Los Angeles, CA: Orochon Ramen
I must admit that the whole reason for this trip to Orochon Ramen was because I saw the Orochon challenge epsiode on Man vs. Food. Curious, I thought what ramen could possibly be that spicy that I couldn’t handle? So I had to find out. From the beginning, I had no intention on doing the Orochon challenge. Why torture myself? Did you see the size of the bowl on that episode? I could probably handle the spice and be able to eat all the noodles but finishing the entire bowl of broth would have been death. I like taking my time to enjoy the ramen and savor the goodness. It surprised me to find Orochon Ramen on the top level of a small, 2 story, depressing shopping center in L.A.’s Japan town. It was slightly overcast but still warm so we decided to sit in the patio area. Though, I would recommend sitting inside if you want a beer because they won’t serve alcohol outdoors. Sadly, I didn’t care to go inside the restaurant to check out the wall of bravery.
The ordering system is quite interesting. First you pick what kind of broth you want, the choices are miso, shoyu or shio. Then the fun part! You pick the level of spiciness that you want and there are 9 levels to choose from. Special #2 is their spiciest soup and the challenge level. Then finally, you can add extra toppings for an extra charge. I chose to have the miso broth with the special #2 level of spiciness (the spiciest). The boyfriend ordered the shoyu broth with a special #1 spiciness level. We decided to forgo the toppings and ordered a side of char to share instead. After we placed our orders, I was giddy with anticipation.
When the waiter brought my bowl of ramen to the table, he had a timer in hand and asked “challenge?”. I quickly shook my head and said “no, no challenge for me, thank you”. The glowing orange broth was still bubbling when it was set in front of me. There was an abundant amount of jalapeños. What I didn’t expect to see were green bell peppers which I’m not a big fan of. After digging in, I was happy to find other tasty toppings in the soup like bean sprouts, wood ear and slivers of pork. Now for my first bite…mmm mmm mmm…garlicky, rich, savory and spicy! This was absolutely the spiciest ramen I’ve ever had but not the spiciest food I’ve ever eaten. The temperature of the broth truly amped up the spiciness level of the ramen. My tongue was numb, my nose was running and the adrenaline was pumping. And as the soup cooled down, the spice subsided. The noodles were chewy and tender. I was beyond happy and satisfied.
The shoyu broth was also very tasty and was much more mild in comparison to the special #2. It was a really nice contrast to the miso. The shoyu broth was savory, slightly sweet and clean.
I would highly recommend ordering a side of cha siu, it was delicious! The slices were thick and immensely flavorful, tender and most importantly, not dry. It practically fell apart when I picked it up with my chopsticks. This is the best char siu I’ve had to date. I can’t wait to go back for more.
Orochon Ramen
123 S Onizuka St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 617-1766
Monterey Park, CA: Foo Foo Tei Ramen House
Situated in a small lack luster strip mall, Foo Foo Tei Ramen House stands unassumingly in the corner. It was about 2pm on a Wednesday and there were no other customers when we walked in. Usually, this is a red flag but for some reason, I wasn’t afraid. It actually turned out great because we had the whole place to ourselves. One of the first things that catches your eye is the wall of menu items displayed on faux wooden placards all in Japanese. I thought it was kinda cool because I imagined myself walking into a ramen house in Japan but after closer examination, it felt more like walking into a Chinese noodle house. As I sat down, I noticed a special on the wall that was posted in English and had a picture! The special was nanchatte tonkatsu ramen which included a soft drink and croquettes for just under 10 bucks. Score! I was having that! And what is the best accompaniment to ramen? Gyoza! One order please! When the waitress set down the bowl of nanchatte ramen, I started drooling instantly because it looked soo tasty. The first bite was heavenly…so yummy! The broth was creamy and full of flavor. The noodles were on the thinner side and had a good chewy texture. When the gyoza arrived I was in awe…I have never seen anything like it before…the gyoza had a hat! Aside from the dramatic presentation, more importantly, the gyoza was delicious and very juicy. I was utterly satisfied with my meal at Foo Foo Tei Ramen House and look forward to visiting again the next time I’m in Los Angeles.
Foo Foo Tei Ramen House
750 S Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91755
(626) 588-2010
San Francisco, CA: Halu
Halu is located on 8th and clement and is formally known as mama san japanese cuisine (look closely at the awning). We originally came here for the ramen but was happy to find that the specialty of the restaurant was yakitori and kushi katsu. This was my first time seeing kushi katsu on a menu. Turns out Kushi katsu is deep fried stuff on a stick! Who can resist that?
The feel of the restaurant was very homey. It’s the size of a closet, but they have an open kitchen and counter which added to the casual atmosphere. I wish I was taller or the counter was lower so I could watch the chef in action.
The beatles posters and paraphernalia and the rock and roll makes this place a hip hole in the wall.
I ordered the chashu ramen which was pretty good. However, if it weren’t for the chashu, i would say it would have only been okay. The chashu was sweet, juicy and very tender. I could hardly pick it up with my chopsticks. The texture of the noodles were al dente and well cooked, but definitely not as good as the noodles from suzu noodle house in japan town. I wasn’t crazy about the broth, it wasn’t bad at all, it’s just that it tasted like miso and i tend to like shoyu broths better. Overall, the ramen was good and we did finish the entire bowl of noodles and I would order again just for the chashu. : )
Even though we went to halu for ramen, the kushi katsu ended up being the main attraction. It was a toss up between the yakitori dinner and the kushi katsu dinner, but we decided on the kushi katsu since we’ve never had it before. Best decision ever. We ordered the kushi katsu dinner which came with an assortment of 6 deep fried panko skewars. We were served a combination of proteins and vegetables from left to right: chicken, beef, shrimp, trumpet mushroom, okra and pork. There is just something about eating food on a stick, it’s so fun! The trumpet mushroom was amazing. The texture was like meat…hard to explain you just have to try it for yourself. The chopped onions, parsley and extra mayo on top sent my taste buds to flavor heaven.
Halu
312 8th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
415.221.9165
San Francisco, CA: Suzu Noodle House
Wow. Can you believe it’s already July??? It’s hard to believe the biggest holiday of the summer is upon us. My first post of the month is about Suzu noodles in San Francisco’s Japan town. Finally…can this be a decent ramen restaurant in the city? So far, all the good and popular restaurants have been in San Mateo or Burlingame which is quite a drive for ramen. It’s located on the lower level of the Japan town center and when we walked in, there was a line…which to me…was a good sign. The restaurant is pretty small with about six or eight 2-4 person tables. Most of the patrons seemed to get their ramen business done quick….in and out in about 15 to 20 minutes which made the wait not that bad. I ordered the mabo tofu ramen and anthony got the spicy negi (green onions). My broth was not bad…not the best I’ve had but not bad. When I ordered the mabo tofu I was a little concerned that the broth was going to be too thick but when they served it, I was happy to see that the consistency was more soupy than gooey. The really good thing about Suzu is their ramen noodles. It was on hit and perfectly al dente. I think anthony felt the same way about his ramen, thought the noodles were pretty stellar but the soup was only okay. Overall, I would visit this place again and try their shoyu and maybe the gyoza.
Mabo Tofu Ramen
Spicy Negi Ramen
Suzu Noodle House
1825 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
415.346.5083