Probably one of the best-rated Ramen shops in Southern California (after Santouka), Gardena Ramen (in Torrance) was a Ramen shop I was *so* looking forward to! I remember reading the wonderful review from Rameniac, and hearing more about it from others. It made my tomodachi Keizo's list of top Ramen-ya in 2007. :)So on a warm, relaxing So Cal [...]
Finding a great bowl of Tonkotsu (Pork Bone) Ramen in L.A. can be challenging at times. True, we have Santouka's blended Tonkotsu broth (but it can be inconsistent), and Shin Sen Gumi was the first to popularize Hakata-style Tonkotsu Ramen in L.A., but it's been watered down for a while now. So when I heard that Mitsuwa Marketplace was holding [...]
A new Ramen Noodle shop opened up recently in the San Gabriel Valley. Usually that would mean a high probability that it was a Chinese Ramen restaurant, instead of a Japanese Ramen-ya, and the flavors would reflect that, but then I heard that it was a restaurant focusing on Japanese Ramen, specifically Hokkaido Ramen(!), which would be a rarity [...]
I'm still trying to recount how the events transpired that propelled me through 5(!) Ramen Shops during a lazy weekend afternoon. It began innocuously enough, with an invitation by my friend Keizo (of Go Ramen!), to try out Shisen Ramen in Torrance. I thought, "Sure! A bowl of Shisen-style Ramen Noodles sounds interesting and potentially [...]
After my previous day's Ramen from Heaven (Menya Kissou) , I woke up on the sixth day of our Japan Trip with the goal to try another highly-recommended Ramen shop. Thanks to Chowhounder Silverjay's great review of Rokurinsha, it was another must-try destination on my trip here.I Googled the location and true to Silverjay's review, I found myself [...]
Thanks to Keizo's early posting, I discovered that Mitsuwa Market was holding a Food Fair, dubbed "2008 Mitsuwa Umaimono Gourmet Fair." It's being held this weekend from Thursday, May 15, through Sunday, May 18, at select Mitsuwa locations (for So Cal, their website lists the Costa Mesa branch and the Torrance branch). I was able to plan ahead [...]
While it had only been a few weeks since my last visit to Torihei, various circumstances resulted in me returning for a fourth, fifth and sixth visit. :) As So Cal's new Kyoto-style Oden (Variety of Items Stewed in a Dashi Broth) and Yakitori (Roasted Chicken Skewers) Specialist, Torihei has expanded their menu since their debut last [...]
I remember first hearing about Foo-Foo Tei, a strange, hidden Ramen Shop tucked away in some industrial part of Hacienda Heights a few months ago, from my good friend, Keizo of Go Ramen!. It sounded intriguing, with a restaurant that had 31 different bowls of Ramen / Noodles, one bowl for each day of the month(!). Add to that a few follow-up [...]
Daikokuya Ramen in Los Angeles is a relatively popular Ramen shop around the Little Tokyo area. While its quality has declined, it still remains a busy destination. It's by no means the best Ramen in L.A., but it was decent, so when word got out that Daikokuya was coming to Orange County (Costa Mesa), anticipation started to build. While the [...]
On this day in our Japan Trip, we were off to Akihabara, and we had heard about a somewhat famous Ramen shop called "Kyushuu Jangara." It was touted as a place to get authentic Kyushuu-style Ramen, down home and tasty. We found the Ramen shop in a little alley in the heart of Akiba.With a humble, hole-in-the-wall storefront like that, it must be [...]
