Having lived in Japan during my childhood, and being one-quarter Japanese myself, I’ve grown up eating A LOT of ramen. The full spectrum of ramen I would say starts with the 30c packages by Maruchan… thru the imported selection available at Asian Markets (which can have an entire aisle dedicated) to the very traditional versions served in Little Tokyo or restaurants like Tamashii Ramen House. Located on Magnolia Boulevard in North Hollywood, I’m sure it will be frequented by students in the area.
The TableSetGo Grading System:
1st Fork – AMBIANCE, from the decor to the waitstaff
2nd Fork – MENU, creativity, range, and diverse influences
3rd Fork – TASTE, of course
4th Fork – COCKTAILS, the bar selection
5th Fork – ADVENTURE, do they encourage you to try something new? And do you like it?
AMBIANCE – The North Hollywood location is a great space with an outdoor patio, and some fun artwork embracing their location within the “Arts District”. Unfortunately, the waitstaff were not 100% on their “A-game”, serving my dinner companion a glass half-full (or half-empty) of water to start.
MENU – A great range of options – appetizers, dumplings and sushi in addition to their ramen. With the large portion sizes of the ramen, I don’t know how anyone could have the appetite to indulge in all of them, so maybe not all necessary. The selection of ramen though was definitely appreciated – usually places like this only offer a pork or vegetarian broth, but they offered chicken and miso as well.
TASTE – to start, we had the Sweet Potato Tempura, which was a perfect portion to share. I ordered the Tonkotsu Black – the black garlic oil just sounded so intriguing – definitely worth it! The half-boiled egg was a great addition too.
COCKTAILS – no bar, but I did like the variety of teas and Japanese soft beverages available.
ADVENTURE – This ramen is definitely adventurous to those who are used to their instant-packets from college! Beyond that, the food is what you would expect for Japanese food.
Overall, 2.5 Forks. If I’m craving ramen, I’ll probably go again because it’s in the neighborhood, but not somewhere I’d insist on friends trying.
Table, Set, Go! 