For some people, good chashu is an integral part of a good bowl of ramen. Good luck with that if you’re making instant ramen at home. But instead of going through the trouble of making chashu from scratch, just follow these steps for almost-instant gratification: 1. Go to your local Trader Joe’s. 2. Buy a…
mitsuwa chashu mini review
My wife pointed this out to me while we were at Mitsuwa Supermarket today, stocking up on ramen, snacks, and canned coffee (20% off everything this weekend! woohoo!). At $9.99/lb, that’s more expensive than some high quality steaks I’ve seen! I was excited to try this out. I took my first bite of the chashu…
you wanna be what now?
A pack of instant ramen…uh…wishes it was a spaghetti instead… Spoilers…and ramen is perfect just the way it is… …and yeah, meatballs *wish* they could be chashu! So take that! If you’d prefer an actual physical book to read to your kids, here ya go.
ramen shack – san juan capistrano, ca
If you’re a regular to this blog or to the ramen scene, you probably already know or have heard of Keizo Shimamoto, the ramen wizard who quit his job to pursue ramen full time and who invented the ramen burger sensation. You may also know that Keizo had a thriving ramen burger stand and popups…
happy new year!
Happy New Year! May your ramen bowl be always full, your chashu be not too lean, not too fatty, your egg be cooked just right, and your noodles never be soggy. 🥳
kopan ramen – fullerton, ca
Kopan Ramen is a tonkotsu ramen chain that has multiple locations in L.A. county. They have one location in Fullerton, which is where I headed. The ramen is customizable: you pick the size, spice level (0 to 3), the choice of meat (pork belly chashu, fatty pork, or chicken breast). All ramen come with green…
plumeria cafe – laguna niguel, ca
Raise your hand if you go to places that specialize in Hawaiian and breakfast dishes and you order the ramen instead 🙋♂️ Is it just me? Plumeria Cafe is a cafe nestled in the Laguna Design Center that was created by the people behind Stacks Pancake House. They recently introduced a Yokohama-Style ramen that’s a…
yoshiharu ramen – orange, ca
Yoshiharu is another ramen shop that specializes in tonkotsu ramen, but interestingly enough, they don’t seem to offer a “straight” tonkotsu ramen. They have tonkotsu shoyu, tonkotsu miso, a tonkotsu spicy miso, tonkotsu black, and a tsukemen. And a vegetable ramen. They also offer a few options on the accoutrements. You can order the chashu…
ramain39 ramen izakaya – huntington beach, ca
Another day, another new ramen shop! Ramain39 (named after the intersection they’re on), opened just a couple of months ago and still has a slight “new store” smell. Ramain39 specializes in tonkotsu, so I went with the black ramen version. I was warned it’s spicy. Bring it! The fully loaded ramen comes with black bonito,…
fukusuke japanese ramen dining – fountain valley, ca
Fukusuke opened last year in a location that seems to be cursed…there’ve been at least 2 different restaurants there in the past few years. Fukusuke offers a wide variety of ramen, including the majors: shoyu, miso, shio, and tonkotsu. I decided to go with the “Tokyo Style” Shoyu, with a side order of soft boiled…
hironori ramen – irvine, ca
Irvine has a new fancy food hall, and it has a new ramen shop! HiroNori, a “Craft Ramen” shop, is the brainchild of partners Hiromichi and Tadanori (get it?), two Japanese natives who’re apparently making everything from scratch, including their noodles. Intrigued? So am I! First, the TRADE Food Hall plaza, where HiroNori Rame is…
ramen & chanko dining torizo – fountain valley, ca
A new ramen shop…in Orange County…that *doesn’t* specialize in tonkotsu ramen?? It doesn’t even serve tonkotsu ramen??? YES! As much as I like tonkotsu ramen, I’m still a shoyu guy. But hmm…Torizo has yuzu shio, which is tough to find around here. And speaking of tough to find, Torizo can be tough to find from…