8 years ago this week as a wee lad lunching in Midtown Manhattan I stumbled upon this sign perched high above Madison Avenue.  Promising the world’s finest noodle shop; pointing to nothing. Being a hub for Japanese businessmen, Midtown already had its share of ramen joints but it would still be another two years before the Japanese chain Ippudo brought truly great ramen to New York City.  In other words, the opening or closing of a Midtown ramen shop in 2014 would barely register a raised eyebrow.  In 2006, the Larmen Dosanko sign was a truly exciting mystery.

With a little bit of online sleuthing, I discovered that Larmen Dosanko was one of very first and largest ramen chains in Japan.  “The McDonald’s of Japan” according to this 1981 article in the New York Times.  In the 70s they expanded to New York, serving up noodles in soup or sautéed with meat or veggies, but by the time this photo was taken all of the branches had closed down.  Well, last week Dosanko quietly returned to the United States. But instead of New York they decided on Los Angeles, taking over the Ramenya space on Olympic near Barrington.

And 8 years after seeing that mysterious sign, I finally got to taste what Larmen Dosanko was all about.

When you walk in you’re greeted by a giant timeline on the wall, confirming that this Dosanko is indeed a descendant of the New York chain whose sign I spotted back in 2006. But apparently they rebranded earlier this year, and expanded to Paris and Los Angeles.

While most ramen in L.A. is the pork heavy tonkotsu ramen from Hakata, or a Tokyo style hybrid, Dosanko’s ramen is from Sapporo- where the chain was originally launched. That means there’s ginger and ground pork in your white miso ramen.

And there’s corn (and spicy ground pork) in the house special spicy ramen with red miso. They also come with a bright and runny 1/2 egg and super solid thick curly noodles- most similar to the ones at Tsuita Annex. But don’t worry too much, pork lovers. While the broth isn’t as crazy fatty as Tsujita or Daikokuya, it’s plenty rich enough- and comes with thick hunks of braised chashu.

There are also the requisite add ons, like gyoza, chashu bowls, pork fried rice and a curry bowl. But I don’t see how anybody will be able to avoid getting their signature spicy butter corn fried rice. (Spoiler: It’s as good as it sounds.)

The bowls are all $9-10, or you can splurge for the $12-13 “deluxe” bowls which appear to just come with more of everything- most notably double the egg, and triple the chashu. There’s also a soy sauce ramen, a seafood ramen, and a spicy seafood ramen. And it’s cash only (for now?)

World’s Finest Noodle Shop? Not in 2014.  But it’s more than good, and far better than McDonald’s.  So just when you thought the West L.A. ramen scene couldn’t get any better, it does. Welcome back to the U.S. Dosanko. It’s good to finally meet you.

Dosanko, 11555 W Olympic Blvd (nr. Barrington)

Bad news for fans of Krua Siri’s catfish laab and papaya salad. The 3 year old Thai Town dive with the hidden Issan menu closed a few months back.  The good news is, it’s been replaced by an equally divey new ramenya, serving up a small menu of Japanese noodle soups and sides for ridiculously low prices.  There’s a tonkotsu ramen, a miso ramen, and a shio ramen with a pat of sea salt butter, all for $7.50.  But the really crazy deal is their combo.

For $9 you get any bowl of ramen, plus gyoza and one of the best fried rices I’ve ever had a ramen shop (studded with what I imagine are leftover bits of chashu pork.)   And the soup?  

Super homey, in the best possible way imaginable.  I’ve never been to Japan, but I’d like to imagine this is what the food tastes like at a Tampopo style, truck stop ramenya. Warm, comforting, homey, cheap. With a perfectly cooked egg and noodles that are probably from Sun.

