Review: Hi-Life, Bainbridge Island, Washington

October 17, 2024October 24, 2025 ~ Frank Cioffi

Hi-Life on a rare slow day. Don’t let the appearance dissuade you!

A funky island spot with personality makes a fine makeshift bowl of ramen.

After my rant on the disappointing “just good enough” ramen I’ve experienced in Seattle, this post may surprise you. My hopes for Seattle ramen were/are high. But any opinion is based on expectations, isn’t it? So with expectations muted, I ordered the ramen at Hi-Life on Bainbridge Island, where I’d previously had some very good Japanese and Hawaiian-inspired meals and snacks.

Bainbridge Island is a 35-minute ferry ride from Seattle. Hi-Life is in a reconverted gas station steps away from the Bainbridge ferry terminal. The place is bare bones funky and friendly with colorful menus and a welcoming vibe; seating is picnic tables outside or a few indoor spartan tables.

It has a varied menu, offering poke bowls, poke by the pound, curry, onigiri, bento boxes, chowder, spam musabi and several Japan-sourced packaged food items.

With its menus displayed in posters, you’re immediately taken with all the choices. Japan and Hawaii are the food themes, with poke as the main draw. But tucked into a corner menu you will often find two ramen offerings: spicy pork and Tokyo curry.

Two kinds of ramen available, but only in non-summer months.

Given the many items, I wondered how they could pull off a good bowl of ramen. I ordered the spicy pork version. It became clear they don’t try to duplicate the full ramen experience.

The broth has not been cooking for 12+ hours and there’s no chashu to be found. It’s a simple, clear shoyu and pork broth. The meat component is ground spicy pork. There are sesame seeds and a bit of dried chili. The wheat noodles, from known provider Yamachan, are plentiful and good.

Some fried tofu chunks are added for texture, plus some chopped scallions. I also ordered the egg, which was a delight; not the usual 6-minute lava-like yoke, but closer to soft boiled. It added a luscious element to the bowl.

The nearly soft-boiled egg was a delicious surprise.

The broth was simple and tasty. The ground pork added an umami that worked very well with the other elements; it was medium spicy. Some thought went into this bowl, as the chef knows how to work within the limits of this establishment and still provide a satisfying ramen experience. It wasn’t close to the “pinnacle of umami” to which Ramen Club strives, but this “good enough” makeshift bowl managed to hit the spot on my two ramen visits there.

I should also mention that I’ve had some delicious poke bowls of salmon, Hokkaido scallops and tuna, as well as a black miso cod bento box that rivaled offerings at Bainbridge’s high-end restaurants at far less the cost. The owners also know how to hire, as staff are always friendly and efficient.

Fun vibe at Hi-Life. And yes, SPAM onigiri is available.

I love hole-in-the-wall places that do things well and with style. Hi-Life is a winner, and judging from its Yelp rating and how busy it usually is, it will be a Bainbridge fixture for a long time.

Ramen Club 5-Star Rating System:

Food: 3.0 stars

Service: 4.00 stars

Atmosphere/Comfort: 3.0 stars

* RATINGS LEGEND: 1 star: weak * 2 stars: just ok * 3 stars: good * 4 stars: very good * 5 stars: superb or special *

QR Code Menus: Efficiency, but at what cost?

April 9, 2022 ~ Frank Cioffi

A now-familiar site at ramen restaurants.

One diner’s perspective on this COVID-accelerated trend.

Efficiency is a hallmark of the Japanese way. So it’s no surprise QR code menus have become popular at ramen and other Asian restaurants, accelerated by the low-touch requirements of the COVID era. This raises a question, however: for whom is it efficient?

What started as a fun alternative for me quickly became tiresome and a detriment to my dining experience. Apparently many others agree: a TimeOut-Twitter Poll of New York diners showed only 30 percent love QR code menus, while 70 percent say “bring back paper menus!”

I’m tech savvy, but my first experience with QR code ordering and payment, at the fabulous Menya Shono in San Rafael, California, was frustrating. It took me a while to get accustomed to the software and menu hierarchy. Once I did, I still hit the wrong back button which erased my selections. My two Ramen club buddies ordered separately, but that staggered the delivery of our meals.

Ordering another item mid-meal requires an entirely new payment. We’d figured out the system’s limits by our third visit, ordered all on one phone, and the food arrived together. Still, the ability to pay with two or more credit cards isn’t available.

Luckily the ramen-focused menu at Menya Shono is limited and easy to navigate, far from the vast multi-dish selection at Shinya Shokudo in Seattle. Navigating this menu on a 6-inch screen is challenging. My wife actually gave up and asked me to do the ordering. Luckily our waitress confirmed our order in person before relaying it to the kitchen (food was good, BTW).

