan center; there are lots of good places to eat and shop. Also, it isn't a very touristy place, so it feels more real. I most certainly think Andrew would love to try this place, especially the pork belly! YUM! :D

Santouka

Mitsuwa Marketplace

675 Saratoga Ave

San Jose, CA 95129

(408) 255-6699

Clovery Bakery

4342 Moorpark Ave # A

San Jose, CA 95129

(408) 257-3412

Momofraise says: Delicious ramen and pastries are to be found in San Jose! Be sure to get the pork chashu bowl as well for fabulous pork belly! :D