Will it replace Tsujita or Daikokuya at the top of people’s list of favorite ramen in L.A.?  Not likely.  Nor will it lure away the chicken and vegetable loving ramen eaters of Silverlake Ramen and Tatsu.  But if you’re on the east side and looking for a super cheap, homestyle ramen lunch special, this is a great new option.  Hopefully it will last longer than Krua Siri…

Fukurou Ramen, 5103 Hollywood Blvd. 323-719-9011

I think it’s safe to say that Sawtelle Blvd, in West L.A., has become the ramen capital of Southern California.  While practically every neighborhood in Los Angeles now has a decent ramen option, Sawtelle has practically every ramen option all on one street.  Want to eat the best bowl of Tonkotsu ramen or tsukemen dippings noodles in the city?  Go to Tsujita. Want a pork fat infusion from the place that held that distinction before Tsujita, and has better rice bowls?  There’s now a Daikokuya on the strip.  Infamous Jiro style ramen, with fatter noodles? Tsujita Annex.  Soup-less ramen?  Tatsu has you covered.  And if you long for the days when L.A. didn’t know what a great bowl of ramen tasted like, there’s always the throwback assari-kei ramen at Asahi where you choose between shoyu, shio, or miso (although you’re probably better off driving the extra 3 miles to Santouka.)

So where does Shin Sen Gumi, the Gardena based hakata style ramen chain with locations in the SGV, Fountain Valley, and Little Tokyo, fit in to all this madness? When they opened up Downtown their only competition was Daikokuya, making it an easy sell.  But their newest location just opened on the little extension of Sawtelle just north of Santa Monica, blocks away from some of the best ramen in the city. Here are 5 reasons you’d want to end up at SSG…

1. Customized broth – There are few things more satisfying than a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, dense with extra ladles of pork fat.  But nobody would ever say it’s a good remedy for a cold, like Chinese wonton soup or Korean kalguksu. But sometimes you’re looking for something a bit lighter, and SSG is perfect for that.  You get to choose your “oil” level (code for pork fat) and “base” (code for saltiness) which is perfect for that person who still wants a porky soup but might be fighting off the sniffles. Throw some boiled wontons in there from the toppings list and you’ve got the best of both worlds- wonton soup with ramen broth.  Which brings us to the next reason why you’d choose SSG over the other places on Sawtelle…

2. Toppings!  Nobody would argue that SSG’s tonkotsu broth is more complex than Tsujita or porkier than Daikokuya (even if you go big and check off thick oil and strong base.)  But if you’re into toppings, nobody beats Shin Sen Gumi.  Every bowl of soup comes with chashu pork, pickled ginger, green onions and sesame seeds, but if you want more SSG has a menu of over 20 extra toppings to choose from, including bamboo, corn, two kinds of egg (hard boiled and poached), pork cutlets, various seaweeds, pastes and butters.  Each costs $1-3, and can definitely add up quickly, but they all come in a separate little container.  So the best move is to go with other people and share the toppings.

3. Half bowls – And if that wasn’t enough customization for you, they also offer half bowls of ramen for just $4.75.  The downside of the half bowl is that it doesn’t come with a ton of noodles and they won’t allow you to add extra (a clear cut case of “that’s how they getcha!”), but the upside is you have more stomach space for…

4. All the ridiculous fried shit – SSG has all the standard side dishes like fried rice, chashu don, and saboro don. (Aka the stuff that Daikouya does incredibly well.)  But they have a ton of other crazy fried shit that you’re not going to find at any other ramen place on the strip.  They do six kinds of karaage for $5.50 each, and have a menu of $3.50 tapas with close to 20 different items that range from totally normal (takoyaki, agedashi tofu, edamame) to just plain wacky (deep fried bacon butter croquettes and jack cheese egg rolls.)  Not all of it is great, but it makes for a far more fun meal than just your typical bowl of ramen.

5. And finally… the location!  The main stretch of Sawtelle, which extends from the Sushi Stop just south of Olympic to Plan Check just south of Santa Monica, has become a madhouse.  Parking can get insane and lines at most of the ramenya are not uncommon these days.  The new Shin Sen Gumi is not only north of Santa Monica, completely away from the Sawtelle strip, it’s on the larger side and hasn’t entirely been discovered yet.  Not sure how long it will stay this way, and if Tsujita Annex is any indication the answer is: “not long”.  But for now it’s worth taking advantage of the easy street parking and lack of lines.

Shin Sen Gumi, 1601 Sawtelle Blvd

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any crazier on Sawtelle in West LA, signage went up a few months ago announcing that Daikokuya would be opening just down the street from Tsujita, considered by many to be serving the best bowl of ramen in Los Angeles.  It’s enough to make ramen geeks squeal because while Tsujita is clearly serving the noodle bowl of the moment, Daikokuya’s ultra popular downtown location could be considered the ramenya that started it all here in Los Angeles.

