Road to Ramen - Checking out the Pros!

So up to my last post about Tonkotsu Style Ramen, I was preparing to make @aimeludick proper Ramen for her birthday.

I had already learned so much. How to make Chāsū Pork, how to make the Tonkotsu broth and how to make great soft-boiled eggs. I wanted to treat Aime to a dad and daughter birthday date at Three Wise Monkeys, this is a restaurant that specializes in Ramen and a few other asian dishes.

Here I could compare my own cooking with someone who did it full time!

Location - Regent Street, Seapoint, South Africa

West of the Signal Hill and Lion's Head overlooking the Atlantic Ocean lies Seapoint. There are no gaps between Cape Town's Central Business District but this part of town is very different from the rest of the Mother City.

Because it is situated past the foothills of Table Mountain, Seapoint sticks out into the ocean and because it is Westward facing with nothing to obstruct the view it is a prime spot for sunset viewing. A broad promenade and park is found all along the shoreline where fitness junkies jog and families walk. It is both wheelchair and pram friendly and constitutes a wonderful and easy outing for the family.

Along the promenade and the street further up, parralel to the first, there is a massive selection of restaurants, grills, pubs and clubs. This part of town is where the eating is at and later at night, where the party is at! Pre-covid it was definitely the place you could go to at 2AM-3AM in the morning and still find places where the party is pumping.

Interspersed holiday accomodation and other general stores are scattered all along Regent Street. If you visit Cape Town and go to Seapoint you will find something to eat and you will find a place to stay!

The Restaurant, the Decor and the Vibe

The view from the bench seat facing outward.

So first things first - This is the view and decor of the restaurant. It has a smart-casual style and a smart-casual vibe. You could stop by on a walk along the beach and go straight for a table or arrive with your date, dressed to the nines if you wanted to and either would work just fine.

The later in the evening it got, the busier it was and the smarted peple dressed. We got there just in time before sunset and grabbed the last two available spots facing the outward window. Here we sat on barstools. I am sure there is a name of this kind of counter table, but it's name escapes me now.

Looking inside the restaurant, a lot of anime on the walls but still kinda fancy!

By the time we were done every seat in the place was packed with people with at least 15 people standing in line, waiting for a table to open up! Thankfully we got that table in the nick of time.

I would suggest going early or phoning in to reserve a spot. The restaurant also serves take-away meals but we wanted the authentic experience.

Myself and @aimeludick, father and daughter.

The broth spoons and the side dish of spiced vegetable.

Selfie time! The view looking back over our shoulders.

@aimeludick enjoying her ramen!

The Food

The full bowl!

On the the Food topic!

They did NOT serve Tonkotsu Style Ramen broth or Chāsū Pork toppings much to my dismay. The reason was that the restaurant was Halaal-friendly and did not serve pork.

What we had instead was still tasty and well worth the visit!

I had a chat with the owner about all of this, so I got the scoop regarding the background.

What we have here is a chicken based broth and a beef brisket strip meat topping. There is that soft-boiled egg, marinaded like I do it (though in the restaurant only for 5 minutes). There was also Spinach, whole kernel corn, pickled cabbage and some nori seaweed strips.

About halfway done.

The bigger bowls is a must have! Something I learned here. I also learned that the toppings basically cover the noodles and the broth completely. You really have to dig in there to get to ther broth!

The broth was just amazing. Creamy and smooth, a full bodied flavour. Most of the toppings besides the egg and the meat was raw or el dente. The corn looked like it had been brazed which completely changed my life! (Look out for more food related posts where I braze that corn! It is amazing!)

About 3/4 of the way done.

A learning experience and a brithday treat, the evening concluded with drinking the remaining broth and heading off home. We were really happy with the entire experience. The owner and the waiters were very friendly and their service was top notch!

I would very much reccomend this restaurant and their dishes to anyone!