On August 21 I went to Washington DC's first ramen house. It is called "Toki Underground" and is a small, open kitchen establishment with amazing music playing and a colorful interior!
One of the best parts is that under that glass on the tables there are pages from various manga! And even though you can't see it in these pictures, under each seat is a skateboard that acts as a foot rest. I don't know whether it is more crazy or genius!
Now onto the food!
My mom and I got the vegetarian dumplings (it comes with 6) for starters and they had so much flavor! Also, the crunch of the dough was there!! The fillings were soft but you could definitely distinguish the vegetables/ their own flavors. And, to me, the most important part of pan-fried dumplings are the little soup-like sauce at the bottom and this one was tasty! By itself, maybe a little more season HOWEVER, I feel it is more designated to go with the dumplings and when they are together it's fantastic! 😋
Now onto drinks. When you look on the drink menu (specifically the non-alcholoic beverages) you may contemplate your existence as to why these drinks are named like this, well at least I did 😂 Anyways, I did some research and these drinks are all very popular soft drinks from Japan. I got the Apple Sidra and it was pretty much a really refreshing apple soda! :)
On the menu (from top to bottom) the drinks are,
Calpico: A somewhat acidic carbonated milk drink that resembles a thick yogurt syrup.
Ramune Marble: It's a really interesting soda/ lemonade drink where you have to res
Apple Sidra: Just an apple soda like I mentioned earlier.
Hey Song Sarsaparilla: It is literally root beer.
Coke: I really hope you know what this one is😂
Hot Tea: I don't think I have to say anything🤔
Matcha Love Green Tea: It is a matcha tea that uses the whole leaf and gives health benefits!
Now onto my main course, the Veggie Dan Dan! Broccoli, edible orchids, corn, tomatoes, soy sauce soaked soft boiled egg (wow that was an alliteration!), and much more beeeeautful vegetables that pulls this together!! SO yummy and refreshing with cold noodles at the bottom. I got a side of soy paste to take up the flavor a little more with the raw broccoli.
Everything came together so well! This would be the only salad I would eat 😂 Seriosy the creaminess of the egg, crunch of greens and broccoli, and the extra-ness of the edible flowers?! MY SPIRIT ANIMAL IS THIS MEAL!! Never had noodles so tasty and gorgeous that is also vegetarian! 😋 Enjoy these close ups that I took on my new iPhone 7+! The zoom is real people!!
For my meat lovers, my mom got the fried chicken ramen! Looks delicious and, according to her, the chicken was surprisingly super crispy with an amazing broth! 🍖
I came here on the solar eclipse and the staff went around sharing a pair of the special glasses for it! So automatic boost in customer service, even the chef came out! Also, I have never focused on this before but they played great music! I even found one of my all time favorite songs there, it's called "To the Moon" by Phora. In conclusion (oml is this an essay), going to Toki was a great solar eclipse well spent! :)