A month ago the new West L.A. location of Daikokuya soft opened for dinner, but they didn’t start serving lunch until two days ago. And by day two the place is already packed. Check out the menu after the jump…

They’re still in soft opening mode, serving a menu that’s fairly limited compared to the Downtown location.

The Daikokuya ramen is the same  bowl of tonkotsu goodness you get downtown, with curly yellow noodles, slices of super tender pork and a soft boiled egg.  I still prefer Tsujita’s ramen (their broth is more refined and their noodles are waaaay better) but I can see how some people would prefer this salty, porky, easy to eat bowl of soup that is twice as big as its Tsujita counterpart. They’re also serving a spicy miso ramen if that’s your thing.

The place where Daikokuya really laps the competition is their rice bowls.  They have a ton of different options all available as full meals or add ons, include fried rice, oyakodon, sliced pork, sliced beef, eel, salmon egg and katsu- plus the go-to sweet and salty shredded pork bowl you see above.

It’ll be interesting to see whose lines get longer during lunchtime.  Tatsu and Tsujita’s Annex have clearly benefited from proximity to the new king, while Olympic provided a chasm too wide to cross for the ramen at Jinya.  But Daikokuya is no Jinya.  It’s a destination in and of itself, and with the benefit of a large, free parking lot will Olympic prove to be the thing that causes Daikokuya fans to just resign themselves to waiting?  And will this battle once and for all answer who serves the best bowl of ramen in Los Angeles?

Or do we have to wait for Shin Sen Gumi to open?

Daikokuya West L.A., 2208 Sawtelle Blvd. 310-575-4999

When Tsujita first announced that they’d be taking over the old Miyata Menji space to open an “Annex” it made total sense.  The  popular ramen spot on Sawtelle has been perpetually packed for lunch since word got out that they were serving the best bowl of ramen in L.A.  Plus, the original space turns into a ramen-less izakaya at night so having a replicon across the street would not only lessen the lines during lunch but would also give Tsujita’s legions of fans an opportunity to eat their ramen for dinner.

Well, the Annex had their grand opening yesterday after a 4 day invite only trial period and you might be surprised to hear that the bowl of ramen they’re serving is absolutely nothing like the original.  The good news is, it’s nothing like any of the other bowls of ramen in Los Angeles either.

The first sign that this Tsujita is going to be different are the condiments.  The pickled ginger, hot mustard leaf, and sesame seeds have been replaced by freshly pressed garlic, black pepper, and Japanese chili powder (onikasu), which turn out to be all the clues a ramen fanatic might need to unlock the inspiration behind this place.  Because just like Tsujita was modeled after Tanaka Shoten, Tsujita Annex is modeled after a different but equally famous chain of Tokyo ramen shops.

Ramen Jiro! The pile of bean sprouts with a tiny bit of shredded cabbage.  The rough cut char sui cut from the that’s been rolled into the shape of a tenderloin and sliced thick.  The fat filled tonkotsu/shoyu broth that almost spills over the top of the bowl.  And of course…

… the thick cut noodles, which are even fatter than the tsukemen noodles they serve across the street.  All markers of a Jiro-style bowl of ramen.

The one similarity between this and the bowl of tonkotsu ramen across the street at the original Tsujita?  The perfectly cooked egg. I’ve never tried any of the dozens of original Jiro style ramen shops in Tokyo so I can’t say how it stands up, but if you’re a student of different kinds of ramen you’ll be excited to know that L.A. just added a new style to its repertoire.  If the globules of fat aren’t enough to clue you in, the broth is far richer than most anything you’ve had in L.A. so finishing the whole thing isn’t recommended- unless you are as they say in Tokyo, a “manly man”.  But after polishing off the noodles, pork, egg, and veg, mixed in with some fresh garlic and super spicy red chili powder, you’ll be more than satisfied.

Right now the standard tonkotsu/shoyu is all they’re serving, in addition to a menu of small rice bowls just like the ones at Tsujita (char sui, ikura, tuna and spicy tuna) and they hope to have the miso version ready to go by next week. But if you were hoping the Annex would mean Tsujita ramen at dinnertime or shorter lunchtime lines at the original,  guess again.  If anything it looks like we’ll now have two ramen spots on Sawtelle with crazy lines out the door.

