Obaitori
Recently opened, Obaitori’s first location in the United States puts on a great show featuring excellent noodles and egg.
Tokusei Gyokai Paitan
Ratings
Broth
Noodles
Chashu
Egg
Toppings
Overall
Date of Visit: January 2022
What I Ordered: Tokusei Gyokai Paitan
Cost: $17.50
Offers Extra Noodles: $3.00 full, $2.00 half
Offers Extra Broth: $8.00
Review
Obaitori is a ramen shop located in an Asian strip of Milpitas that I was recommended recently. It opened not too long ago, in July 2022.
It seems that this restaurant chain has multiple locations in Japan but is new to America with this location being its first. They advertise a flagship Gyokai Paitan ramen which is said to be rather delicate and requires constant attention to prepare.
The restaurant itself has ample seating, involving 11 tables of various sizes, and a countertop in the corner. The countertop doesn’t peer into the kitchen so I don’t expect anyone to sit here unless the restaurant is full. The interiors had a simple black and light wood aesthetic with thin plywood lacquer tables.
Obaitori offers four ramen styles: Paitan, Tsukemen, Tantanmen, and a Vegan Paitan. My choice is the Tokusei Gyokai Paitan, served normal. This includes an egg, chashu, bamboo, green and white onion, and nori.
They also offer a Chashu ramen which appears to substitute the egg in the Tokusei with more chashu. Then there is a normal Gyokai Paitan with very little toppings for the less hungry.
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The broth does indeed have a more delicate flavor. Rather than slapping you in the face with bold rich flavor, it delivers an oily creamy texture and a flavorful broth that has notes of seafood, pork, and is mildly salted. The broth is served just barely hot, which is concerning as the bowl may cool down past a preferable pour quickly.
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While the noodles appear like a common thin ramen noodle, they actually taste unique. They are an off white color that are not quite yellow. The texture is medium and not quite firm. The taste is quite good, exceeding my expectation for common premade thin noodles. They have a mild noodle flavor, soaking up some of the broth as flavor but still having a flavor profile of their own. This makes eating these noodles by themself a really yummy experience. If these noodles were served more firm, they would be perfect. I asked, and the noodles are not made in house. That being said, it’s impressive the flavor of the noodles they use.
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This pairing is an instance where firmer noodles would have really shined. The broth has good flavor, and so do the noodles. However, the broth has a rich creamy texture, and the noodles are more doughy, so the contrast is weak. The flavor is great, but the texture pairing which is an important part of the performance is weak.
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This bowl is served with two thin slices of chashu. This chashu has been prepared by rolling pork belly and marinating it to enhance the fatty flavor. Despite having a high fat content, the flavor is still a bit dry. The marinade is light, and while the pork is fatty, it isn’t soft or flavorful enough to have that glutinous melt in your mouth quality.
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The color of the egg white is a very pale brown that is even in color all the way to the center. The egg yolk is perfectly soft boiled, with an even deep yellow orange pudding center, with no firming on the edge of the yolk. Just like the rest of the bowl, the flavor profile of the marinade is light. They are able to pull this off as the egg is perfectly cooked and the flavor is not overpowered by the rest of the bowl.
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The toppings are really quite unspectacular. The bamboo was unremarkable and the green onions didn’t quite freshen up the bowl. I must say, the inclusion of white onion is an interesting choice. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen white onions included in a bowl of ramen before. They are slightly softened but still closer to raw white onions. Possibly blanched. They are diced and included in the bowl, possibly to give an allium kick, which is typically taken on by fresh garlic. Eaten by themself, they come off quite strong. But when mixed in with the noodles, they provide interesting pockets of texture with a sharp onion taste. While I admire the creativity, I think the execution may have mixed reception.
Overall: 8/10
Would recommend. I did enjoy this bowl, as there were many aspects that they nailed. Yet there were also some things that I would have preferred differently.
First and foremost, if the noodles were served extra firm with a bite to them, this bowl would be a top 5 contender for me. The broth itself was not on a mission to clog your arteries and suplex your taste buds, but it has remarkable creaminess in texture and a distinguished well balanced flavor profile. The noodles pair well with the broth as they are akin to soak up the flavor, but you need the contrast in texture to provide interest to the relationship.
In keeping with the “delicate” theme, the egg was very well done. The cook time was perfect and the flavor balanced well with the rest of the dish. The chashu on the other hand was nothing notable. The chashu should be a moment to ascend to a heavenly realm of fatty rich flavor, but the reality here is quite dry.
I do wish the bowl was served slightly hotter, as the heat really enhances the aromatic qualities of the broth and the experience of the other ingredients.
The toppings didn’t seem to match the quality of the other ingredients. Everything else aside, the inclusion of white onion is a creative choice, but in my opinion I’d rather the zing of fresh garlic.
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