A reader’s tip on his favorite ramen was well received! Yua Ramen is full of surprises.

Located front and center in the Ranch Market complex (22511 Hwy 99 Suite 105, in Edmonds), Yua Ramen took us by surprise, a pleasant one assuredly. The dining room atmosphere is comfortable. Soft jazz music sets a mellow tone. Wait staff are professional, attentive and accommodating. The entire experience feels like fine dining, not grab-and-go cuisine.

We’d intended to order to-go meals, but sat down and enjoyed a leisurely dining experience.

List in hand, I did order much from the recommendations made by a reader, and the suggestions did not disappoint.

Appetizers

Okonomiyaki

A Japanese cabbage pancake, it was presented with drizzles of a mayonnaise dressing, and sprinkled with delicate flakes of bonito tuna. The dense batter incorporated shredded cabbage and the crisp exterior yielded to allow easy dissection of the round into wedges easily shared by our group.

Honey Garlic Karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken)

Crisp, very thin batter complemented tender chunks of chicken, decorated with the mayo dressing. Accompanied by a side of shredded veggies in an orange-based vinaigrett,  it easily could have been “dinner.”

Rice entrees

Katsudon

A generous portion of tender steamed rice topped with an equally large portion of Pork Katsu incorporated into grilled onions, crisp green scallions and eggs and topped off with green seaweed (nori), and toasty sesame seeds. Texture and flavors all made for great dish, which was plenty for two hungry adults.

Ramen dishes

The main attraction on the bill of fare, there are 12 different choices, two types of noodle, plus udon noodles… and only so much capacity in the tummy. We finally settled on two, and will return to work our way through this list.

Black Garlic Miso

As the name implies this dish combines black garlic oil and miso into a rich broth of pork for added flavor and body. Crisp onions crowned halved soft eggs, and a slice of chashu pork belly resting on a mountain of ramen noodles. These noodles were the “slightly thicker” variety, squiggly and tender; they’d absorbed just enough broth. A few stirs with the chopsticks and the pork belly melted into the dish. Green onions were incorporated throughout the layers and add nice crunch of flavor.

Spicy Ramen

It was indeed hot on the tongue. My husband — the man who usually orders the maximum of stars on any menu — well, he didn’t need any additional “hot sauce” applications to enhance this dish. I wish I’d had a recorder to capture his words, that he’d maybe met his match on the spice levels. He was delighted to have his request for tofu substituted for pork belly, and enjoyed the fresh bean sprouts, bok choy and soft eggs to counter all the heat of the dish.

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Mother’s Day ideas

Suggestions are given here with the note that a move back to Phase 2 of the governor’s reopening guidelines may necessitate the need to alter plans/reservations.

Tea or brunch: Choices aplenty at Potlatch Bistro. Gorgeous views to be enjoyed regardless of the fare.

Still in birthday celebration mode, another April native and I recently enjoyed Tea by the Sea at the Potlatch Bistro, located at the new Edmonds Waterfront Center, 220 Railroad Ave. Our tradition of having tea during our birthday month made special, we didn’t travel far and enjoyed fantastic scenes of the Puget Sound and beyond, as we sipped from porcelain cups and enjoyed the dainty savory and sweet offerings.

A pot of Steven Smith’s Kandy complemented the savory selections. British Brunch blend of Assam, Ceylon and the smoky Keemun tuned up the taste buds on the sweets, particularly the chocolate.

The three-tiered display of treats offered plenty to satisfy, the question was: where to begin?

Sandwiches

We worked our way from bottom to top and sampled the savory assortment of sandwiches:

English cucumber made especially flavorful with a lemony-cream cheese that held crisp slices between lightly toasted bread.

Egg salad contained just enough fresh herb added to the mayo and egg to tease our taste buds with savory herbs added.

Chicken salad ingredients were diced fine and moistened just enough to enjoy each nibble.

Poached shrimp completed the savory portion. I detected additional flavor and believe tea in the poaching process leant a nice touch, which coaxed out the sweetness of the tender seafood.

Assorted pastries

Lemon bars were the hands-down favorite, bright citrus, not too sweet with crunchy bottoms.
Chocolate fudge brownies were a very close second. Three layers of dense chocolate complimented each other: Firm cake bottoms, layered next by lighter-texture chocolate crunch and a smooth topping of buttery chocolate.

In addition to these are Chef’s choices for that day:
A delicate crème brulee in a pastry cup, and a sour cream blueberry mini muffin competed for “favorite” pastry. The chocolate scone embedded with additional chocolate chips and drizzled with chocolate icing, seemed too much of a good thing, and compared to the harmony of ingredients in the chocolate brownie this scone paled a bit in comparison.
A palate-cleansing layer of fresh fruits — melon, berries and pineapple — were all perfect in ripeness, texture and taste. Loved the deep ruby red of blood orange slices.

Celebrate the moms in your life with their own version of Tea by the Sea, or go for the full meal deal and do a Mother’s Day brunch on the waterfront.

Potlatch Bistro will be opening early on Sunday, May 9 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., serving vegetable quiche, breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit, bacon and sausage, and pastries:

Mother’s Day reservations are limited. Make yours at potlatchbistro.com.

