By Jasmin Shirazian
I take it all back — well, some of it. A couple years ago, I wrote a scathing opinion piece regarding the absolute lack of ethnic food dining options in Humboldt County, and for the most part, it still stands true. But, the new Susukino Ramen Bar that just opened up on G St. has me eating more than just my words — they have single-handedly fueled me with hope for the future of restaurants, at least in Arcata.
I’m a middle eastern girl from Southern California, meaning I was blessed to have an abundance of culinary options at every corner on every street. This place damn near makes me feel like I get transported to my local ramen bar in SoCal, which makes it not only delicious, but also nostalgic.
They are open for lunch and dinner, and so far, I’ve only been able to go for the latter. I love eating food by myself, particularly in front of a TV or tablet where I can also watch my favorite shows. Call me an iPad baby, I don’t care — I grew up eating meals on the coffee table with my brother while watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Family Guy or some other off-beat comedy. So, I like to sit at the bar, place my order, watch the chefs do their thing in that tiny, hot kitchen, get my TV show ready to watch on my phone and wait for my food to come out.
I’ve had the fried chicken, fried rice, and the miso ramen, and each was special in its own way. I think the chefs and wait staff could literally hear me moaning with each bite I took. The first time I went, I literally could not help but physically express how good the food was. The fried chicken was battered and fried to crisp perfection, without a single bite of the weird, chewy tendon that often occurs in chicken nuggets or tenders that can easily put off a person who is sensitive to textures – aka, me. The fried rice was rich in flavor, but kind of a small serving. However, it was literally 5 dollars and I ate every single grain of rice, so I refuse to complain about it. The miso ramen, which had chashu pork, had depth in the broth and left joy in my heart.
I haven’t stopped raving about Susukino since I was able to go and try it for myself. The food was so good, it inspired me to write about it. I keep meaning to go for lunch, specifically to try the pork bao buns, but I somehow — I know how — keep missing the open hours.
All in all, I really think restaurants like this are so much more to the community than dining. The more diversity we have in our food options, the more places people can go to either try something new, or get a taste of home in Humboldt. As a brown girl with limited Middle Eastern food options out here, I’m thankful to have the ability to cook whatever I can’t find, but it’s always nice to not have to cook for myself and have the option to taste my roots. I hope Arcata — and Humboldt County in general — gets to see more restaurants as good as Susukino.