Boom Noodle is a yummy find in Capitol Hill

Today we had a simple but delicious early dinner at Boom Noodle in Seattle's Capitol Hill. I still miss New York's Republic, still one of my favorite fun places to drop in for a quick meal, but I could get used to Boom Noodle. It's a fun, bright and bustling place with rows of long tables for communal dining where noodles are served in big bowls with a notched spoon for resting on the bowl's edge.

We tried two dishes from the small plates selection: delicious chilled cubes of sesame-dressed tofu showered in shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green onions and dried wakame seaweed, and the panko-crusted pork tenderloin medallions served with a lightly dressed, simple but delicious mizuna salad, steamed rice and tangy Japanese curry dipping sauce. We couldn't pass up the noodle soups and finally decided on the shio ramen with chicken confit, bay scallops and pork and chicken broth, and the Tokyo ramen with braised pork for our entrees. And of course, for dessert a Mochi trio (described by one food critic as "eyes rolling back in head" dessert) - chocolate with passionfruit crystal, vanilla with milk chocolate hazelnut krackel, and green tea with blueberry-cardamom sauce - a perfect ending to a simple and delicious meal! Suffice it to say that another visit is definitely in our future.