Asa Ramen in Gardena: Give This Anemic Broth Some Steroids!

I had tried to sample the much talked about Asa Ramen for years now but it was always closed for lunch on weekends. Or more accurately, it only opened from 6pm-2am so had given up trying. Going to have ramen for dinner in South Bay that's farther from where I live turned out to be harder than I thought. 

I finally tried it and now that I made time to go for dinner, it is open for lunch too. Go figure. I know I am rather late in the game -- it opened at least five years ago -- the verdict is a resounding thumbs down.

The kotteri shoyu tonkotsu broth was so weak I thought I was having instant ramen. Ok, that's a stretch. But doesn't kotteri mean thick in Japanese? Come on. Where's the milky, industrial strength pork broth that makes ramen so incredibly comforting and satisfying?

The broth wasn't horrible. It just wasn't thick enough. Was I supposed to order the extra topping of butter/pork fat, which actually exists on the menu?

The char siu slices were solid. I'll give them that. And the noodles were cooked al dente, just the way I like them. But that's where the good ends. It was respectable but merely above average and most definitely below Shinsengumi, the reigning ramen joint in LA for me, followed by Santouka.

The gyoza, another litmus test I like to do when I go to a ramen joint, was just as disappointing. The filling smelled too porky and not in a good way. They were piping hot, fresh off the pan, which I liked, but what use is it if the experience is botched as soon as you bite into the dumpling? Sad.

Mottainai Ramen: Gravy-like Broth = Not Good

I've been going out of my ramen comfort zone lately -- that safely tucked away area that includes Shinsengumi and Santouka. But truth be told, I usually get disappointed, as I did at Mottainai Ramen in Gardena.

It's true that I'm anchored to the wonderfully porky and salty flavors of the above mentioned ramen joints, not to mention their al dente noodles and super tender charsiu that's been boiled for hours on end. But Mottainai's broth tasted oddly like...gravy and that's not a good thing. I had the heavily pork-based tonkotsu ramen but the broth was thick in a gravy-kind of way, which is to say excessively thick. Strike one. The charsiu pieces were passable. The noddles were a tad overcooked and the works were average. The works included bean sprouts, spinach, green onions and dried seaweed. Full sheets of seaweed didn't work for me at all. They're totally soggy by the time they hit the broth so why bother? I know Koreans do it with shredded seaweed in rice cake soup but that's at least shredded. Having to tear the giant unwieldy sheet of seaweed is a royal pain.

The gyoza were a bit on the porky side, meaning they smelled a bit too much like pork, which signals either unfresh or low quality ingredients. They were fried perfectly as the image shows but they weren't as good as Shinsengumi's. The spicy miso that came topped with ground pork was even more disappointing. It was nothing like the spicy miso ramen at Santouka that I like. Not sure I'll return. So my ramen journey continues but I have yet to be surprised at the non-faves to which I'm trying to give a chance.

Tsujita Ramen: Not Worth the Wait

I finally tried Tsujita Ramen on Sawtelle and I must say I was disappointed. Maybe I'm just not a tsukemen kind of person. Or maybe I didn't eat it the right way. I've had my noodles separately from the broth before but I couldn't get into it here. 

For one thing, the broth was like ramen broth concentrated to the nth degree, as in super thick and far too salty. I'm all for hearty, strong broths but this was too much. I should have taken them up on their offer to pour free boiled water into the "sauce," as they called it.

Second, it was a royal pain having to take the super slippery noodles that were on the thick side from one bowl and dip them into the broth before eating. The broth wasn't hot enough to warm up the noodles, so you had to leave them in there for a while and even then, they were merely lukewarm to room temperature. Not a good ramen temperature. In typical Japanese restaurant fashion, the menu describes how the noodles should be consumed -- dip the noodles, squeee the lime, etc. 

I got the one with extra charsiu (slices of roasted pork) and soft-boiled egg. The charsiu was tender and soft from the seemingly long cooking process I assumed the pork bellies went through. Not all slices were excellent but good enough.

I really liked the soft-boiled egg, which was a bit on the oozy side and indeed, soft. Probably my favorite part of the entire meal. And it helped to temper the sodium overload although it was slightly seasoned.

I wasn't a fan of the thicker, slippery noodles that weren't as chewy as I usually like them.

We also had the salmon sashimi bowl, which was also a pain to eat. Topped with wasabi, we weren't sure how to go about spreading it without generating tears from the spice. The flavor of the salmon wasn't great.

All in all, not worth the wait, in my opinion. I'd like to try the tonkotsu ramen but for now, I'm sticking to my perennial faves, Shinsengumi and Santouka.

Yamadaya Ramen: Weak Broth, Go for the Chicken Karaage

I had high hopes for Yamadaya Ramen, which recently opened outposts in Culver City and Westwood. I should have been more skeptical in retrospect, considering I haven't been able to find a bowl of ramen better than Shinsengumi's, with Santouka's a distant second. The post on Shinsengumi was my very first post back in April 2007. How quickly they grow!

