the ramen blog & other goodies!

I’ve been intrigued by Gardena Ramen ever since I read rameniac’s promise of “the finest shoyu ramen in L.A.” Since I tend to favor the classic shoyu ramen over any other new-fangled choices, I couldn’t wait to try it. When I finally had some time to head up to Torrance (yes, it’s Gardena Ramen, but in Torrance), I was as giddy as a school girl on a first date (Ok, maybe more like a school boy, but school boys don’t get giddy…do they?).

The non-descript strip mall that held the path to ramen nirvana was anchored by a 99-cent Store and had an almost empty parking lot. I looked at my watch: 12:30pm, peak lunch time…hmm…not a good sign.

As my wife and I entered the spartan ramen house, my wife pointed out the coffee-shop chairs. “Cute,” she commented. And that, and the U2 song playing in the background is about it as far as ambience. As we were seated, we looked around and saw the hand-written menu taped to the wall in various places. In English and Japanese, “shoyu ramen,” “miso ramen,” and “gyoza” were our choices.

After we ordered shoyu ramen with gyoza, we perused the fine collection of Japanese manga and speculated on whether or not the grandmotherly waitress was related to the chef, Nakamura-san.
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My wife and I recently went on a road trip to Portland, Oregon, and of course, I had to do some ramen research. After spending time surfing the web, I sadly announced that there were *zero* ramen shops in Portland (aspiring ramen entrepreneurs pay attention: there is no competition in Portland!). But wait…what’s this? “Guess what, dear…we’re making a stop at Eugene!” “Eugene? Where’s that?” “It’s about 2 hours south of Portland…and there’s a ramen house there!”

As luck would have it, we arrived shortly before they closed for the afternoon. Phew. That’ll teach me to not call ahead. Unlike most of the other ramen houses we’ve been to, this one had a huge gas station-type sign on the corner (which makes sense considering it’s located on the site of a former gas station), and a fancy logo. From the outside, Toshi’s Ramen looks more like a trendy pub than a cozy ramen shop. Inside, the sparse, modern decor gives off a coffeehouse feel. And the menu…the glorious poster menu features pictures of every combination of ramen goodness available here, beckoning hungry eaters. (more…)

wife: Do you know there’s a really good ramen place in Orange County that we haven’t tried?
me: excuse me?
wife: Guess!
me: …(trying to think of the most unlikely place possible)…that Japanese place by the gas station in the 99 Ranch plaza??

Whoa…I guessed right! According to a fellow blogger, this little Japanese eatery was worth checking out. Excited, we went there for lunch. (more…)

My wife and I were in New York for a few days, and of course had to check out the New York ramen scene. After spending far too much time slogging through online postings about the best ramen house in NYC, we finally settled on Rai Rai Ken in the East Village for 2 reasons: their specialty is shoyu ramen (most of the other highly touted ramen houses specialize in tonkotsu), and the place just plain looked cool from a picture I found on the net. (more…)

Santouka Ramen. Santouka Santouka Santouka. Everywhere you look, someone is saying how great Santouka ramen is. Is it really *that* good? Is it everything everyone says it is? Or is another case of ‘don’t believe the hype?’

This was actually the fourth time I’ve been to Santouka Ramen. The first time was in Tokyo, where it was also hyped by a friend as great ramen. The Santouka we went to was on the top floor of a department store in Shinjuku, and it was the fanciest ramen house I’ve ever been to. It was swanky and hip, as if it was a ramen house for ‘the pretty people.’ I eagerly ordered and devoured a bowl of shoyu ramen and … (more…)

“Chabuton’s mission is to create the perfect bowl of ramen…Our food is meant to feed the soul…and provide sensitivity that touches your entire being.” (Shiver)…I get all quivery just thinking about it. On the downside? It’s in a Japanese market food court.

Chabuton opened last year inside the Marukai supermarket in Costa Mesa, and the food court seems to have been in constant construction since. My wife and I finally decided to give it a try recently, with low expectations. Boy were we in for a pleasant surprise… (more…)