For a split second, on first glance, it almost looks like a formal Japanese restaurant, mostly because of the tatami rooms in back, with low tables and sliding panels. But there's a little bit of everything. Standard four tops and two tops on the left, a counter that seats 8-10 on the right, and more rooms tucked away in back with regular seating. It's not quite as warm as Yakyudori, but it's plenty kitschy:
- Otaku Chic
There's a lot of crossover with the Yakyudori menu, including a limited amount of yakitori, but a little heavier on the noodles, including more ramen options and some udon and soba as well. Oddly, though it's been open almost a year, Hinotez doesn't appear to have a website, so I took photos of the menu and attached a PDF at the bottom of the post. Though the menu's varied, however, I knew what I was after.
I figured I could get in at least two bowls of ramen. Same as Yakyudori, Hinotez offers half bowls of ramen. I'm trying to decide whether I think they're a good thing. They certainly aren't from a value proposition. A reduction of at least 50% in size knocks $1.50 off a bowl of ramen that ranges from $6.50 - $8.00. More importantly, I've had so many bowls of ramen that seemed okay at first, but whose charms truly emerged only once I was halfway through the bowl and I was deep into it, tongue now coated with the oil and fat, etc. Sometimes, I feel like the first half of a bowl of ramen is just the warmup. With this, there's no second half. For that reason, I doubt I'd make the half bowls a regular practice if I lived in SD. But having only one crack at a good-lookin' ramen menu before heading home, I' was exceptionally grateful for the option.
- Tonkotsu Miso Ramen
Good golly, it's no small wonder why milky, rich tonkotsu broth now dominates the Tokyo ramen scene. Again, as with Yakyudori, I have an impossible standard still fresh in my mind. But I thought this was a really nice, smooth, rich bowl of tonkotsu, a little salty from the miso but not overly so. Good chashu, some scallion, nori and ginger, fairly firm noodles... the only complaint would be a cold egg. But again, I'd be flipping ecstatic to have this back home.
- Spicy Sesame Ramen
The spicy sesame ramen was tasty, but I was a little disappointed with its construction. No fresh ground sesame, here. It was a viscous (and delicious) chicken-based broth that had been spiked with rayu (a chili-sesame oil), whether purchased or made in-house, I'm not sure. It had a really nice flavor, very subtle on the sesame and a nice, subtle burn. I was hoping for a little more sesame, but I suppose I can't fault it for what it is. And to be clear, bring this back to Phoenix and it's immediately my favorite bowl in town.
Here, I got to thinking... hey, it's vacation... I'm going home tomorrow... who knows when I'll have a shot at a good spot like this next... I could do one more small dish.
- Tonkatsu Curry
Oops. The tonkatsu curry was not so much with the small. Not evident from the angle of the photo is that the plate must've been 16" long. But it was really good. The tonkatsu was hot, crisp and well-seasoned... about all one could hope for from tonkatsu. The curry seemed underpowered at first, but after a couple of bites the subtlety came out. It had a really nice flavor, an almost chunky texture and was strewn with ground meat. They offer curry at breakfast, and I wonder if the lighter approach is so that the same curry can do double duty? In any case, I'd have this again in a heartbeat. I did, in fact, since at least three-quarters of it went into a box to take home for breakfast the next morning.
Interestingly, as mentioned above, Hinotez also does breakfast (the menu is included in the PDF). Three bucks gets you a tray with rice, miso soup, cold tofu, pickles, nori and tea, and then for either $1 or $2 more you add your main dish which includes options like grated yam, a three minute egg, natto, grilled salmon, mini udon, gyoza, etc. It looks like it might be a great breakfast stop.
I'm more than pleased with Hinotez as a farewell meal from San Diego. I'd kill to have ramen options like this. Somehow the week ended up being all Japanese, all the time. Not sure how that happened. But I got my fix, and it was a pretty damn good one.
. It's always special when it makes us both as happy .