Tsujita Annex, 2500 Sawtelle Blvd. 310-231-0222

In case you missed it on Eater at the end of last year, I’ll say it again.  If you live or work on the westside, there is really no reason to travel any substantial distance for ramen.  Want a giant bowl of super porky Hakata style ramen, you go to Yamadaya.  Want something porky, but a bit more refined, or the perfect bowl of Tsukemen (dipping noodles)? You’ll be joining the hordes, waiting outside of Tsujita.  And if shio or shoyu ramen is your thing, then former westside ramen champ Santouka still satisfies.

So when Besha Rodell from the L.A. Weekly wrote about Hayatemaru, Torrance’s new Hokkaido style ramen shop, back in June I didn’t really pay much attention.  But now that the Japanese chain has opened a second location on Olympic and Barrington, I’m all in!

The menu has 7 different bowls of ramen all available in full or half portions ($8.50-$9/$5.50-$6), plus two versions of tsukemen- one with a shoyu dipping broth, one with the miso broth.

Half Bowl of their Hokkaido Ramen

Their Hokkaido ramen is a tonkotsu base, w/ chashu, chunks of garlic, and wavy yellow noodles- which are springy and so good.  There are also bamboo shoots, scallions, and bean sprouts, but none of the corn, cabbage, or seafood that you’ll often find in large bowls of Sapporo style ramen. In fact, even though most articles say that Hayatemaru is Sapporo style, it sounds more like this description of Asahikawa ramen- which is what Santouka is known for. Either way it’s nice and porky, but not as strong or heavy as the Hakata style tonkotsu ramen you’ll find at Yamadaya or Tsujita.

Miso ramen is actually what Sapporo is known for, and their White Miso Ramen is great if you prefer that to a straight tonkotsu broth.

It seems like you can’t open a new ramen place in L.A. without offering up a version of tsukemen, and Hayatemaru does two.  We tried the shoyu, which came with extra thick noodles and a concentrated bowl of their shoyu broth.  It wasn’t as strong or as fishy as most tsukemen broths, but they give you fish powder on the side if that’s your thing. And even though the broth is light enough to drink on its own, they still offer to add hot broth to your bowl when your done with the noodles, if you want to finish by drinking the leftover dipping juice as a soup.  It won’t replace Tsujita’s tsukemen as the best in L.A., but the noodles are great, and the broth is perfect for people who are turned off by the strong bonito flavor of Tsujita’s version.

The menu also has gyoza, assorted rice bowls, katsu, and karaage- all priced at under $10, making them perfect accompaniments to a half bowl of ramen.

At most ramen spots in L.A. the gyoza are a pleasant if unspectacular afterthought, but not here.  These are super plump and juicy, with the perfect amount of crispiness on the outside. Clearly homemade, and very flavorful, if dumplings are your thing these are a must order.

And the version of karaage that comes topped with sweet vinegar and ginger sauce is awesome.

The basics are Hayatemaru are all great, and they’ve been open less than a week.  The chashu pork was a little dry, but I’m sure they’ll work it out… and that was really the only thing wrong with everything we ordered.  And there’s plenty more to try that we didn’t get to.  There’s a red miso ramen that looked good, as well as three spicy ramen (jiggae, spicy miso, and orochon) and the katsu and the different rice bowls too.

Of course now the big question is, do I regret never driving down to Torrance to check this place out earlier?  And the answer… who cares.  Now, I don’t have to.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• I love Sapporo style ramen!  So excited to have a solid version on the westside.
• Yellow wavy noodles FTW!  (And these are way better than Santouka’s or Daikokuya’s.)
• I think Tsujita’s tsukemen is too fishy.  This version is perfect.
• Perfectly cooked dark meat karaage covered in a sweet vinegar/ginger sauce?  Sign me up.
• So glad they offer half bowls of soup for under $6.  When it comes to ramen, that’s all I need.
• If the mark of a good ramen place is their gyoza, this place is the best ramen place in L.A.

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• I prefer a much richer, porkier broth.  And straight noodles.  Tsujita is still my favorite.
• The pork was super dry. Hopefully they’ll work out the kinks in the next few weeks.
• Where’s my corn?  And cabbage?  And seafood?  Sapporo ramen my butt.
• Cash only

Ramen Hayatemaru, 11678 W. Olympic Blvd.

