Restaurant Review

Men Oh Review

   In the middle of every table at Men Oh noodle shop is a shallow cutout filled with stones. During my time at the restaurant every single person in my group picked one up and commented on how smooth they were. These were just one of the interesting and well placed decorations that cover the Japanese noodle restaurant, in addition to hanging wood frames with lighting on them, wood on the walls, and an enormous painting of what appears to be a warrior of some sort that commands the attention of anyone eating in the small restaurant.

   The combination of all this decor gives Men Oh the feel of a modernized traditional Japanese restaurant but despite how it may seem it is actually very casual. For the most part it seemed like you could walk in anytime you wanted and get a table for 2-4 people. I did go on a Wednesday so if you're planning a weekend meal then it would probably be best to call ahead especially considering its size. The restaurant is sandwiched between two other shops making the actual eating area very small but you shouldn't worry about going with a big group, there were ten people in my party and they were able to fit us without any issue.

   The menu for Men Oh is not particularly long but because of the various ways you can prepare a noodle dish there is no shortage of things to choose from. A meal for one person will cost them between $10-15 but the portions are very large so sharing is definitely an option. The noodle bowl that I got was more than enough food for the $10 price tag and I was feeling stuffed by the end even with more left to eat. In addition to ramen there are a few other things to choose from including Japanese style fried chicken, pot stickers, and a number of rice dishes. Water is provided at every table but if you want something alcoholic they also serve pitchers of beer and small bottles of sake that come with shot glasses for the group.

   The dish I chose was a spicy tonkatsu ramen with pork belly. The food comes in a large bowl that contains ramen, broth, meat, and a number of other things. One thing I especially liked was that each bowl was laid out in a specific way with a number of garnishes on top that made the meal look almost like a painting. In my ramen was a hard boiled egg, bamboo shoots, ground meat, and red string like things, all of which had their own place in they bowl. You could really tell that the ingredients weren't just thrown in without a specific order or layout.

   One of the things I immediately noticed when taking a bite was the level of spice in the dish. If you choose the spicy option you have a choice between mild, medium, and hot. I chose the medium option and I thought that was well reflected by the meal, you could really taste it with each bite but at the same time it wasn't overpowering. The pork belly, which looked like a beige version of bacon, was well cooked and fit well with the rest of the dish. No one ingredient took control of the experience and you could easily taste every one of them with each bite you took.

   All of the waitstaff that I interacted with were extremely professional, well dressed, and knowledgeable. There is often confusion about the menu, especially in a foreign restaurant and our waitress had no trouble answering any of our questions. Even though the restaurant was very small at no point did I feel we were being rushed to leave and we sat and chatted once our meal was finished. Our waitress brought us the check when we had finished eating and had been talking for a while, telling us that we could pay when we were ready. Everyone we met during our time there had been very friendly and thanked us as we left.

   I have been to a few noodle shops in the Bay Area and Men Oh definitely ranks at the top. Everything from the atmosphere to the food was exceptional and I will certainly return anytime I have a craving for noodles.

   Men Oh is located at 5120 Geary Blvd. between 15th and 16th avenues. It is open on Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for lunch and then 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for dinner with hours extended to midnight on Fridays. On Saturday it is open from noon to midnight and on Sunday it is open from noon to 9:00 p.m