Additional choices to celebrate moms

85 Degrees: Lynnwood and Edmonds locations offer sweet treats for Mother’s Day- Order by May 4 and receive a 15% off discount. (pic here)a

Bistro 76 in the Edmonds/Lynnwood Perrinville neighborhood offers celebration supplies to entertain mom in the comfort of home with Mother’s Day Take & Bakes. The menu offers individual quiche lorraine: Applewood-smoked bacon, Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and fresh herbs, sound delicious. Accompanied by chicken apple sausage links, and Bistro 76 traditional Pea Salad and a dessert of strawberries and pineapple marinated in lime juice garnished with fresh mint vanilla bean scones.

Take it up a notch and add their amazing cinnamon rolls available in half dozens, or smoked carver ham with a blood orange glaze. Strawberry lemonade cupcakes with a fresh strawberry butter cream and lemon curd, oh my.

Pickup is Saturday, May 8 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Call 425-776-3616 to reserve your order.

Chanterelle: In downtown Edmonds, they will be open regular Sunday hours, and offers the breakfast and lunch menus. And here is a tempting new  dessert for that special day:

Chef Dane Catering based in Lynnwood is ready to help you spoil moms this Mother’s Day.

Delicious meals, both brunch and dinner options are available with simple reheat instructions. Here’s a preview of the Mother’s Day dinner:

Prawn cocktails, wild green salad of roasted grapes, feta cheese, candied walnuts, in a  honey herb dressing
Grilled asparagus and red peppers accented with a lemon black pepper dressing
Stuffed baked potato: Topped with sour cream and chives, of course, but made more decadent with caramelized onions, cheddar cheese

The main entrée choices are Surf or Turf: Bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin sauced with rich cream and cognac to keep them moist and tender or grilled sockeye salmon and Dungeness crab in a lemon caper butter sauce.

Place your order online at www.chefdane.com before Wednesday, May 5 at 4 p.m.

Kitchen pickup times: Saturday, May 8 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. or Sunday, May 9 from 9-10:30 a.m. 

Fire and the Feast: Brunch is served on both Saturday and Sunday in downtown Edmonds, offering a bit of flexibility for busy families. Check out my recent review here. Single-flower stems to moms who dine at Fire and the Feast on Mother’s Day.

Unique gift idea for Mom: Gallagher’s in Edmonds’ Harbor Square business complex will be able to schedule small-group brew appointments. Owner Chris advises that “while we have limited availability due to keeping safety protocols, it’s perfect for celebrating your mother while brewing. Enjoy the warmer weather with plenty of outdoor seating.

For Mother’s Day 2021, Girardi’s in downtown Edmonds will offer $3 mimosas and extend the Super Happy Hours menu to all day for in-person dining. That is 15% off the entire bill, including cocktails. Please note that other coupons, specials and promos are suspended for the day.

Rusty Pelican Café also in Edmonds alerted us to the fact that they’ve adjusted hours for Mother’s Day. They will be open from 8 a.m.-3 p.m., and will be offer their regular menu as well as a special Mother’s Day menu. Owner Johanna shared the following: “We will be accepting walk-ins only on a first-come, first-served basis. Unfortunately ,we will not be offering reservations anymore. We will have our outdoor seating available and indoor dining. We highly encourage anyone wanting to do takeout to please use our online ordering system at Rustypelicancafe.com at no extra charge.” 

Scott’s Bar and Grill, located across from Aurora Village, says “Celebrate with our favorite brunch and dinner options to show Mom she’s the best out of the rest!”  Sunday, May 9 they offer  menus for “Take and Bake” or dine in.

Brunch menu

Crème Brulee French Toast: Cinnamon, pecans, thick cut bacon, fresh fruit salad complete this meal.
Vegetable Frittata: Spinach, tomato, fresh herbs, parmesan cheese, oven-roasted potatoes, fresh fruit salad for a healthy dessert.

Dinner options

You choose —  Scott’s will pack it and you cook it with step-by-step instructions or pick it up ready to serve and/or reheat. The Surf & Turf menu includes: Wagyu sirloin steak, signature steak butter, garlic prawns, asparagus and Yukon gold mashed potatoes. Garlic prawns is the “surf” portion of the meal and is completed with fresh in-season asparagus, and parmesan fingerling potatoes.

Wow the family with the addition of Scott’s signature dessert- a whole Key Lime Pie.

Orders must be placed by Wednesday, May 5. No cancellations after May 5. Brunch pickup Saturday, May 8 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dinner pickup is May 8 or 9 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. unless picking up ready to serve. Available for takeout or from third-party delivery. Contact425-775-2561 or online at scottsbarandgrill.com.

As Restaurant News receives updates on additional Mother’s Day options, we will add to our post.

— By Kathy Passage

A specialty gourmet food broker for over 30 years, Kathy Passage has in-depth knowledge on food and the special qualities of ingredients used in the exquisite products she helped bring to market. Kathy brings this unique perspective from the “other side of the plate” to writing about the food and restaurant scene in Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace.