a call for ramen advice!

[chaodai]

in the past, i have blogged about my ongoing quest for great ramen noodlesnow, for much of the past few months, satisfying my ramen cravings has been as simple as walking the five or so blocks from my downtown la loft to daikokuya - one of the city's most acclaimed den of noodles and pork soup. for several months now, daikokuya's thick, buttery

Comments

[big_ragu]

Well, I can tell you that if a place is even slighty unsafe it will be shut down. I've dealt with MANY health inspectors over the years, they all take their jobs pretty serious (sometimes even too serious).

Health inspectors need to justify their job, so they write us up for the silliest things. Last inpection (as always), they couldn't find anything to gripe about, so he wrote me up for the labels on spray bottles of sanitizer having smudged labels and having a flickering light in an exit sign by the back door.

In other words, I wouldn't worry too much. If they're open, it's probably O.K.

ramen

[anonymous]

Javi,

I've never been to the Santouka and Torrance. But I've been to the one in the Mitsuwa market on Centinela in West LA, and I didn't find the broth too salty at all. Prior to that visit, I, like you, was a Daikokouya loyalist, but for me the Santouka West LA ramen was everything I liked about Daikokouya and then some-- still so porky but more complex and much better noodle quality. So it might be worth your trying, even if the Torrance location disappointed. Make sure you get the version with extra pork. (The reddish spicy version is good too, but less like daikokouya)

[monte_noiq]

I used to live in Pasadena. I sometimes have been to Takeshi Ramen in Glendale. If as I understand it from your post you live somewhere near Little Tokyo (as I am familiar with Daikokuya from its being located close to the Federal Courthouse), I realize Takeshi Ramen is not going to be conveniently close -- but it's a hell of a lot closer than Torrence (where some of the other spots you list appear to be located). I therefore think you might at least want to take a drive up to Glendale to try Takeshi Ramen at some point. Here's a review, which I personally think is pretty accurate (but note the later poster who felt it fell short of Daikokuya):

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/324132

[1daymanyoullsee]

I could just say ditto but what fun would that be

Foo Foo Tei in Hacienda Heights

[randomeis]

http://www.yelp.com/biz/foo-foo-tei-hacienda-heights

Foo Foo Tei in Hacienda Heights would be my suggestion for one of the best little Ramen Shops in L.A.