Still, the Japanese don’t really make a habit of eating raw enoki, so Ikuna wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Enoki mushrooms are not a popular food in Europe, so they were probably chosen for their “Japaneseness”. Despite her surprise, Ikuna thought it made sense from an international perspective. Not only that but The use of raw enoki mushroom as a topping is almost unknown. First of all, the “shrimp tempura”, which in itself would have been unique, was actually “ebi fry”a whole different category of fried food that probably no one in Japan has ever used as a topping for ramen.
It was a lot more involved than she expected! But in terms of traditional ramen, this bowl was pretty unusual. What landed at their table just 15 minutes later was this interesting combination:
In Japan, it’s fairly uncommon to pair tempura with ramen - this is usually done with soba or udon, which have much lighter broths - but these days it’s become pretty trendy to add fried foods like chicken carage to ramen, so Ikuna surmised it probably justified was follow the trends. Ikuna decided to splurge and get the most expensive dish on the menu: the shrimp tempura ramen (110 kuna ). Gyoza, for example, was 60 kuna (about 1,102 yen or $8.19 US) and miso ramen was 90 kuna (1,653 yen). Unexpectedly, The menu was quite expensive for Zagreb. You might not even know it’s a Japanese restaurant if it weren’t for the Ramen signs or Suntory Whiskey Hibiki bottle sitting on a shelf. The interior of the restaurant was very trendy… That people in other countries would feel that way about ramen… Ikuna couldn’t help but be moved. The noren curtain hanging in the window had “ramen” written in katakana, a sight to behold to Ikuna’s inflamed Japanese eyes. The restaurant was called Torikaya Ramen Bar and was in a prime location in Zagreb. She immediately got her GPS working and set off. Ikuna had tried ramen in other places in Europe, like Paris and Spain, so she was curious to see Croatia’s take on the popular pasta dish. To her surprise, she got a hit and it looked like a restaurant that only serves ramen. When you search for “ramen restaurants” in other countries, results often include Chinese restaurants or sushi restaurants that also serve ramen, so Ikuna made sure to specify in her search that she wanted a “specialty ramen restaurant.”. But would she find Japanese restaurants in a smaller town like Zagreb? As an experiment, she did it a quick google map search for ramen. Ikuna found it a great place to spend a nice, comfortable and relaxing holiday.Īs so often with a longer holiday, Ikuna got homesick for Japanese food. Although Zagreb is the capital of Croatia, it is a very quiet place where the cost of living is very low. Our Japanese speaking reporter and world traveler Ikuna Kamezawa was visiting Croatia recently where she stayed in town Zagreb. IKUNA will continue to be a trusted voice and advocate in the community with hopes to raise awareness of the challenges that our community faces but also to share of the beautiful culture, identity and heritage we are so proud of.This ramen was one of a kind… and we couldn’t help but love it! IKUNA has been involved in building up the Pacific Islander community for many years through community service, church service, educational guidance, youth empowerment, and building up the family unit.Īs a new generation rises up to face the challenges of today, IKUNA is committed to supporting the growth of our young people through specific mentoring, advising and coaching services to navigate successfully in achieving their hopes and dreams of a meaningful life for themselves and their families. Inspired by the roots set down in Oakland, California over 50 years ago IKUNA continues the legacy of those that came before them seeking a better life of opportunity for their future families. As Pacific Islanders, Oakland natives and Oakland Unified alumni, we understand the challenges and struggles that are specific to Pacific Islander youth and our Oakland community. IKUNA is founded by the Lauti brothers whose passion to help the Pacific Islander community is evident in the heart and soul they put into their work.
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