Usually the saying goes “if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably a duck.” Shiro Ninja Boba - Poke - Ramen Bar (lol. What a name. It has to be written out in its entirety.) has all the traits that would normally be an at best, Americanized, Asian-esque fast food restaurant: the name itself, the usage of the stereotypical “Chinese bamboo” font, mismatched decor of all sorts of Asian (and non-Asian) things sprinkled without rhyme or reason inside. And yet, curiosity got the better of me, and so I went in with friends for dinner on the way back from the Sierra Nevadas.
It's….surprisingly, a good, solid ramen stop. The broth is flavorful. The noodles are the right amount of firmness. There js a good mixture of toppings. If this shop was opened in the Bay, it would be above average. since we're two hours out from San Jose in a town with a few thousand people max, it's worth the five star rating. It's worth making a stop here for food, and not just for its name.
The milk tea didn't quite hit the same way, unfortunately, but it's still pretty good. My friend’s teriyaki chicken and rice was…well, very standard teriyaki chicken so that was that. Stick to the ramen. It’s what the Shiro Ninja would do. Probably.