Then there's also the element of the all-too rapid expansion. It took Shinsengumi years to open that many locations, but Yamadaya's seemed rushed. Just like a burger, the best ramen consists of all its excellent components working in perfect harmony together.

So let's dissect. The first things I dig into when tasting a bowl of ramen are 1) broth and 2) the noodles. The broth of the Yamadaya Ramen, which is allegedly a result of bones boiled for 20 hours plus, was so weak it was embarrassing. Ok, a reliable source told me it wasn't anything like this one in the original Torrance location and I believe her. But this was ridiculous. Diluted. Watered down. No self-respecting ramen joint would ever call this tonkotsu ramen broth.

The noodles weren't exactly overcooked but weren't as katame (al dente in Japanese -- thanks MN!) as I usually like them. Hate to belabor the point but Shinsengumi is probably the only ramen shop where you can choose the hardness of the noodles (and the strength of the broth and oil level).

Yamadaya offers fresh garlic to be minced table side into your broth. I loved the concept (and cool-looking retro tool) and I ended up adding some as a last ditch effort to salvage my sad broth. But no amount of garlic could bring this liquid back to life. Sigh.

The other works, like bamboo shoots, green onions and chashu, were fine. I particularly liked that the hard-boiled egg half was done just enough for the yolk to be soft but not oozy and not completely solid. That and the chashu pieces, which were soft and not at all too porky-smelling, may have been the best parts of this otherwise below average ramen.

The ramen that came with a massive block of pork belly was another disappointment. That pork belly should have been crumbling at first bite, dissolving softly in your mouth from 20-plus hours of slow cooking. It was tough and didn't fall off at all. It's a travesty not cooking a great part like pork belly right.

To be fair, Yamadaya raised our expectations by serving excellent chicken karaage before our ramens arrived. We just wanted a good appetizer to go with a nice cold brew, but we got crispy and perfectly-seasoned fried chicken (usually dark thigh meat) that exceeded my expectations. The meat inside was juicy and soft. Little did we know that we were in for a free-fall soon.

The gyoza arrived late, which was odd because those usually get to the table before the ramen too. These were hands-down the worst thing we had there. They were greasy but most importantly, the pork filling smelled really bad -- like the pork was either quite old or just not good quality when purchased.

You really need to step up your gyoza and broth game, Yamadaya.

I used to be biased against ramen joints that opened on the west side because I've never been impressed with their ramen. I would like nothing more than having that myth dispelled because it's close to where I am. For the time being, I'll have to venture to Santouka in Venice for immediate cravings and drive down to South Bay or Little Tokyo for Shinsengumi and other joints I have yet to try.

Shalala in Bay Area: Decent Shio Ramen and Uber-Crispy Gyoza

I'm always on the prowl for excellent ramen, so I was excited to try this spot in Mountain View in Northern California during a recent visit. I haven't had much luck finding a good place in San Francisco so it was a welcome adventure that made the long drive to South Bay worth it just for the anticipation of good food and good friends.

An old friend and I went to Shalala, a small joint in a strip mall near the Farmers' Market area. There was a line forming even before it opened, which was a good sign. The verdict is that I liked it. I got the shio (salt) ramen that came with two dainty slices of chashu in a tonkotsu broth that was delightfully porky.

We also got the mandatory gyoza, which I consider just as important for a ramen joint (ok, that's an overstatement but you know what I mean). Check out the wonderful crust that formed on the bottom of these beauties. It was like all the gyoza were joined at the hip but in a good way! The pork gyoza was solid and got me even more excited to try the ramen.

The broth was strong and good. The chashu was tender, probably boiled to death (also in a good way) and the noodles were just firm enough (how do say al dente in Japanese?)

We also got a radish, greens and bean sprout salad that had the standard soy-sauce based dressing that's slightly sweet.

It had deep fried wonton chips, which I dislike but didn't make much of since I was focused on the gyoza and ramen.

All in all, a happy meal that I hope to return to. Having said that, I don't think it topped Shinsengumi or Santouka here in LA. Did it top Daikokuya, you ask? I'm not going to honor that with an answer. D is one of the most overrated ramen shops in LA, and thank God Shinsengumi will finally give it a run for its money. Watch out, D, Shinsengumi is in town! Must try S's new Little Tokyo location but if the other S locales are any indication, it'll be rock solid. I heart Shinsengumi! Normal broth, low oil and hard noodles, baby!

