ramen rating: ajisen ramen – irvine, ca
Ajisen Ramen started out in the late 1960’s as a ramenya in Kumamoto, Japan, serving “Kumamoto Tonkotsu” ramen, a tonkotsu ramen served with a garlic and onion brown sauce. Since their humble beginnings, they’ve expanded to more than 300 stores worldwide and their Chinese joint venture even trades as a public company on the Hong Kong stock exchange.
I have to admit I’m biased against Ajisen Ramen…they’re a franchise chain, and my years-ago first experience with Ajisen Ramen in Shanghai didn’t exactly make me jump for joy. Ok, I actually thought it was horrible. On the plus side, though, I found their decor to be elegant, and I was charmed by the winking mascot (who also has a cartoon series and is apparently fond of throwing cleavers). Of course, nice decor and cute mascots can’t make up for subpar ramen. When I heard that Ajisen’s Irvine branch finally opened this week, I approached the news with something akin to morbid curiosity.
Ajisen’s most popular dish seems to be their Paiku Ramen (”Tender Pork Ribs” ramen), but I decided to start my day off with the namesake Ajisen Ramen. One thing I noticed while seated at the counter: all the servers scurried about at a “gotta get to where I’m going” pace. If you’ve ever been to Hong Kong, where even the elevators and escalators are sped up, you know what I’m talking about. Don’t get me wrong, the servers were all extremely friendly and professional. But I felt just a bit compelled to order, eat my ramen, and leave as quickly as possible.
When I got my ramen, I was a bit dismayed: the chashu slices looked like miniature versions of what I saw pictured on the menu. With so many strikes so far, I was still determined to keep an open mind, and I took my first sip of the soup…it was good! Now, it wasn’t mindblowingly good, but still, it was good. The Ajisen web site claims that the tonkotsu soup is cooked for over 10 hours to give it a rich and deep taste. Well…not quite. The soup was a bit on the light side, but the mild garlic flavor and creaminess blended well.
The noodles were a bit thicker than the thin noodles I typically associate with tonkotsu ramen, and also not as hard. While Kumamoto ramen is supposed to have slightly softer noodles, I couldn’t help but wish they were a bit more chewy. The softer noodles did contrast well with the crunchy cabbage and the result tones down the overall flavor even more. A variety of other toppings… negi, wakame seaweed, half a hard boiled egg, and chashu round out the ramen. The hard boiled egg was disappointingly hard boiled, and it tasted like the marinade consisted of one ingredient: soy sauce. I’d heard good things about the chashu, but was slightly disappointed to find that it wasn’t particularly fatty. The chashu had browned edges, and was slightly sweet and carmelized. It reminded me more of the kind of chashu you’d find in Chinese cooking (which does tend to have a harder texture and a sweeter taste) than in Japanese ramen.
Overall, I found Ajisen Ramen to be “good enough.” If you’re a hardcore ramen fanatic, looking for that genuine Japanese Ramen, you might want to keep looking. But if you’re new to ramenyas, or you want to try a lighter tasting ramen, you should give Ajisen a try. Ajisen rates a 6 out of 10 in my book.
Bonus: Ajisen commercials
Ajisen Ramen
2700 Alton Pkwy, suite 145
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 833-3288
Sun-Thurs: 11am to 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11am to 11pm
I’m so bummed you couldn’t join Keizo, Rameniac and I that...
G’day from Australia!
Been following your blog sporadically, since it’s not updated as often as I’d like
Ajisen has a franchise here in Melbourne, and their quality of ramen is usually better than the experience you’ve just endured D:
It is unfortunate your chashu and egg were so poorly made (from the picture, the egg looks like it’s been sitting on a bench for a few days before being served, and the chashu looks like its been bought from a nearby chinese restaurant and served as is
), but I can tell you from my more regular dining at our Ajisen, it is much better 
On a last note, I’d have to agree that their Spicy Miso and Paiku Ramen are the best on offer
1Hi G, thanks for following along enough to know I’m been lazy recently! Hahaha. I’ll strive to do better! Hmm…I wonder if I can convince my wife to go to Australia to taste the difference. I was in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics and enjoyed every minute! The Paiku Ramen and the “Premium Pork” Ramen are on the top of my list to try so I’ll report back as soon as I do.
2very cute mascot but in general, the ramens are a bit of pricy though
3Hi Edjusted,
Another great review.
I also tried the new Ajisen in Irvine with great hesitation and unfortunately found it to be decent at best. For me, the MSG Overload here was pretty bad, the Chashu (like you) was terrible, and the Egg was also bad. It’s nowhere near as good as the Ajisen in Kabukicho, Tokyo that I tried.
4Thanks, Exile Kiss! Yeah, I’ve been avoiding Ajisen like the plague for years ever since my 1st experience in Shanghai, but since this one’s actually close to my house, I just *had* to try it. Haha!
5Yep, same here. This has to be one of the worst ramen ya in SGV. Granted it was in SGV, but this place along with the Fuji ramen in New/Valley Blvd are right up there as the worst noodle experience of any given kind in quite a long time.
6Pepsi Monster: yeah, I still wouldn’t consider Ajisen good “ramen.” But as “soup noodles,” I was pleasantly surprised…this was way better than what I had in Shanghai!
7i don’t know why everyone is hating so hard but i just got back from ajisen and it was awesome! i had the spicy pork and it was really really good. maybe you’re thinking, who is this gaijin, he knows nothing of ramen; but i’d like to think i deserve a little more credit than that. I just returned from japan and ate so much ramen from so many different places. i’m trying every ramen shop i can possibly get to and so far ajisen is one of my favorites. I know it’s a chain and all that; but they are open late and it is irvine. Really though, i love that they have curry ramen, and a few different kinds. I know that’s not up the alley of the altruistic uptight haterators; but i don’t care. I like it all!
8boulangeramen, always great to hear from someone who loves ramen. Another nice thing about the Irvine Ajisen is the people are pretty friendly. I was taking pics of the kitchen and the cooks all stopped and posed. Hahaha.
9does anyone know if the Sydney Ajisen sell their ready/instant stock in sachets?
10sorry, i mean the melbourne Ajisen…
11@angkukueh: I’m not sure if the instant ramen version of Ajisen ramen is sold outside of Japan. Can anyone help?
12The foods looks delicious!..
13Can I have some?
Can I?
Please..
Love the mascot too!..