During the recent Urasawa eat-fest, Captain Jack and I stayed in the Little Tokyo area…and since it was winter, well, a SoCal winter, what is more appropriate than some good ramen. There was a problem though….our first choice for ramen:
Everytime we’d stop by Daikokuya…one of my favorite Ramen Houses in LA, the place was packed,with people waiting inside the restaurant as well as a line outside. Being that we just wanted some ramen, we decided on Orochon Ramen in Weller Court.
And though the restaurant was pretty full we managed to snag an outside table. What we found out is that all the outside tables are for Orochon, until 2pm, when one set of tables is reserved for the restaurant next door……
Anyway, the deal with ramen at Orochon is a pseudo-Ala carte deal. Orochon sells ramen at a various "heat" level from 1 to 7, with 1 being the "extreme" heat. For those that think eating is something dares are made of, there are "special" heat levels of 1 and 2, which I assume will hurt you today, as well as tomorrow…if you know what I mean.
First you choose the type of ramen you desire, either Miso, Shoyu, or Shio(salt). You then select a spiciness, and finally the "extras"(i.e. corn, garlic, butter???) Having tried a Miso Ramen train wreck on my previous visit, I thought I’d go with the Shoyu Ramen($6.45) at a spice level 3, with Char Siu(99 cents one slice), Bamboo Shoot($1.25), Green Onions ($1.25!!)and Bean Sprouts(50 cents)…suddenly, I had a bowl of ramen that was over 10 bucks!
The ramen arrived nice and hot, and the broth wasn’t overly salty. The heat at three was enough to create some sweat on my brow. It seemed that the heat was created through the use of chili powder and slices of jalapeno pepper I found in the broth. The slice of Char Siu was decent, nice and tender with a good pork flavor…but worth a buck for a skinny slice? I couldn’t help but think about every component of the ramen I paid for……green onions!!! Bean sprouts!!!!
Still, I would have been fine, if the noodles were okay like they were on my previous visit. This time they were hard and brittle……..I remember remarking to Captain Jack that these noodles weren’t very good, and they were not. Bummer……
At least the service was decent…there’s a funny red "panic button" on each table for service…I guess it’s here in case you order the "extreme" and go into cardiac arrest.
In keeping with the meal, I forgot to take a photo of the storefront. So I managed to get a unique shot a bit later….it’s the front of Orochon from our room at the New Otani:
Orochon Ramen
123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 617-1766
Open Daily – 1130am-1015pm