Blue Dragon Restaurant

Wow, wow wow. As a nut-allergy babe who loved Asian food, when I heard that Ming Tsai had a nut-free Chinese resto in Boston, Boston became like, my dream city. And I never got to go to that resto because now it is closed!!!!!! But I went to his new place, which is almost as cool because it's also nut free. I went with my boyf and my great friend, so that was also very fun. The food was great, but sharing it was hard. They were good about allergies of course, including fish and peas! :)

I/we got:

Pork and Scallion Wontons: Honestly I didn't love this -- it was super spicy (??) or made me tear up somehow, even though it obviously wasn't an allergy. Just not what I loved. 5/10

Spicy Chicken Rangoons: This was amazing, it tasted very good but I only got one of them. Crispy and like, uh, Asian food??? I love this. 9/10

Chinese Broccoli: Not the same as American brocco, but basically chili-powdered oily green broc stoccs. I liked it and didn't find it spicy at all, but my cohort thought it was very spicy and didn't love it. I thought "This is fine." 6/10

Chow Fun: This was fun, but I wanted like a lo mein noodle and this was very thick bois. The veg were great and the flavor was great, but I would try a different noodle next time. 8/10

Cookie: OH GOD! THE COOKIE! Got it without the soy caramel just in case. It was so warm and crunchy and good and I love the cookie and ice cream. Cookie. 9/10

Blue Samoan Cocktail: They were out of the beer I ordered, and thank god because this was amazing. Creamy and sweet and refreshing and bright blue and came with an umbrella. I stan (as they say). 9/10

Wine: Wine is fine, I got this. 7/10

Overall, I think our waiter might have hated us and the table was a bit cramped, but the food was great and the service was good and everything was a fun and good experience. Would 100% go back.

Overall

Cost: 5/10 (About 120$ for 3)

Taste: 9/10

Ramen Kumamoto

Talk about a trendy resto in my local college town! This place opened a few years ago to rave reviews, even from the Japanese people I know (n=3). I like it because there's no nuts (though there is a lot of fish) and because it's Japanese. I don't like it because there's no alcohol, you can't use credit cards with bills under like 20$, and the seating is kind of communal. Also, you have to ask for a fork if you can't use chopsticks and sometimes they don't ever bring it and you feel sad. I always only get the tonkotsu (pork) ramen, which is good but not amazing for me. The broth and egg and bamboo and meat are all amazing, the noodles don't do it for me though. They're thin and more italian than chinese if that makes sense. Very filling and warm but I wouldn't want it super often. I wish I could order other stuff but I think it all has fish in it.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 5/10 (for me)

Sushi Sumo

Despite being in a random strip mall, I think this place looks really nice inside. It's quiet and classy and chill. It's also just Japanese food (no Chinese fusion here), which is an upside for us nut-allergy sufferers. Sure, I can't eat the sushi or the soup or anything else, but I can eat the chicken yaki udon, which is basically chicken lo mein but with thick (udon) noodles. It's great and has great chicken pieces, little onion/carrot/celery bits, and randomly 2 orange slices. Only like 12 dollars, a filling amount, and very tasty. They also do takeout! Downside: you shamefully must ask for a fork if you can't use chopsticks (like me). Also, don't use the hot towel on your face.

The plum fuku wine is really sweet, but also unique and fun!

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 8/10

Maruchan Sweet N Sour Chicken Yakisoba Noodles

So -- I like these little noodle things, they make me smile a lot. I thought I'd try this because "how can you mess up sweet and sour?" Now maybe I wasn't thinking clearly, because it's really horrible. Sweet chicken might be OK, but sweet noodles? Not a good combo. I ate some of this when it was warm and I thought "ehhhh". I put it in the fridge the next day for a new perspective and thought "nooo". So yeah -- get the regular chicken flavor instead!!

overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 3/10

Maruchan Instant Lunch - Beef

This ramen is alright. I can't eat the Nissin brand for allergy reasons, so I don't have much to compare with. This one has a seafood warning, but I am willing to risk that and so far it's been fine. This is just noodles in some beef broth, with a few carrots and corn and beef bits. It's a decent sized meal for the price, but as per ramen it's not that great. But it's OK.

Overall
Cost: 7/10 [1.00]
Taste: 6/10


Laura says: These are shockingly good for a noodle in a cup. I like the soupy part in the bottom that's just water the most. I would eat these if I needed a fast meal from a gas station anytime soon, but they're kind of inconvenient because you can't make them in the microwave that easily without another mug or something. 6/10

Maruchan Chicken Yakisoba Noodles

Since this is so cheap, I had to try it! This particular brand/flavor has NO PEAS! Which is great. It is a may contain for seafood, but not for nuts, so I considered it safe. I followed the directions precisely but it came out pretty watery. Luckily, that really doesn't affect the flavor at all when it comes to something like this. The noodles are pretty much standard chicken ramen noodles. The veggies are all right - pretty much what you'd expect, a few limp corn and cabbage pieces. The flavor is all right, and it is pretty filling, especially for the price. Ultimately I don't like the taste very much, but it's cool to have the option to buy something like this anyway!

Overall
Cost: 9/10
Taste: 6/10