the ramen blog & other goodies!

I’ve been meaning to try Kohryu for a while but somehow just never got around to it. Finally, goaded by a recent comment, my wife and I decided to give it a try. It was a cold and windy day: perfect conditions for a nice hot bowl of ramen! The restaurant has fairly non-descript decor in a non-descript little strip mall. We ordered the lunch special, which comes with a bowl of ramen and one side dish, and decided on the shoyu ramen with a 1/2 order of fried rice. They also advertise in their menu that you can choose the hardness or softness of your noodles along with the amount of oil and the strength of the soup flavoring, but the waitress didn’t ask and I didn’t pursue it. (more…)

I seem to be cursed when it comes to Daikokuya. The first time I tried to go, the owner was on vacation, and they were closed. I ended up at Kouraku across the street. Then as I typed up this review and was *almost* finished, my browser decided to crash. So let me try this again…

I’ve been anticipating a visit to Daikokuya for a long time, after reading some rave reviews. As I stepped into the restaurant, I felt like I was transported back in time to a 50’s (or maybe 60’s?) Japanese diner. The restaurant has a great nostalgic atmosphere, from the red diner stools to the vintage signs and props that decorate the place. Since I arrived at an off-hour, the place was empty and the service was fast.

Daikokuya serves only one style of ramen: the Daikoku ramen, with kurobuta pork (”the pork for royalty”) and a tonkotsu soup lovingly cooked for nearly a day. The best value at Daikokuya is the ramen/rice bowl combo, which comes with your choice of 8 different rice bowls or fried rice. I chose to go with the tempura don, which was quite good…nothing spectacular, but good. (more…)

Shin-Sen-Gumi is a restaurant chain in Southern California that features hakata style ramen in a tonkotsu broth. They also have a robata restaurant next door. Both places are always packed so be prepared for a wait.

Upon entering the tiny (seats maybe 20 people) restaurant, you’ll be greeted with a loud chorus of “irrashai-imase” (welcome!). Part of the attraction of Shin-Sen-Gumi is no doubt the hospitality and service. These people seem to love what they’re doing and it shows. Whenever I go to there, I actually feel like I’m stepping into a little ramen stand in Japan. Ah, memories. But I digress…on to the food…that’s what you came here for. (more…)

I’ve been going to Ebisu ramen for around 20 years now, so when my wife recently asked me why I haven’t reviewed them yet, all I could do was give her my best deer-caught-in-headlights look.

Ebisu Mendokoro is owned by the same company that owns the Ebisu supermarket and the Bon Marche bakery in the same plaza. The restaurant is clean and well-lit, and it’s always crowded on the weekends. Ebisu isn’t just a ramen restaurant: they have a wide variety of offerings, and their rice is especially good. Even though I enjoy their ramen, I often end up getting their tentojidon (tempura with egg on a bowl of rice) with cold soba. Their fried rice is excellent, with lots of chunks of pork, lots of egg and onions, and fluffy Japanese rice perfectly done. Now on to their ramen! (more…)

Mentatsu ramen house opened recently in Costa Mesa, near the Mitsuwa plaza. It’s a tiny place with a nice atmosphere. Everyone from the chef to the wait staff greet you when you come in. Well then, right on to the food. I ordered fried rice, shoyu ramen, and gyoza. The fried rice was nicely done and the gyoza was good and garlicky. The ramen had decent chewy noodles, but were a bit on the bland side. The soup was quite good, rich in flavor. The fried rice and gyoza get a 7. The ramen gets a 7. I’ll definitely be back to try their other selections.

Ramen House Mentatsu
688 Baker St #7
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-979-2755

I’ve been looking forward to trying Ryowa in Berkeley, and I recently just had the chance to go up there. I’ve read a lot of good reviews from various web sites and I have to say…I’m disappointed. I had the Ryowa ramen even though I was sorely tempted by the shoyu ramen. The sesame soup base sounded intriguing. Well, the soup was just ok. The sesame was nice…strong but not overpowering, but a bit on the bland side. The noodles were a very nice texture, but they were really bland. The vegetable gyoza, however, were excellent! The gyoza were cooked perfectly and had a really nice blend of flavors. I didn’t miss the meat at all! I’ll probably come back if I ever get the chance and try the shoyu ramen. The Ryowa ramen gets a 6. The gyoza gets a 9 though!

Ryowa Ramen
2068 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 883-0667