Men Oh Tokushima

This Tokyo ramen chain opened its first L.A. location back in October in the same strip mall as Aloha Cafe and Sushi-Gen.  Fans of the super porky broth at Daikokuya might not consider it a suitable replacement, but pure ramen fans looking for something new and different will find a lot to like about this place.  Their signature ramen is a combination tonkotsu/shoyu broth, giving the soup an interesting flavor that you’re not likely to find at any other ramenya in L.A.  Toss in some thinly sliced, stir fired pork belly alongside the more typical chashu pork and you’ve got a bowl of ramen worth going a little bit out of your way for.  456 E 2nd St. 213-687-8485

Ikemen

When this self proclaimed “stylish” noodle shop first opened in Hollywood two years ago, tsukemen was a new concept to most Angelenos. Now dipping noodles are all the rage among a certain group of ramenhounds, and while Ikemen has adopted a less traditional menu of options (to say the least), it’s clearly been popular enough to warrant a second location. The new location, which faces Astronaut E S Onizuka St. on the bottom floor of the Weller Court, features the same menu but feels a bit less claustrophobic than the original, with chairs that literally look fit for a king. Not interested in dipping your noodles? Their premium ramen (which is limited to a certain number of bowls per day) is one of the more underrated bowls of tonkotsu ramen in L.A. 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St. 213-928-0525

Tsurumaru Udon Restaurant

Want to forget about ramen altogether?  A new fast food udon restaurant has opened on the 3rd floor of the Little Tokyo Shopping Center that houses Woori Market (on Alameda and 4th).  They have a wide range of hot and cold udon dishes, with or without soup, topped with all the things you’d expect to find at a typical udon place: bonito, seaweed, grated daikon, and an assortment of tempura (including a kick ass vegetable kakiage, that a small bird could probably live in.)  There’s also warm rice balls stuffed with salmon, seaweed, or cod roe, and the best part is, the bowls are cheap enough that you can add one all sorts of extras and still get out of there for under $10.  333 S Alameda St

Bonus: Marugame Monzo

Can’t get enough udon?  You’ll be excited to learn that a new udon place is also taking over the old Fat Spoon place on 1st Street (next to Daikokuya).  It’s called Marugame Monzo, and they hope to be open next month serving handmade udon.  Hopefully they’ll do a better job of attracting the Daikokuya spillover than their predecessor.

When I heard about Tatsu Ramen opening on Sawtelle, three things immediately came to mind:

1. Ordering on iPads is a stupid gimmick…
2. … there’s no way this place is going to be good.
3. What the hell is “naked ramen” and why the hell would I want to eat it?

What I learned after actually eating at Tatsu?

1. Ordering ramen on iPads attached to the wall is kind of fun!
2. This place is no freakin’ joke.
3. And naked ramen is my new favorite bowl of noodles for the summer

Check it out after the jump…

As promised, you walk into Tatsu and immediately place your order using an iPad hanging on the wall.

There are only two options: Tonkotsu Ramen ($10) & Naked Ramen. ($9)

You then choose your protein (pork, tofu, or chicken), the level of garlic and heat you want added to the bowl, as well as your toppings.  Egg or no egg, corn, seaweed, and fresh garlic are all free.  And then you have the option of paying to add more pork ($2), chicken ($2), tofu ($1), noodles ($1), or eggs ($1 each).

Once you’re done you pay with a credit card, get your receipt and one of the waitresses will seat you.

Considering the gimmicks I had pretty low expectations for the ramen, but ended up really surprised at how good and flavorful it was. If you like straight noodles these are some of the better ones you’ll find in L.A., and the whole egg was perfectly ooozy in the center.

And you get two giant, elephant ear size portions of thick cut pork.  It’s not as perfect as what you get Tsujita, and there are those who will be disappointed that it’s not belly, but it didn’t lack in the fat or flavor department.  And there was a ton of it.  The soup itself is a bit darker than a typical tonkotsu, and didn’t have the same porky punch you get at places like Yamadaya or Daikokuya.  But the broth still manages to linger, like a pork flavored lip gloss.  Personal ramen preferences aside, these guys clearly know what they’re doing.

