sunday noodles at takashi

guess who won the time out chicago 2011 award for best cure for the average brunch.

sunday noodle brunch at takashi, of course :)

i've read great things about takashi which was reinforced by the fact that the restaurant joined the michelin guide one star 2011 recipient club. although the accolade is probably not specifically for the sunday brunch but it reflects the quality of the food at takashi so i went there with high expectations. 

it also might mean something when we spotted a celebrity chef at takashi. wanna venture a guess?

rick bayless was having sunday brunch takashi too! *gasp*  us being us, we got a lil too excited about it. lol.

what surprised me was probably the restaurant itself: it was petite but cozy with its modern/contemporary warm colored decor slightly influenced by asian culture. there were some tables out front but the weather was on the chilly side so we opted in instead. we were seated at the table next to the kitchen separated by a half wall and half frosted glass pane and facing the bar counter.

takashi had quite a few selections of noodles from buckwheat to udon to ramen. i am not quite sure why but i always end up being torn between two dishes that sounds so very delicious. but first we (christina, lyle, shantanu and myself) started off with some appetizers to share.

appetizer | chilled homemade tofu . bonito flakes . wakame . ginger-umami soy .

this was probably our favorite of the three appetizers we ordered. actually. we were pleasantly surprised when the dish was served to us since the first thing that came was the plain tofu in a bowl that was placed in a bowl of ice. then  we saw the other dish that had condiments such as the bonito flakes, cucumber, scallion, the sauce etc. we could eat tofu however we want it. the texture of tofu itself was smooth and soft but the flavor comes from the condiments you choose and the combinations of the condiments were delicious. it was such a simple dish but so fun just because it's up to you what you would like to have with your tofu.

appetizer | kinoko & yamaimo ponzu enoki & shimeji mushrooms . japanese taro root . citrus vinaigrette .

christina really likes ponzu sauce and most of us like mushrooms so we decided to give this salad a try. i don't think any of us were really huge fans of this salad. the dish was alright but the julienned taro root was a tad slimy and i guess that was enough to put us off.

appetizer | vegetable tempura tofu . shi-shito peppers . kabocha squash . green beans . japanese eggplant . tofu . warm dashi broth .

how can one go wrong with tempura and fried food. this was done really very well. lightly fried, crispy and not too greasy. and the warm dashi broth went so well with the tempura. no complains here. i was happy to eat it even weithout the dashi broth. out of all the fried stuff (i liked them all) but i think the kabocha squash stood out the most because of the sweetness contrasting with the savoriness of the dashi broth.

noodles | shoyu . classic tokyo style ramen . braised pork . barbeque egg . marinated bamboo shoots .

i really love warm noodle soup and i was particularly excited to try the ramen out. the broth was itself was delicious, warm and comforting (although i always loved soups a lil sweeter for this kind of ramen).  the three quarter boiled egg was cooked perfectly and the ramen had a great texture. but the biggest and main highlight was probably the meat itself. one phrase: O-M-G so yummylicious-tender-sweet-succulent-(insert delicious-like adjective here) braised pork. i had to say i was blown away by it. everything in the noodles were great but it was the meat took the spotlight here. i was sad when i was done with the braised pork although i was saving and savoring the meat till the end. hail to the braised pork!

noodles | miso . hokkaido style ramen braised pork . bean sprouts . sweet corn . wakame .

i didn't try this but lyle seemed to enjoy this and he agreed that the braised pork was uber delicious. he even told christina to save some for him (just in case) when they exchanged their dishes. 

noodles | niku-tamago toge . sliced rib eye beef . egg drop . fried tofu .

this was the other noodles dish that i was contemplating of getting. christina ordered this udon noodles and i tasted the soup and it was exactly how i love my soup to be - depth of flavor with slight sweetness. christina thought it was delicious and enjoyed this to the very last drop. i think she finished all the soup lol.

we were discussing about the noodles we both ordered and i said that my ideal ramen noodles dish would be what i ordered with all the ingredients it had but served with the soup christina ordered. mmm...and the more of the braised pork!

takashi is indeed the cure for the average sunday brunch. priced at about $13 for a decent bowl of noodles, the sunday brunch offers a cheaper alternative if you wanted to try the delicious offerings by the renowned french-japanese cuisine chef, takashi yagihashi.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others