Missing the Miso in Philly
Written by: Katelyn Higashiya
What is the authenticity of Philadelphia’s Japanese restaurants? Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other blogs rated these restaurants based on customer reviews, hygienic standards, service, and menu options. But as someone who grew up around Japanese cuisine, how do these restaurants fare compared to the Japanese cuisine in Hawaii?
One brisk evening during my first year at Drexel, two other friends and I decided to visit the on-campus ramen bar, craving a meal with little to no chance of food poisoning. The palms of my hands rubbed together as I attempted to warm myself from the brisk weather. Reviewing the menu one last time before the waitress arrived, I decided on the charsiu ramen, a (soy sauce) shoyu-based ramen dish filled with extra slices of barbeque pork.
“What would you like to order,” said the waitress.
“Charsiu (Japanese Pronunciation: chāshū) ramen,” I stated.
“I’m sorry. Could you repeat that” the waitress asked nicely.
“Charsiu ramen,” I smiled.
“One more time.”
“Roast pork ramen,” I said, as my fingers pointed to the words on the menu. Did I speak too quickly? Did I slur my words too much? If I were home, the server would’ve understood me, right? The hard-hitting realization of living away from Hawaii sent this bewildering feeling through me. I usually found comfort in Japanese cuisine, so why did this experience feel entirely different?
When I reminisced on my childhood memories, my grandmother’s cooking influenced my preferences and expectations regarding Japanese cuisine. The pungent aroma of cleaning raw saba (blue mackerel), the crackling of tempura batter hitting hot oil, and the depth of flavor from a basic miso soup encompassed my first experiences with this cuisine at a young age. To this day, she has specific dishes that surpass the taste and quality of any Japanese restaurant I’ve been to. In addition, her cooking and many outings to different restaurants around the island and in Japan exposed me to the diversity of ingredients, textures, and flavors associated with the cuisine.
Over the last few years, I expressed my skepticism towards Philadelphia’s Japanese restaurants, basing my judgments on questionable fusion dishes like the Philadelphia roll. However, despite these atrocities, I overlooked the core dishes aligning with traditional cuisine. As a result, I missed a handful of restaurants that received positive reviews on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other food blogging sites. With this in mind, I decided to empty my wallet and visit the top Japanese restaurants in Philadelphia. However, I also visited some of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Hawaii to evaluate the taste, quality, and price of the same menu items.
Spicy Salmon Roll
While a spicy salmon roll is not a traditional Japanese dish, it is a standard menu option, thanks to the popularity of poke. Traditionally, spicy salmon rolls use a mayonnaise and sriracha marinade to achieve a mild flavor. Katsumidori’s followed this traditional route. However, Tomo Sushi and Ramen took on a different interpretation through a sweet and spicy syrup-like marinade. Confusing in the beginning, the subtle kick of spice at the end made this roll an excellent starting point for individuals with low spice tolerances. Even when I tasted a spicy salmon roll from a different restaurant, I asked myself: Where’s the spice? Tomo’s $8.00 spicy salmon roll (6 pieces), compared to Katsumidori’s $11.30 spicy salmon roll (8 pieces), has hints of salmon flavor amid an unknown sweet and spicy sauce.
Spicy Salmon Roll from Katsumidori (Hawaii)/ Spicy Salmon Roll from Tomo Sushi and Ramen (Philly)
Udon (oo-dohn)
While udon lacks the same popularity as ramen, a bowl of udon warms the soul on a cold day. Marugame’s Kake Udon uptakes a rich flavor that is not too overpowering or salty. Similar to this, the Tempura Udon at Terakawa Ramen has a lighter flavor reminding me of the broth used in ozoni, a traditional New Year’s rice cake soup. Adding fish cake (kamaboko) and spinach added to the lighter flavor; however, the tempura was too dense and oily to enjoy. Unfortunately, Terakawa also overcooked the udon noodles, causing some of the noodles to mush. Terakawa’s $14.00 bowl of Tempura Udon is a bit more expensive than Marugame’s $6.25 Kake Udon. Still, the broth of Terakawa’s udon is enjoyable for any wintry day.