But the real surprise of the lunch was the “Naked Ramen”, which is not so much a soup-less version of their tonkotsu as it is a completely different noodle dish on the menu.

First off, it uses a curly ramen noodle (and a great one at that) that comes topped with your choice of protein, an egg, scallions and a sesame oil sauce that is equal parts sweet and mildly spicy. And the acidity from the squirt of lime ties the whole thing together. But the best part is the crunch you get from the little dish of toasted whole wheat breadcrumbs.  It’s not served cold, but I could probably eat this every day for the entire summer.

The place has only been open a few weeks so naturally there are some slight improvements that could be made.  For example, the day I was there the chashu and the center of my egg were both a bit on the cold side.  And there have been complaints about saltiness.  But overall it made a great first impression, especially for being on a street that is rapidly feeling like it can’t take another ramen option.

The + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Love the iPad ordering!  It’s not only a lot of fun, but it lets you add as little or as much of the toppings as you’d like
• Between Tsujita, the beef ramen at Gottsui, and the wackiness of Miyata Menji, it’s nice to have yet another different tasting ramen option on Sawtelle.
• I prefer straight noodles to curly noodles in my ramen.
• I’m sick of pork belly.  I like those gigantor thick cut slices of pork that some ramen places serve.
• It’s summertime… who wants to eat a big bowl of ramen.  Naked Ramen FTW!
• Breadcrumbs + noodles = awesomeness

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Why would eat this tonkotsu with Tsujita right next door?
• Sorry, but ramen without pork belly is no kind of ramen I want to eat.
• The broth is a bit too salty for me
• Corn, seaweed and scallions is it?!  I need more toppings in my ramen.
• What are we in Japan?  I don’t want to order my ramen from a vending machine or a computer.  Let me sit down and order from a regular menu.

Tatsu Ramen, 2123 Sawtelle Blvd. 310-684-2889

Thanks to Yamadaya and Jinya and a few others, no neighborhood is safe from the ramen explosion that is currently sweeping through Los Angeles. The Valley, Miracle Mile, Hollywood, Culver City, even Koreatown has a better than average ramen option, saving pork loving noodle fans from the lines at Daikokuya, or the trip west to Santouka. It doesn’t matter where you live or work, a good to great bowl of ramen should be no more than 15 minutes away from anywhere in the city. And now that Tsujita is open, L.A. finally has the kind of place that you only read about on blogs like Rameniac or in magazines like Lucky Peach. The small ramenya dedicated to serving up a single, perfectly crafted bowl of soup- take it or leave it.

When you take a step back and look at the history of ramen in this city, the progression seems pretty clear. Introduction, Explosion, Expansion, Perfection. So, what’s next? It’s got to be innovation. How else would you expect to survive, opening a restaurant specializing in ramen and tsukemen across the street from the best ramen and tsukemen restaurant in the city. Ok, so maybe innovation is a kind word for what Miyata Menji is, the latest ramenya to open in West L.A. (right across the street from Tsujita, in the old Gr/eats space.) Downright wacky is more like it.

Their menu, which you may have seen here a few weeks ago, has got just two options.  Ramen or tsukemen.

The ramen is called a tonkotsu ramen, but it likely doesn’t look or taste like any ramen you’ve ever had in L.A. The broth is slicked with a bit of fat, but the requisite pork belly is replaced by slices of beef that the menu refers to as teriyaki, but I’d say is more like bulgogi.  For toppings, there are scallions, garlic, and fried shallots, but the standout is obviously the chunks of tomato which add an odd freshness to contrast with the oily tonkotsu broth.  The noodles are perfectly good, but not as great as the Miyata Menji website, or the photos on the wall, would have you believe.  It’d be easy to scoff and say it’s not as good as Tsujita or other ramen places (and many will) but it wasn’t terrible.  Just different.

The tsukemen, on the other hand, will be a bit more polarizing.  The noodles are the same as what you get in the ramen, even though in the photo they look like fettuccine, and come to the table in a strainer all cold and clumped together underneath a big heap of boiled cabbage and parmesan.

If you thought Tsujita’s dipping broth was too fishy, wait until you get your noodles into this curry-like sludge.   It’s so thick I wouldn’t call it a broth, and so packed with bonito or anchovies or whatever it is they make it with that you can’t even taste the cheese.  It’s also not particularly hot, and the noodles are a bit colder than they should be, making for a pretty jarring combo.

