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| - The restaurant features a menu as eclectic as its directionless, yet somehow a bit charming, decor (picture a British phone booth facing a red-brickwalled hallway and Japanese elements mixed in throughout); it's a blend of Italian and Asian pasta dishes, from which I've only ventured through the Asian portion of the menu.
The Asian noodles here can be outstanding and the selection is one of the best in central Phoenix, but there's not much more reason to come here. My favorite is the beef udon suki, with chewy, thick noodles and lots of beef and flavor. The ramen dishes are passable, although not the best in the Valley (noodles are a little too thin and a bit overcooked, broth is a bit lacking in flavor, although still robust and meaty enough to be pleasant). Skip the tantan-men, which is billed as a spicy soup and tastes like little more than that: spice in soup. As for rice dishes, the katsu is decent, but avoid most of the appetizers: shrimp shumai were mushy and flavorless, the Korean spicy rib lacked the spice, richness, and tenderness you'd want from a dish with that title, and the gyoza are less than noteworthy.
The lunch special is another great reason to come here: for under $10, you can get a filling combination, like your choice of noodle soup with inari or a California roll. Although the sushi isn't a reason to visit Cherryblossom and the California roll isn't something I'd jump at ordering even at my favorite sushi joint, it's a great deal. And when you're really there for the noodles anyway, how can you beat that?
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