Kake Udon from Marugame Udon (Hawaii)/ Tempura Udon from Terakawa Ramen (Philly)
Chirashi (Che-rah-she)
A great chirashi bowl has an array of the chef’s top fish selections, complementing a perfectly cooked and seasoned sushi rice base. Mitch’s chirashi special featured six fish varieties topped with garnishes of cucumber, tobiko (miniature fish eggs), and tamago (sweet, cooked eggs). Umami Steak and Sushi featured a Lunch Special Chirashi featuring bluefin tuna, salmon, hamachi, shima aji (amberjack), and fluke sashimi, topped with ikura (larger fish eggs), lime, imitation crab, and pickled daikon and carrots. While the pickled vegetables and lime had me staring at the bowl for a few minutes, the bluefin tuna, yellowtail, fluke, and salmon were probably some of the best sashimi in Philadelphia. The slight sourness of shima aji was my least favorite cut of sashimi; however, the tenderness was quite nice. As I made my way past the fish towards the rice vinegar sushi rice, I was appalled by the sight of bonito furikake (rice seasoning). The salty, cuttlefish-like flavor distracted me from the sweetness of the rice. Overall, for $30.00, the lunch chirashi special from Umami Steak and Sushi surprised me with the fish quality and odd choices for toppings. Nonetheless, the chirashi was comparable to Mitch’s $32.00 chirashi special.
Chirashi Special from Mitch Sushi Bar (Hawaii)/ Chef’s Chirashi from Umami Steak and Sushi (Philly)
Tonkatsu (toe-n-kat-soo)
Crispy, golden deliciousness on the outside and moist and tender inside, high-quality tonkatsu offers both. One of the most significant issues with tonkatsu is the choice of cut of the pig. Many restaurants use boneless pork loin, which tends to be lean and tougher. Therefore, my tonkatsu meal at Zama surprised me with its juiciness and tenderness. Compared to the $24.00 Berkshire Tonkatsu Loin and Fillet from Rokkaku Hamakatsu, Zama offered an affordable alternative at $14.oo for a lunch bento bite which also comes with edamame beans, salad, miso soup, and rice. My biggest annoyance with this dish is the tonkatsu and mayonnaise sauce. Who drizzles that much sauce onto a piece of pork loin? The poor tonkatsu swam in a pool of sauce, sending my taste buds into overload. If you want tonkatsu from Zama, ask for the sauce on the side.
Berkshire Tonkatsu Loin from Rokkaku Hamakatsu (Hawaii)/ Pork Katsu Bento Bite from Zama (Philly)
Misoyaki Butterfish (me-so-yah-key)
One of my favorite dishes to make in Philadelphia is misoyaki butterfish (black cod) or salmon. So when I looked into Umami’s Steak and Sushi’s Yelp page, I saw one of their most popular dishes, Misoyaki Chilean Sea Bass. Marinated in a miso marinade for three days and broiled to a perfect blackened edge, this sea bass was the best dish from this entire experience. Each bite of flaky and boneless sea bass coated my taste buds with a perfectly balanced miso marinade. Compared to the Misoyaki Butterfish from Katsumidori, the miso marinades are nearly identical; however, Umami Steak and Sushi must stop adding bonito furikake to every dish. I wanted to scrape the bonito furikake off the top of the fish because I wanted to taste sea bass, not bonito flake. Besides the bonito furikake fiasco, I loved the pickled vegetables and wild greens pairing compared to Katsumidori’s single slice of bell pepper. Slightly higher than Katsumidori, Umami’s Misoyaki sea bass totals $17.00 for the appetizer. It is an excellent starter if you indulge in their nigiri or sushi rolls.
Misoyaki Butterfish from Katsumidori (Hawaii)/ Misoyaki Chilean Sea Bass from Umami Steak and Sushi (Philly)
Shrimp Tempura (ten-poo-rah)
Tempura is the staple dish at any Japanese restaurant. Crispy, lightly battered, and with minimal oil, tempura is one of the most challenging dishes to master when it comes to surface texture and taste. When I visited Zama, I ordered two shrimp tempuras ala carte because I needed my appetite to go towards my lunch bento bite. As expected, I received two golden shrimp tempuras that were more uniform and heavily battered. Sakura Terrace’s shrimp tempura has a lighter overall appearance, and the variations in the surface texture are evident. Surprisingly, Zama had the correct dashi dipping sauce for the shrimp, but there was nothing spectacular about the tempura. The tempura was a step up from the tempura prepared by Terakawa Ramen. Overall, while the prices nearly mimicked each other at both restaurants, there is a clear distinction in quality and taste.
As I conclude my review, my top restaurant of the four was Umami Steak and Sushi. While there were some questionable aspects to each dish, the dishes stayed true to the authenticity of Japanese cuisine. Embodying the quality and depth of flavor, Umami Steak and Sushi is the hidden gem of Philadelphia’s array of Japanese restaurants.
Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura at Sakura Terrace (Hawaii)/ Shrimp Tempura from Zama (Philly)