Pop Review: Shirohige Ramen-Ya, Hayes Valley's Just-Launched Noodle Truck

C. Alburger

The truck parks weekends in a lot at the corner of Hayes and Laguna.

​We caught Jackson Scarlett of the Shirohige Ramen-Ya taco-cum-ramen truck around 2:30 p.m. yesterday, just as he was closing to change the noodle water. It was day two of his weekend test drive, which appears to have been a success.

C. Alburger

Most slurpers didn't make it out of the lot.

​At around 1 p.m., a line 30-deep flanked the large white vehicle. Most patrons didn't make it out of the lot before cracking into steaming noodle bowls. Admittedly, a cold bite in the air set the perfect stage for slurping.

Scarlett, excited about boiled-to-order noodles, said that he and his friends tested "a million different types" before landing on Hawaii- and L.A.-based Sun Noodle as his preferred purveyor. Shirohige (the name means "white beard") is now the exclusive San Francisco vendor of the brand's fresh noodles.

We tried Scarlett's recommendation -- the shoyu ramen ($6) -- three thin slices of roast pork, a boiled egg half, cooked bamboo shoots, scattered scallions, and a large square of nori, atop a mass of slightly stuck-together yellow noodles.

C. Alburger

Jackson Scarlett: A quest to find the perfect noodle.

​A mark of any ramen worth its salt, we slurped straight till we hit bowl bottom. Though we could have used more broth, and the pork, which Scarlett braises then sautés in soy sauce and mirin, was dry despite all that cooking. This may have been because we got the last portion before the 2:30 break, so we'll give it another shot next weekend. That is, if the truck is up and running.

If all goes as planned, Scarlett will begin operating regularly every Saturday and Sunday in the New Year. Until then, he'll continue doing test runs when he can on the weekends. As of yesterday, he wasn't sure he would be open at all next weekend, Dec. 12-13. Of course, it wouldn't be street food in San Francisco without a Twitter train. Find the latest on Scarlett's exploits @ShirohigeRamen. And check out a photo of the menu after the jump.

Shirohige Ramen-Ya lot at Hayes and Laguna (check Twitter for dates and times)

C. Alburger

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