From Ramyum bar to Japanese cafe

BYLINE CHRISTIAN SEGOVIA, SPORTS EDITOR, NAWAAL NACKERDIEN CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

As the spring semester winds down, we decided to try some food spots suggested by friends and fellow editors. To celebrate Sports Editor Christian Segovia’s graduation, we spent a day in Centreville for our final review. 

Ramyun Zip

Nawaal Nackerdien/Fourth Estate

Our first stop, recommended by Co-Editor-in-Chief Saahiti Kiran Chamala, was   Ramyun Zip, a Korean noodle spot. Walking into the store, we were met with a wall of ramyun categorized by spice tolerance– mild, medium, spicy, extra spicy—as well as Halal and vegan options. 

Classic grocery-store ramyuns, such as Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun and Buldak Fire Noodles, were featured prominently. Unique options like Buldak Habanero Lime and Buldak Tomato Pasta caught our attention.

Nawaal Nackerdien/Fourth Estate

After some deliberation, Christian ultimately went with Paldo Bibimmen II , a cold noodle dish. At first bite, the spice was mild but grew steadily. It never became overwhelming, earning Christian’s  rating of 10/10. 

Nawaal tried the Paldo Jjajameng (black bean noodles), which came with thick sauce packets and dried greens. While the creamy texture and hidden vegetables might not suit everyone, and the “medium” spice wasn’t strong,  Nawaal still rated it  10/10. Her only tip: don’t add too much water. 

Okaeri Japanese Café

Next, we headed to Okaeri Japanese café in Chantilly, recommended by a friend of Christian’s. The café buzzed with activity and had superb customer service. 

Nawaal Nackerdien/Fourth Estate

Intrigued by the matcha hype, Christian ordered the Strawberry Matcha Latte. Initially, the earthy taste was strong, but balanced out nicely with the sweetness of the strawberry.

Christian felt choosing whole milk slightly dulled the flavor,  rating the drink a 7/10, admitting, “I cannot go lower for the rookie mistakes I made,” 

Nawaal chose the Taro Matcha Latte. The sweetness of the taro complemented  the earthy matcha, creating a thicker, sweeter experience. Nawaal was delightfully pleased and gave it a 10/10.  

Christian Segovia/Fourth Estate

We also had to try the legendary Japanese pancakes–soufflés–often featured on TikTok and YouTube Shorts.. We ordered the Strawberry Soufflé, which according to the store’s Yelp page,  has an average wait time of 20 minutes. However, due to a rush of customers, our wait time increased to an hour. To pass the time, we visited Echo Base, a nearby comic store

When we finally got our soufflés, the strawberries and melted butter toppings were visually appealing and everything hit the spot as we would want in a breakfast pancake. Initially delicious, the pancakes quickly deflated, becoming dense and bland. The texture grew increasingly unpleasant, leading us to rate the soufflés 6/10. We highly recommend visiting Okaeri on a weekday to avoid the weekend rush.

Overall, our food crawl provided memorable moments, perfect for celebrating the end of the semester.