Jinya: So Not What'cha Want

I was so disappointed by the blandness and lack of depth of the broth at Jinya, a Studio City ramen joint that had been getting rave reviews. I mean this tonkotsu ramen didn't even come close to my local faves, Shinsengumi and Santouka. True, they had run out of the curiously limited edition (20 servings max per day) of the richest "premium pork" Hakata tonkotsu ramen so had to resort to the Yokohama tonkotsu, whose only virtue was that it came with crispy onion bits that reminded me of an amazing ramen I had at the Yokohama ramen museum except that ramen had crispy garlic bits. The crispy onions imparted great sweetness and also gave the otherwise boring-as-hell bowl something interesting texture.



Felt like the broth hadn't been boiling with massive pork bones in them for hours on end. It was weak. It was bland. I had to add some sriracha sauce and chili flakes to be able to finish it. I didn't think it was on the level of Daikokuya, which I don't even like that much despite the ubiquitous lines outside of that yellow awning in Little Tokyo.

Going back to Jinya's ramen, the addition of spinach was ok but nothing to write home about. Not even spinach could salvage it from its blandness. The chasu pork slices weren't flavorful either. Yes, they were soft but again, so bland.

The noodles: they were ok but not as good as the hard noodles at Shinsegumi. The overall bowl was so unremarkable that I, who never lets a good bowl of ramen go to waste, couldn't finish it. That almost never happens with me.

And don't even get me started on the gyoza. Oh my God. All I have to say is, have some of your kitchen staff go train at Shinsegumi to get a handle of what real gyoza should taste like. The inside was a lump of ground pork that reeked of unfresh pork. What a travesty to peddle these as gyoza.

The chicken karaage was average to below average. I just can't believe that this place got so many raves. Am I missing something? Did I catch them on an off day?

I'm not so sure. The salad that came with the ramen combo was meh. I don't think I'll be returning. I'll go to Shinsengumi or Santouka any day over this place. So not worth the hype.

Even the so-called organic green tea served was so watered down and unimpressive that I vowed never to set foot in that joint again.

Shio Me the Ramen

[Update: I recently had the premium ramen with 6 slices of pork cheeks and it was surprisingly delish! It was a first for me, but boy, was it worth it. It's a bit pricier than the regular salt ramen, but I definitely recommend trying it at least once.]

I admit I have a soft spot for ramen and noodles, so be prepared for oodles of noodles and I promise they won't be hard to swallow. Santouka in the Mitsuwa Market in Venice is no exception. This is the place I go to for ramen on the west side if I don't want to venture out to Gardena's Shinsengumi that is dubbed SSG among the cognoscenti.

For second best, it isn't a bad bowl at all. Slurped on a cloudy Saturday afternoon after sleeping in, it's even better. The signature ramen is the salt (shio) ramen, which has an impressively deep pork-based broth but is inferior to SSG's Hakata ramen broth in one critical way -- it's significantly oilier, which distracts from the flavor.



The toppings include the usual suspects, such as crunchy green onions, chewy bamboo shoots, tender slabs of pork and a slice of fishcake that harmonize together both in flavor and texture. Santouka's version also comes with wood fungus and a pickled plum that submerges into the broth as you mix the noodles and feels like a pearl in the rough when you scoop it out because of its vibrant red color. I like the element of surprise, both to the eye and the palate, that comes with the pickled plum. It has a tangy taste that complements the thick broth very nicely. The noodles are decently firm but again, I prefer having more control over the doneness of the noodles, etc, like in SSG. And I would like the noodles to be firmer.

I have tried the spicy miso ramen and it's pretty good despite not having the pickled plum in it. I would recommend the salt ramen for first-timers. Santouka also offers the standard soy (shoyu) and a variety of combinations with mini rice bowls. Service is fast, parking is convenient, ambiance is barebones but I like that I can catch up on my grocery shopping on the way out (natto, anyone?). Take a jacket. It gets chilly in the food court, and even colder in the market. Santouka also has outposts in the Mitsuwas in Torrance and Costa Mesa. This one is located on the corner of Centinela and Venice. There is absolutely no reason to go to Sawtelle for your ramen cravings anymore.



And yes, it's better than Daikokuya in Little Tokyo, or any ramen joint in LT, for that matter. Daikokuya is plan C, when I have a hankering for ramen during the week. Avoid San Sui Tei, the new place that replaced Kobe Ramen a few doors down from Daikokuya, at all costs. The tonkotsu ramen was downright awful and service was infuriatingly slow. We'll have to continue standing in line for Daikokuya for now.

Perfect for a Hot Day

I know I shouldn't complain about the weather in LA because it's always so nice and sunny, but what's up with the weather lately? It has been scorchingly hot and I have had a hankering for something decidedly cool. So we headed straight to Ramenya in West LA to get the seasonal (in LA? More on this later) Hiyashi Chuka, cold Japanese noodles topped with a motherload of healthy vegetables, seaweed, egg and shredded chicken, sitting in a small pool of sauce that tastes like a combination of soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar. The toppings include strips of cucumber, bean sprouts and sea kelp; quartered tomatoes; eggs that have been cooked like an omelette and sliced in strips; shredded chicken; pickled ginger strips and toasted seaweed strips for added texture and even more healthiness. Vegetarians could ask to take the chicken out. Vegans wouldn't do because it'd be a slippery slope once the omelette strips were "stripped."