You’re encouraged to help yourself to the bread that is on a table against the wall, but don’t bother.  It’s as dry and stale as you’d expect pre sliced bread held in a plastic container all day to be.

Did I love Miyata Menji?  Not really.  But I didn’t hate it either. I kind of don’t know how to feel about it.  They’re actually not the first ramen place to veer off into cheese and tomato wackiness. Yamadaya offers a ramen covered in parmesan cheese and Ikemen, in Hollywood, has some pretty weird tsukemen dishes (including one with all Italian ingredients.)  But the standard ramen dishes at those two places provide proof that they have mastered their craft.  Miyata Menji doesn’t.  It’s generally accepted that to be a truly innovative artist, you have to first master the basics.  And even though food might not always be art, the same principle kind of applies.

So is Miyata Menji the misunderstood genius, pushing Los Angeles ramen into its next phase of existence?  Or just another bush league ramenya, throwing a bunch of a wacky shit into a bowl and hoping the gimmick will bring in enough customers who don’t feel like waiting at Tsujita?   I honestly don’t know (although I’m inclined to think it’s the latter).   Either way, I’m not sure the majority of L.A. is ready for this level of wackiness just yet.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• So sick of the same bowl of tonkotsu ramen being served at every new place.  I get it!  Everybody loves pork belly.  But I’m ready for a change.
• I love the idea of a super fishy, super thick tsukemen broth.  Bring it on!
• I love it when Japanese restaurants do wacky things with traditionally Italian or even American ingredients.  (Ketchup and bacon pasta FTW!)
• No lines!  Unlike Tsujita across the street.
• This kind of ramen is considered super hip in Japan.  Maybe the US just isn’t ready for it…

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like place this would say)

• Replacing pork belly with cheap slices of beef is a crime against humanity.
• Tomato and parmesan in my ramen?  No thanks.
• I’d rather wait in line at Tsujita.
• I know tsukemen is supposed to be on the cooler side of things, but this one was a bit too cold and the broth was a bit too lukewarm.
• The tsukemen noodles come out all clumped together.  That’s kind of bush league.
• The ramen broth is too light.  I prefer my ramen broth to be a bit more fatty and porky.
• Don’t eat the bread!
• Isn’t this place owned by a Japanese comedian?  Maybe it’s just a joke…

Miyata Menji, 2050 Sawtelle Blvd. 310-312-3929

According to the L.A. Times tomorrow is the big day for Miyata Menji, the new ramen/tsukemen spot opening on Sawtelle in the old Gr/eats space.  Being a tsukemen addict (and lover of all things ramen) I’ve been cautiously excited about this opening, but the more and more I read and see the more wacky this place sounds.

From the LAT:

Japanese comedian Tetsuji Miyata brings his Miyata Menji concept to L.A. from Osaka, where noodles dubbed TG2-D and KK100 are served in ramen and tsukemen. On the menu are just two items: tonkotsu ramen with pork broth, teriyaki beef, shallots and fried tomatoes, and tsukemen with steamed noodles, anchovy cabbage, grated cheese (optional), minced pork, vegetable potage, tomato and croutons.

Teriyaki beef!? Tomatoes? Grated cheese and croutons? Well that explains the menu photos I spotted last week…

I was wondering what those giant slabs of meat on top of the ramen were!  Of course they’re teriyaki beef. And if you’re going to top your tsukemen with grated cheese, I suppose the noodles should look like fettuccine. Maybe this nuttiness is some kind of regional specialty of Osaka? Nope. According to Rameniac, Osaka is not well known for serving one particular type of ramen. And I suppose if you’re not trying to emulate ramen from a particular region of Japane, then there really aren’t any rules. And I do love teriyaki beef. (Quite frankly, who doesn’t?) Plus if Gottsui’s new ramen has taught me anything, being a snob to some static view of how things are “supposed to be” (whatever that means) might end up causing you to miss out on something pretty tasty. And that Tusjita line does get pretty long.

Then again, the owner is a comedian.  I hope this doesn’t turn out to be one big joke…

Miyata Menji, 2101 Sawtelle Blvd. 310-444-9988