You would think that good, authentic ramen, in a big city like Shanghai, would be a cinch to find. You might think that, and you’d be right…sort of. There’s a plethora of choices, from this, to this highly recommended shop, to this popular ramenya, or in a pinch, even this to choose from. My head…
ramen preview: kappa ramen – anaheim, ca – closed
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: 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: 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…
ramen alert: ippudo in OC!
Ramen fans might’ve heard of Ippudo, Shigemi Kawahara’s (aka the “Ramen King“) famous hakata ramen chain in Japan. With one location in New York, West Coasters have been left out…until now. For 4 days only, Ippudo’s original Shiromaru Motoaji Ramen will be available at the Costa Mesa Mitsuwa supermarket during their Japanese Gourmet Foods Fair.…
ramen rating: mizuki – irvine, ca
I’ve been waiting for Mizuki to open since something like last October, when they ran a cryptic ad in a local Japanese magazine announcing a new ramenya in Irvine…with no address and no opening date. Oh, and they were hiring. Excited that a new ramenya was opening in my back yard, I put on my…
ramen rating: yukino ya ramen – city of industry, ca
Have you been to Wonton Forest? Have you heard of Sapporo-Ya? How about Yukino Ya Ramen. There must be some sort of bad luck associated with this place, because Yukino Ya is the 3rd restaurant to be at this location in the past year. I happened to be in the area a week ago during…
ramen rating: ajisen kumamoto nama ramen
Now you can enjoy Ajisen Ramen at home! The globe-spanning Ajisen Ramen chain now has their very own kumamoto nama ramen! I don’t usually mention price in my reviews, but it bears noting that Ajisen’s nama ramen is the most expensive nama ramen I’ve seen, at just under $7 for a pack of 2. Another…
ramen rating: nippon japanese restaurant – houston, tx
This is edjusted reporting to you from Dallas, Texas–wait, what? What do you mean there’s no ramen here? Nothing?! No, Tampopo doesn’t count. Seriously? No ramen? Sigh…ok, pack it up. We’ll just get some etuoffee at Pappadeaux instead… This is edjusted reporting to you from Houston, Tex–what?! Again? No ramen?! Aw c’mon! These are two…
ramen rating: santa ramen – san mateo, ca
Among the unique logistical nightmares I face when traveling with a group of people is: 1. how do I trick–I mean convince everyone to eat ramen with me, and 2. how far out of the way can I coerce everyone into going for ramen? Recently, I was excited to be able to try another bay…
ramen rating: ajisen ramen – irvine, ca
Ajisen Ramen started out in the late 1960’s as a ramenya in Kumamoto, Japan, serving “Kumamoto Tonkotsu” ramen, a tonkotsu ramen served with a garlic and onion brown sauce. Since their humble beginnings, they’ve expanded to more than 300 stores worldwide and their Chinese joint venture even trades as a public company on the Hong…