The dish comes with a dab of Japanese mustard to be mixed into the sauce, which will subsequently be mixed into the noodles. Depending on how spicy you want it, mix in all or 2/3 of the mustard. Readers of my Shinsengumi post will know that I go somewhere else for my hot bowl of ramen on a cold day. I am not a huge fan of Ramenya's hot ramen, gyoza or rice dishes, although I have some dissenters who have yet to be bitten by the Shinsegumi bug. If I get really desperate for ramen and don't want to drive all the way to Gardena, Santouka at the Mitsuwa Market in Venice is an acceptable option as it is nearby on the west side (will review separately). But when it's hitting 90 degrees (sorry to the Sun Devils in AZ), there is only one place to go for this almost guilt-free indulgence (because of the sheer amount of noodles, I tend to feel a bit overstuffed afterwards, so I have learned to set aside some noodles before mixing).



One curious thing is that Ramenya insists on making this coveted dish "seasonal," as if LA had real seasons! The stubborn restaurant refuses to serve the dish before April and after November or so, which keeps groupies like us calling them and asking with full anticipation, "are you serving it yet?" I think most, if not all, of the ingredients could be found during the cold winter days in LA. We sometimes casually ask the wait staff if there may be a remote possibility of making it a year-round item on the menu, to no avail. I guess they're set on serving it as a seasonal dish.

It's fairly small and gets pretty crowded during the lunch rush on weekends but it's also a quick turnover. Grab a Japanese fashion magazine -- or your favorite manga -- neatly stored on the bookcases lined up by the counter and check out those designer duds while you wait.

Ramenya recently opened a spinoff restaurant nearby serving Korean dishes such as soft tofu soups (soondoobu) and rice mixed with vegetables (bibimbab), but I have not yet tried it. The name of the new place escapes me, although I do recall Ramenya posting ads on the opening all over its restaurant.

BOWL OF RAMEN GOODNESS

I will kickoff my blog with my favorite ramen place in the U.S. -- Shinsengumi Hakata Ramen. I love ramen so much that I paid a visit to the Ramen Museum in Shin-Yokohama a few years ago -- hands down the best ramen experience I've had in my life. I sampled ramen from all over Japan from the masters themselves. One clear-broth bowl sprinkled with toasted garlic comes to mind. I recommend it to anyone who has a chance to go to Japan. It's only a quick train ride away from Tokyo and well worth it.



But I digress. Shinsengumi serves one type of ramen and one type only, which is always a good sign. It serves the pork bone-based Kyushu-style ramen that Shinsengumi's Web site claims cooks for more than 15 hours to get that delicious and hearty broth (http://www.shinsengumiusa.com/ramen.php). The standard bowl comes with 2-3 tender slices of pork, bamboo shoots, bright-pink sliced marinated ginger and loads of chopped green onions.

What I love about it is that you can tailor your bowl of ramen just the way you like it. Besides the wide array of toppings you can choose from, you are asked for desired levels of doneness of noodles, soup oil and strength of broth. After having tried different variations, I recommend going with hard noodles, low soup oil and normal broth. For those who like spicy, I recommend adding spicy miso that can be ordered on the side for some kick. Purists may balk but as much as I like the depth of the broth, I like how the spicy miso complements the somewhat overpowering porkiness of the broth.



Shinsengumi is also a good deal if you come hungry. For 95 cents, you can get an extra order of noodles. For less than a dollar more, you can get a combination meal that includes ramen with a side order of gyoza or fried rice. I am particular to the A and C-sets that come with mini gyozas (pan-fried dumplings) and dome-shaped fried rice (with pork and veggies), respectively.

I waver when asked which of the ramen franchises within Shinsengumi is best. I have a soft spot for the first franchise I ran into years ago in Fountain Valley and I frequent the one in Gardena because it's the most convenient. I haven't been to the one in Rosemead, but between FV and Gardena, I would have to go with the broth at FV's shop for its complexity and depth of flavor.



Don't worry about the waiters yelling in Japanese when you enter and leave. It's supposed to make you feel welcome, although I just try to block it out.

I have tried other items on the menu like potato croquette and albacore tuna salad, but none come even close to the divine goodness of the ramen. I have also tried other (but not all) restaurants in the Shinsengumi empire and have one plea and one complaint. 1) Please open a ramen shop in West LA! The shops lining Sawtelle have nothing on Shinsengumi. 2) Its Shabu-Shabu restaurants are no good. I also happen to love Shabu-Shabu but the meat was too thick, the sesame sauce was bland and it plain wasn't worth the drive.