Ramen's popularity will never die. People just love this stuff. It was a very smart choice for Whole Foods at Santa Clara Square to carry Genji Ramen at their hot food bar. Genji usually offers sushi made from natural ingredients, sustainably raised and caught fish, and has vegan options too exclusively for Whole Foods Market. Other locations may also offer teriyaki bowls and baos. They apply this same standard to their ramen. Two weeks ago, Genji Ramen and Sushi invited me to a tasting of their menu. The tasting was complimentary but the opinions on the food below are my own.
($11.99) Genji's Original tonkotsu broth
The noodles were springy and chewy. Genji does not have a brick and mortar store so they cook their broth at a food preparation center, freeze it, and distribute to their store locations such as this Whole Foods one. Same with the chashu. I couldn't tell this was once frozen. It reheats well. The soft boiled marinated egg was cooked in the store. I tasted a bit too much Mirin in my egg but the texture was nice. I liked that it had plenty of woodear mushroom.
The noodles were springy and chewy. Genji does not have a brick and mortar store so they cook their broth at a food preparation center, freeze it, and distribute to their store locations such as this Whole Foods one. Same with the chashu. I couldn't tell this was once frozen. It reheats well. The soft boiled marinated egg was cooked in the store. I tasted a bit too much Mirin in my egg but the texture was nice. I liked that it had plenty of woodear mushroom.
($11.99) spicy miso tonkotsu
Phil preferred this one over the original tonkotsu broth. He thought the spice added more flavor. I thought there wasn't much spice but I do agree that it adds another element of flavor. The fixins are the same plus shredded dried pepper strands on top.
Phil preferred this one over the original tonkotsu broth. He thought the spice added more flavor. I thought there wasn't much spice but I do agree that it adds another element of flavor. The fixins are the same plus shredded dried pepper strands on top.
($3.99) tempura bao slider - This was tasty and a different take on the usual baos. Inside there is tempura battered and fried shrimp with a sweet hoisin-like sauce and shaved spring onions.
($3.99) Chashu pork bao slider - This version had similar condiments to the tempura slider except with tender chashu pork instead. The pork is lean and not the fatty belly cut we're used to when it comes to chashu. It's a bit bland except for the sauce. I recommend the tempura shrimp one instead.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
Since Whole Foods opened last month, I've been here many times for shopping and for lunch. It is by far the best local Whole Foods because of its layout and offerings, especially for hot food. It's nice to have a quick ramen option. Though this one costs the same as restaurants and has slightly less in the bowl, it does its job of fulfilling a ramen craving quickly. Slightly less sodium than restaurants. The noodles were impressive for a food stall. I wouldn't get these particular drinks (hibiscus tea and matcha tea) again because they were too sweet. The coffee stand at Whole Foods has better options. I've enjoyed all my lunches at Whole Foods for a mixture of the atmosphere and tasty healthy options. Everything here is worth a try at least once if you're in the area.
