What in the world is going on? Suddenly, within the last month or two, a half dozen or so new ramenyas have opened in Southern California. Have my prayers been answered? Will ramen shops eventually outnumber Starbucks? Unlikely, but I can hope, can’t I? Over a year ago, I found out about the existence of…
ramen rating: ramen mottainai – gardena, ca
One fine Saturday morning, as we discussed our plans for the weekend, my wife suddenly declared that “today’s ramen day! You’re going to eat nothing but ramen today!” Wait, what? Did I win the lotto? Am I dreaming? I guess all my recent whining about wanting to try some new ramen shops paid off. Of…
ramen rating: shizuma ramen – irvine, ca
There’s nothing quite as exciting as finding out a new ramenya is opening in your city, except for finding out that it’s now open! Woohoo! Shizuma Ramen is located in a typical non-descript strip mall probably best known for a popular pho restaurant a few doors down. There’s seating outside, and the interior has a…
ramen rating: la-men – buena park, ca
I noticed La-men springing into existence maybe a month or two ago on the way to a friend’s house. At first, my first instinct was to make fun of it. “La-men! Ha! They can’t even spell it right!” But later, when I found out it was actually run by Japanese people, I was intrigued. My…
ramen rating: breadbar ramen yatai – los angeles, ca
Trendy ramen comes of age in L.A. at BREADBAR (apparently, they don’t believe in lower case letters). Bakery and…well, “bread bar” by day, BREADBAR turns into a pop-up ramen yatai (food stand) serving “gourmet street food” by night and features guest chef Kazuo Shimamura from Ironnori Concepts. Their ramen selection ranges from the classics (shio,…
ramen rating: ramen setagaya – new york city, ny
This is what happens when you wait a full year before reviewing a restaurant…I went to Ramen Setagaya’s University Place location a couple of months after it opened last year, and now, when I’ve finally gotten my act together enough to write the review, I find out it closed about a month ago. Sigh. I…
ramen rating: ippudo – new york city, ny
It’s been a while since my last trip to New York. It’s been so long that instead of having to go to Ippudo, New York again, Ippudo came to Costa Mesa. So how did the Costa Mesa experience compare to “the real deal” in the Big Apple?
ippudo ramen – costa mesa, ca
Those of you who missed out on Ippudo Ramen’s first California appearance…all I can say is, you missed out! The ramen was delicious, and as tasty as the ramen served in their New York location. Since I’m determined to write up the review for their New York location this weekend, I thought it’d be redundant…
instant ramen final four: championship
Maruchan Roast Chicken vs. Sapporo Ichiban Original We’re down to the championship game. Sapporo Ichiban Original gets the tip off. Sapporo Ichiban Original plays deliberately and slowly. They like to set a slow-paced game with their subtler flavor. As before, their uniqueness lies in their blended taste. If you have to put a label to…
instant ramen final four: the bracket so far…
Whew! We’ve come a long way from the original 16. We’re down to the championship match, which will take place tomorrow night. Meanwhile, here’s a bracket view of the results so far. (Click on the bracket for a full-sized version.) So does anyone have any money riding on this? 😉 9:23pm: oops, I have the…
instant ramen final four: …err…final four!
Maruchan Roast Chicken vs. Maruchan Roast Beef We’re down to the final four, and it’s the battle of the Maruchan roast meats! The referees are drooling in anticipation. Maruchan Roast Beef puts its best beefy foot forward. Their soup could probably be used for an au jus sauce. Mmm…I’d dip my roast beef sandwich in…
instant ramen final four: elite eight part 2
Sapporo Ichiban Beef vs. Sapporo Ichiban Original There’ve been some interesting match-ups in this tournament, and this is no exception. The two darkhorses are battling it out this round. Both teams try to use their Sapporo Ichiban-ness against their opponent, and they just end up cancelling each other out. The two teams are almost identically…