Whenever we have family or friends visiting from out of town, we make a point to take them to the Convoy area for dinner—hands down the best Korean BBQ, shabu-shabu, yakitori, and ramen in town. Who doesn’t remember the “Ultimate Asian Food Guide” that Troy Johnson put together a couple of years ago? It was epic. My husband and I are still making our way through it. One of our staples on Convoy, however, is Tajima. First of all, their happy hour is amazing. They serve $1.50 beers and the edamame is one dollar —SOLD!
The service is always polite, yet fast. During dining hours, the place is pretty busy, so servers will keep to small talk and are quick to take your order. The miso ramen is marked on the menu as vegan, so it’s my go-to; however, I always make sure to ask for some sweet corn as an add-on. It’s totally worth it. The soup consists of miso broth, noodles, chives, napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, pickled carrots, tofu, mixed green salad, green onion, corn, and sesame seeds—a bowl of goodness for $8.95. (Or $11.50 if you decided to go for the happy hour Asahi and edamame.)
The ramen is a perfect mix of textures, flavors, and colors. The miso broth is subtle and delicious. For some spice, I would recommend topping the soup off with some sriracha—and voilà.
TIP: Making ramen and other Asian dishes from scratch is easier than you may think, especially once you find all the right ingredients. I head over to 99 Ranch Market, also on Convoy, whenever I need ingredients such as miso or curry paste. Fresh produce is available as well and the market is very affordable.
La Vida Vegan: Bowled Over