Like anything technology-related, the software and user interface (UI) are key. Get them wrong and the intended benefit quickly fades. This is where the QR code process often breaks down for me.

My most elegant QR code experience was at Ippudo in Berkeley, California, where you scan the online menu but order from your waitperson, paying them directly at the end of your meal. Unless the menu is huge, this seems to be the best approach. Doing all three required actions on the phone – read, select and pay – can turn the fun and anticipatory element of dining into a bit of a chore.

Hopefully paper menus won’t become a luxury, but If QR code menus are here to stay, my suggestions are: get the software right, limit the function to menu reading, but leave ordering and paying to your waitperson.

Isn’t this a better approach? (from Nagi in Palo Alto, CA)

To answer my original question: QR code menus are efficient for restaurant owners, and in this now post-COVID timeframe I empathize with restaurants trying to get back to normal business. For many diners however, it’s not efficient and comes at a cost.

I don’t expect a fine-dining experience at a ramen restaurant, but I hope the human element of dining doesn’t get further diminished. Even at the simplest of places, I want the pleasure of being served. And don’t we already spend too much time on our phones anyway?

Disappointment and Surprise in the Pacific Northwest: Part 2

October 29, 2021October 30, 2021 ~ Frank Cioffi

I’d given up on really good ramen on this trip, until a gem on Whidbey Island made my week – and my wife’s too!

Leza and I had been to Whidbey Island before, a lovely place off the coast of Washington state. Dining options were limited in the town of Langley as many restaurants hadn’t come back from COVID restrictions. Then I came across Ultra House, a ramen spot a few minutes walk from our hotel. A noodle house seemed out of place in this neighborhood, but the reviews were great. Having been burned by my prior well-reviewed spot, I was cautious.

Ramen spot – in an unlikely island setting.

There was a short wait at lunchtime on a weekday, but luckily we managed an outdoor table – a plus as the delta variant was taking hold. A cheerful waitress greeted us, setting down some complimentary edamame as an “apology” for the long (it wasn’t) wait.

Six condiments for your personalized experience.

A few items caught my eye: a wooden basket with six condiments and, blessedly, an actual printed menu (I’m getting bored with the QR code menus; a rant is coming soon). For my wife, who’s not (yet) a ramen aficionado, this menu was a welcome addition: clear and informative, well laid out, with a legend for the more common ramen ingredients.

We ordered gyoza, which we would share. I ordered – surprise! – the tonkotsu with garlic oil on the side.

When the gyoza arrived, the contrast to my Seattle ramen experience was clear: the dumplings were carefully placed on the dish, alongside a string of yuzu paste and a side dish of Ultra’s custom gyoza sauce (soy, sake, chili). They were excellent: light wrapper and rich filling, with a charred crust. The yuzu and special sauce were nice touches, more than a standard soy/vinegar dip.

Gyoza with Denis’ custom dipping sauce and yuzu paste.

The ramen arrived and I noticed the attention to color, contrast and placement of ingredients. The slice of spiraled fish cake (naruto) was a bit old school and welcome. The broth was very good, slightly creamy with some complexity and good mouth feel. The layering of ingredients for the broth, as shown in this promotional video, speaks to the care they take in the product. As I added the black garlic oil to the broth, it came alive even more.

Ultra’s signature Tonkotsu with garlic oil on the side.

Noodles were yellow and rich, served at just the right firmness. Chashu was tasty. The egg was a weak element; fresh, but overdone and didn’t appear to be cooked in a soy blend. The vegetables were perfect and crunchy. All in all, a really good, well-prepared bowl of ramen.

Ultra has an extensive beer selection including regional Japanese craft beers I’d never seen before. The sake list also looked impressive. Chairs outside were bare metal but comfortable. Chairs inside were mostly those ubiquitous metal stools (no backing) found in many street food vendors in Asia.

Atmosphere and fun details: I had a chance to chat very briefly with owner and chef Denis Zimmermann, born and raised in Japan. His passion to bring an authentic Japanese experience to his restaurant is evident in the many fun touches throughout the place: a wide selection of Japanese candies, packaged snacks, toys and mementos from his years in Japan. Kitschy, but in line with what David sometimes calls “wacky Japanese culture.” I loved it. For more background on Denis’ vision, do check out that video.

Another Surprise! An unexpected bonus was seeing my wife “get it” about my ramen obsession. She’s heard me talk about it for years, but as she’s mostly gluten-free, Leza was never interested in joining the Club. With her first taste of the broth I could see the lights go on. “Wow, that’s good!” Then a taste of the menma and shitake; “I really like these veggies.” As she slurped some noodles, I could see her enthusiasm build.

