Munch: Kajiken, Angry Ramen (The Terrace)

A feed for fuck-all

Kajiken

What: Abura Soba 

Price: $17.50

When: 11:00am-8:30pm, Monday-Sunday

Not worth it in value or taste, in short. 

⭐

As chain restaurants go, Kajiken is a cut above. The moment I stepped in the door, I was bombarded with greetings from left and right. If a mite enthusiastic, the staff were lovely. Inside, it was all pale pine panelling, paper screens, and renditions of Hokusai’s The Great Wave out of noodles, but tastefully done. Each table has a small pull-out drawer with chopsticks and cutlery, (incredible design) and there were pots of complimentary barley tea at the counter (another cool touch). 

Where the place faltered was on their food. While they do offer traditional ramen with broth, Kajiken’s speciality is abura soba, a soupless Tokyo style of thick wheat noodles coated with a blend of soy sauces, vinegar, and oils. On the Sunday I visited, the special was their Prawn Soba, but other options through the week include Roast Beef, Vege, and Keema Curry Soba. 

The Prawn Soba was, honestly, just bland. While the soba noodles were springy and pleasant to eat, the sauce over them was disappointing: a hint of soy here and chilli there but nothing convincing. The crumbed prawns were a nice crunchy interlude, but brought none of their sweetness or briny depth to the meal. The dollop of chopped crab meat on top also faded away quietly, drowned out by the mayonnaise it was mixed with. All together, it was a bowl of oily noodles wherein the most exciting thing was the spoonful of sweetcorn kernels left over at the bottom of the bowl. For $17.50 a bowl, this was an easy pass. 

Angry Ramen (The Terrace)

What: Japanese curry, katsudon, and ramen. 

Price: $12.00

When: 10:00am-4:00pm, Monday to Friday (though they often sell-out by 1:00pm). 

A secret and decent daily deal, cheaper than most. 

⭐⭐

Only a noodle’s length (give or take) from Kajiken on Woodward Street is Angry Ramen on The Terrace. From the outside, this looks like any other ramen shop; the franchise also has stores on Cuba Street, Willis Lane, and in Lower Hutt. Their menu is extensive, but the cheapest option is still a wince-through-gritted-teeth-inducing $16.90. 

However! The restaurant on The Terrace has a semi-secret $12.00 daily special each weekday, offering limited portions of that day’s rice or noodle bowl. This deal isn’t heavily advertised online or on the storefront, but they often sell out to the lunch rush nonetheless, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Their daily specials are (by day of the week): Tantan Ramen, Pork Katsudon, Chicken Katsudon, Chicken Curry, and Chicken Katsu Curry. 

Already, this daily deal thrashes Kajiken on value, and does so as well on taste. The Tuesday Pork Katsudon, a crumbed pork cutlet over sticky rice and coleslaw, was pretty solid. The fried meat was crunchy without being greasy, and very moreish. The rice was al dente and filling, while the subtle sweet vinegar over the coleslaw and the red pickled ginger slices stopped the whole thing from being stodgy and dry. Altogether it wasn’t ground-breaking, but you could do a whole lot worse and smaller for $12.00. I imagine their Monday Tantan Ramen would be equally decent, and it’s hands-down the cheapest ramen in town, if you can get in on time. 

Am I talking shit or shit-talking your favourite restaurant? Or have I overlooked a place that readers really need to know about? Send me something to chew on at: guy@salient.org.nz.