Come in Hungry, Leave Absolutely Stuffed

And now for the big show. My group of friends last year all agreed (after joking about it for a few months) to do an Asian Food Crawl, all because we saw a shopping center with a Korean place, a Hong Kong place, a Chinese place, and a Japanese place, all right down the strip. We could walk from one to the next and then the next and sample everything, like a walking tour of Asia. The food crawl was born and, for 2024, we actually did that walk along that specific shopping center.

Another SpeedGaming Live has come and gone, though, and tradition was born. After visiting Umai Ramen and Rice Bowl last year just to eat at that specific place, we once again noticed a lot of Asian restaurants in that shopping center, so we knew what our target would be. We went back for 2025 and did our second annual food crawl, although sadly with a smaller group than last year, and here were the results:

Umai Ramen and Rice Bowl

We started off with Umai Ramen and Rice Bowl once again because how could we not. Their food was fantastic last time and if we were going to crawl the shopping center we’d have to go there and do it again. As our first stop we chose just to go with a couple of appetizers to whet our whistle… although, to be honest, even then we probably ordered too much food. Two appetizers is a lot easier to eat through when it’s eight people around a table instead of only four.

The two items we ordered were the Takoyaki (battered octopus balls, over cabbage, carrot topped with takoyaki sauce, spicy mayo, green onion, bonito) and the Karaage Chicken (juicy fried chicken with garlic pepper, ginger. Served with spicy mayo). Of the two, my favorite was the Takoyaki. Light and crunchy with a delicious, creamy center filled with octopus bits, it was supremely creamy and delicious. The sauces on top were great, adding sweetness and tang, but I honestly could have eaten these balls without the sauce and it still would have been amazing.

The Karaage Chicken was good, although effectively what we got was chicken nuggets with spicy mayo. Like, there’s nothing bad with really well done, crispy and savory chicken nuggets, which is what these were, but at the end of the day that’s what we ordered. That said, I’d order them again because, for chicken nuggets, these were amazing. Umai Ramen and Rice Bowl has, so far, never failed to deliver.

Charcoal Kebab

Next on our list was to hit one of the restaurants on the far end of the plaza (as much to walk off the food we already ate as because there were stranger selections down at the other end). We did see a Korean place along the way that we were tempted to head to, but considering where we would end the day we decided to avoid that one (maybe we’ll go there next time). The choice was between a kebab place and an Indian place and we went with kebabs. Believe me, we do not regret this decision.

As we learned when we went in, Charlocal Kebab serves Afghani food and, right from the get go, the food smelled amazing. The place has been in operation for over 30 years and while their setup reminded me of an Asian food court stall, the food itself was anything but. We ordered the Chicken Biryani, which was on special that day (and the guy at the register talked us into it) as well as a side of Chicken Karahi (also because he talked us into it). I also got a pomegranate draft soda made fresh right in the store.

My god, the food was amazing. Served with some nan, the Chicken Biryani was delicious. Savory, with mild spicy and a lot of delicious flavor, this dish was tasty and very filling. A traditional Biryani contains “aromatic long-grain rice, perfectly layered over succulent chicken marinated in a blend of earthy, aromatic spices, garnished with caramelized onions and delicate strands of saffron” (as per the website the Ministry of Curry) and, yes, I would say that perfectly describes the items and food we got. It was rich and flavorful and if we didn’t have at least one more stop to make I would have filled myself to bursting.

Meanwhile, Chicken Karahi generally contains ginger, garlic, tomatoes, green chilli and coriander. Served by the restaurant as a side it was perfect for us to dip our nan into. It was thick and saucy with lovely, shredded chicken and it tasted good. It had heat that creeped up and got very hot, which I didn’t mind. Again, I would eat this all day if I could, and I would be fat and sassy afterwards. Needless to say, Charcoal Kebab is on our list for a revisit one of these years.

A Short Intermission

Before we got to our next (as, by design, final) spot on our food tour we went into a little anime cuteness shop along the path. I really don’t know how else to describe Lil' thingamajigs, a gift shop specializing in important Japanese goods. It had a lot of model kits and statues, a variety of little gift items and anime cute objects, and some other collectables. We went in to try and make room for our final stop, and each of us ended up leaving with something from the shop. They did their jobs, and we were ready for the main course.

H Pot Hot Pot and Korean Barbeque

Finally we went to our last stop, hot pot. Naturally if there’s a hot pot place on a food tour it has to be the last place because you don’t go to hot pot to sample and move on. You go there to feast until you’re full. H Pot Hot Pot and Korean Barbeque is tucked right into the corner of the shopping center, and we went there not knowing exactly what the selections would be on the menu but assuming we’d all be able to find something.

If I’m honest, their selection was a little lacking. They only have six broths on the menu, which you wouldn’t think would be too few, but most hot pot places now have ten or more broths to choose from so I felt a real lack here. Some of them, like Chutney Gold and Fish Maw, sounded like weird options that could overpower everything else I was going to eat. Meanwhile, Tom Yum can be really hit or miss at most places and having been burned (almost literally) by Szechuan Spicy soup at other hot pot places, I decided to avoid that nuclear option. I ended up settling with their Mushroom Soup as a “safe” option, and then I went up to the sauce and flavor bar to get a bunch of stuff to kick it up where I actually wanted it.

This is the trick I’ve learned with these places: you can add flavor but you can’t take away. If something is too spicy, too strange, or too harsh, there’s no way to cut it back. You’re better off starting a little safer and adding all the flavor and heat yourself to match your tastes. Plus, with everything else you’re putting into the soup you want to make sure you get a good balance of flavor and items.

As far as meats and veggies, H Pot had a pretty traditional selection, although I again felt like it wasn’t as broad as most hot pot places offer. There were the usual items, like a few different cuts of beef, pork, and chicken, bok choy and spinach, corn and a bunch of mushrooms. But some of the weirder and more gonzo items, like various fish meat balls or octopi, didn’t even show up for us despite us going in on the weekend. Their website lists these options but they weren’t available for us, so I wonder if even though it was the weekend maybe they had lunch and dinner menus that auto-populated. I would have loved to get some stranger items to eat with my friends as we get a little experimental with our soup (on our terms) but it wasn’t meant to be.

I didn’t hate H Pot but in comparison to the two previous places it felt like a step down. Solid food, and tasty for what it was, but the bar had been set high on this walk and somehow they didn’t quite meet it. Next time I’d likely skip the hot pot and go for a couple of other places to sample instead. More variety of flavors without having to stuff ourselves to bursting.

On the whole, though, it was a successful crawl and I’d happily do it again. Maybe even at this same shopping center at some point. Most of the food was absolutely amazing.