Normally I never share a bowl of ramen, but hey – she’s my wife! But it was a joy to see her enjoy something I love so much. Her final comment, as I added a bit more garlic oil: “This gets better as you reach the bottom of the bowl!” Oh, to be understood!

We both left Ultra pretty high on the experience: good ramen, colorful atmosphere, warm, friendly service and the superb attention to detail missing on my last outing. If you’re ever on Whidbey Island, it’s the only ramen game on the island – but it’s a good one.

https://ultrahouse.us

https://www.yelp.com/biz/ultra-house-langley

Ramen Club 5-Star Rating System:

Food: 3.50 stars

Service: 4.25 stars

Atmosphere/Comfort: 4.00 stars

RATINGS LEGEND:

1 star: weak

2 stars: just ok

3 stars: good

4 stars: very good

5 stars: superb or special

Tokyo Ramen Festivals This Month!

October 20, 2019 ~ Frank Cioffi

Next week two ramen festivals overlap in Tokyo. If you’re there, go for a taste of ramen styles throughout Japan.

The annual Tokyo Ramen Show begins this week, running October 24 through November 4 at Komazawa Olympic Park. This overlaps with the month-long Dai Tsukemen Haku competition to crown the best tsukemen ramen in the country, running through November 3.

On my trip to Japan last fall I discovered, last-minute, that I’d be there for the Tokyo Ramen Show. What luck! The show is outdoors in an open-air promenade setting built for the 1964 Summer Olympics (some 2020 Olympic events will be held there). The show features 36 different ramen purveyors – 18 for the first six days, then the next set of 18 over the remaining 6 days. It’s free to get in, and only costs $8 USD for a ticket that entitles you to one bowl of ramen.

This is a stellar opportunity to taste some of the regional differences in ramen all in one place. The lobster ramen seemed compelling, as did the all-meatball bowl. But how to choose among 18 different booths!? Just like visiting a “ramen street” in a Japanese city, I used the standard technique: find the longest line and stand in it! It turned out to be a Sapporo-based restaurant (didn’t write down their name).

The dish I had was an “aged miso ramen.” The actual serving bowl was plastic – unfortunate, but I suppose necessary for this venue. The broth had red flakes and appeared very spicy hot. But, tasting it, there was only subtle heat that, for my taste, was just enough. The semi-clear miso-based broth was delicious with a rich flavor. The noodles were firm (thankfully common in Japan), and the pork slices – for which I had to pay extra – were thick and flavorful, though not particularly juicy.

All in all, it was a good, well-balanced, lightly spiced bowl of ramen. It certainly wasn’t one of the best I’ve had in Japan, but worth the visit to the festival, especially for the fun of it. I’m not calling this an actual review, but I suppose I’d put it in the range of 3 to 3-1/2 stars (out of 5).

I didn’t make it to the Dai Tsukemen Haku competition, but I’ve seen it covered on YouTube and elsewhere. Take a look at this 2016 video from Ramen Adventures.

A lesson I learned is to plan ahead next time, as there’s no way you can sample so many bowls in a day. And everyone served standard bowls, not the half-bowls you see offered sometimes. So I’d come in the morning, have a bowl; then take a walk before my second bowl in the afternoon. Going with some friends and sharing tastes is a better idea.

Yōkoso! (Welcome!)

September 8, 2019September 10, 2019 ~ RamenClub

An enthusiastic ramen shop promotion in the Kaito-ku section of Ueno in Tokyo.

Merriam-Webster says a gourmand is someone “excessively fond of eating and drinking.” A gourmet is “a connoisseur of food and drink.”

So into which category do ramen lovers fall? We’d have to say somewhere in the middle. Ramen, leaving the instant kind aside, is a very basic pedestrian dish in Japan. However when you consider the care and time that goes into the broth, for example, and how certain chefs have elevated a bowl to the level of fine dining, gourmet isn’t far off.

How thin, or thick, did this restaurant slice the chashu? Did it have a char? Does the richness and complexity of the broth have staying power throughout the meal? Do the noodles go beyond good enough to having a texture, flavor and mouth feel that make them special? These are the kind of distinctions and conversations we tend to have about ramen.

So three friends thought we’d form our own club, first as a joke. Then it got a bit more serious. Inspired by Ramen Adventures and others who write or make videos, we decided to add our voices to the conversation.

Yes, the “club” is just the three of us. We live near San Francisco. No rules or dues in this club. Not sure how often we’ll post, and topics may vary beyond just reviews. At some point, we may open up to comments or guest posts. Let’s see how it all evolves. Welcome.