A belle in Japantown. Business took me over the bridge the other day, and since it was beautiful weather, I took a walk a few blocks over for lunch in Japantown. I decided to try a new place, Suzu, which specializes in noodle dishes. In Japanese Suzu means bell.

I tried the karaage ramen for lunch, which was artfully served. In fact, it was the most styled ramen I've ever had. The noodles were gently folded over each other in a square packet and enveloped in a light soy sauce based soup. It was garnished with fresh cut green onions and soft wakame. The karaage (spicy battered, deep fried chicken nuggets) were also thoughtfully snipped in half for ease of using chopsticks to pick them up. Although you can see a little oil slick on the top of the broth, this broth was lighter and less fatty than the typical ramen broth. Some will prefer this lighter treatment, but some will feel it lacks the distinctive mouth-feel of traditional ramen broth. The jury is out with me as I might have found a way to add a little more flavor, yet I'm not enthused about needing fat to deliver it. Within a peaceful atmosphere, the Suzu staff gave wonderful service with the traditional gracious touches, and set a new standard for beautiful presentation at a noodle house.