Manchurian Hakka Cuisine in West Sacramento

Manchurian Hakka Cuisine takes the Panda Express approach and applies it to Chinese Indian food. The result is a quick and easy way lunch or dinner, but some of the 'must have-ness' is missing from the actual taste. I was really looking forward to this restaurant, but in the end I was left a bit wanting from my experience.

Food -
The food at Manchurian Hakka Cuisine is on-par with what you would find in a mall's food court. The entrees are laid out behind a glass for you to see. You can select one to three entrees in a plate along with fried rice or Hakka noodles (or both). It's good that you can see the food in front of you, because that way you can avoid the food that looks like it has been sitting out there too long.

Since the food isn't made to order, there is the problem of some entrees losing their freshness sitting out under a heat lamp. Like at a place like Panda Express, choose dishes that look the freshest for the best experience.

Manchurian Hakka Cuisine does offer a few select entrees that you really don't see anywhere else. The most unique entree must have been the fried broccoli with Manchurian sauce. I sampled it and found that it was a little like Tempura, but less crispy. The Manchurian sauce was savory, but not so much that I wanted to go back for more. The Hakka noodles are also a specialty here, I believe. These noodles are thicker than your typical chow mein noodles at Panda Express. They are less oily, but lack some of the flavor you'd want from them.

If you do want something more familiar, Manchurian Hakka Cuisine also has a sweet orange chicken entree as well as a beef dish and egg rolls.

Service/Atmosphere - 
The restaurant was nearly empty when I came in during regular lunch hours. It was very well kept and clean, which I appreciated. The entire feel of the restaurant was that of a chain restaurant - but not in a bad way. The decor was nice and I appreciated the quality of the dining room's presentation.

The one worker that was manning the counter area was helpful as I came in. He happily answered the questions I had about the food and offered to let me sample whatever it was that I wanted to help me make a decision.

Price -
For a two item combo plate with rice and Hakka noodles and a drink, the total came to be a little over ten bucks. The pricing at Manchurian Hakka Cuisine is very much on par with what you would find at other fast food Asian places of the same ilk. Folks on a budget can get a nice meal for not a lot of money.

Special Tips and Recommendations -
If you are a fan of truly spicy food, I suggest the chili chicken entree. I enjoy spicy food and I was surprised at the level of heat coming out of this entree. It was much hotter than any other item I would find at other similar restaurants. The heat level definitely surprised me and I even overheard other customers talking about how hot it was! If you're a heat fan, give it a try. If you don't like things too spicy, I would definitely avoid it!

Bottom Line - 
Manchurian Hakka Cuisine is a pretty average restaurant. If you want something with more character, this isn't the place to go. This restaurant is really for folks on the go who want something quick and easy, but a little different than your typical food. I'm not sure if I'd return here as it doesn't warrant a special trip out.

Letter Grade

C

Half noodles and half vegetarian fried rice.

Fried chicken pieces in Manchurian sauce.

Shoku Ramen Bar has Your Noodles and Your Sandwich Covered

Shoku Ramen Bar is a hidden away little spot to get ramen and other delicious items for a price that won't leave a huge hole in your wallet. Nicely portioned dishes and a wide variety make Shoku a place that you should seriously consider checking out if you're in the neighborhood.

Food -
The man attraction at Shoku is the ramen. And of that they have many varieties. I tried the spicy black garlic chashu ramen tonight and it was excellent. The broth was spicy (but not overly so) and had a delicious richness that I felt elevated it. It was also packed with extras like seaweed, corn, egg, and more! Also on the menu is ramen with other proteins such as chicken, beef, or tofu. There's even a plain ramen if you don't want any of that for a pretty cheap price! If you're more of an udon fan... guess what... they have udon on the menu as well!

To go along with your ramen, you probably want some appetizers, and Shoku has them ready for you. Many of the mainstays are available such as edamame, wakame, and gyoza. The gyoza can be prepared either pan fried or deep fried. It was nice to have a choice and I asked for pan fried. In hindsight, I think the deep fried version would have been a bit more enjoyable. I'm a big fan of chicken karaage and gave that a try tonight. It had a different style of fry to it than usual. Not bad, but it's not the type I prefer. My friend saw that they had octopus on the menu and gave that a shot. She thought it was a little too sweet for her taste.

One menu item that I thought was very unique were the sandwiches they offered. You can select pork or chicken. The meat is served tonkatsu style with vegetables. It had a good size to it and I felt it could make a pretty decent meal.

Service/Atmosphere - 
We came on a slow day of the week, so the servers had some time to really wait on us and make sure everything was good. The servers were excellent and talkative. It was great to ask them a little about the restaurant and their favorites on the menu. They were really awesome.

The restaurant itself has a cut look to it. It's not overly fancy, but the decor does the job well and the booths have a comfy feel to them.

Price -
Price is probably the best aspect of Shoku. The items are very reasonable. The ramen I ordered was $8.95 and that is the highest priced one. I mentioned already that it was full of good ingredients and can fill you up. I thought it was a great deal! The sandwich is also priced well at just $5. I'm not sure if they'll adjust pricing up soon, but if they don't, I'd say that Shoku has some of the best deals in town.

Special Tips and Recommendations -
I recommend the spicy black garlic chashu ramen that I ordered. In fact, both me and my friend ordered it as it looked the best. Our server came over and actually said it was her favorite as well. So with that amount of recommendation, I'd say it's the one to get! If you're afraid it might be too spicy... well... it isn't. It's an enjoyable amount of spice that only the extremely sensitive should be wary of.

Bottom Line - 
A great price with friendly service and good portions makes for an excellent place to eat. If I lived closer to Shoku I could see myself stopping by quite often for a nice lunch!

Letter Grade

B

The branding for Shoku is very well done.

You can get a number of bottled drinks from their cold case.

The octopus appetizer.

Chicken karaage is a bit of a different preparation.

You can order sandwiches off the menu and they are quite a good size.

The ramen is filled with ingredients.

Gyoza that was pan fried. Deep frying also an option.