Midtown Lunch

Anybody who has eaten at Chin Ma Ya in Little Tokyo in the past year probably won’t be surprised by this news… they will be closing on January 20th.  2 1/2 years ago it may have been the best place in Downtown L.A. to get kara-age and tan tan mien, but it has been slowly going downhill ever since.  Part of me feels a little bit saddened by the news, but if it’s being replaced by Ikemen that feeling won’t last long. Goodbye old friend.

Photo courtesy of Jose Wolff

If you thought that the Tan Tan Men at Chin Ma Ya (in Little Tokyo) looked amazing, but are looking for something a bit more refreshing for lunch, we’ve got great news for you.  The cold version of tan tan men at Chin Ma Ya (both locations) is now $6.95.  And you can add gyoza, fried shrimp, kara-age, or soboro gohan for just $2.65 more.   Nice.

Related:
Chin Ma Ya’s Tan Tan Men Combines Two of My Favorite Things (Dan Dan Noodles & Ramen)

Is there a better area of Downtown to work near (or eat lunch in) than Little Tokyo?  It almost makes me want to get a job at City Hall just so I could work near all the great Japanese food that lines the streets between Main St. and Alameda.  I’ve already tried the porky bowl of goodness that is Daikokuya’s ramen, and the Little Tokyo Marketplace (on 3rd & Alameda) is on my radar.  But when Profiled Lunch’er “Nguyen” (who also happens to own Starry Kitchen in the Downtown Water Court) called Chin Ma Ya’s ramen one of his favorite dishes to eat Downtown, the Weller Court (nr. 2nd and Los Angeles) leaped to the top of my list.

Chin Ma Ya isn’t known for their typical Japanese ramen.  You can order a shoyu or shio ramen, but their specialty is something called “tan tan men” a Japanese ramen with a Sichuan twist (imagine a bowl of soup with dan dan noodles dumped into it, and that’s the dish.)  I love ramen.  And I love Sichuan cuisine.  So there was pretty much no way this was going to be bad…

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