Katana-ya

(Excuse the shoddy photo and the strange purple glow, we were at the end of a dim sushi bar)

A mere block away from our home, Katana-ya promised soupy ramen delights in a little hole in the wall lit with Christmas lights. Recovering from the worst coffee ever at the putrid Sugar Cafe, we got there early at 5:30 to find groups already waiting outside the door. Things got off to a promising start as their outside menu unabashedly stated "MSG added." Though supposedly the Katsu Ramen is their specialty, true to the title of this post, we both opted instead for the gleefully excessive Katana-ya Ramen. Afloat in the miso broth was fried chicken, potstickers, barbecue pork, butter corn, an egg, and chewy delicious noodles. The portions were so huge that after finishing (which naturally, we had to), we felt compelled to take a evening stroll up a ridiculously steep hill to watch adorable, well-groomed purebreds frolic in Nob Hill.