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
Hi Kirk,
Thats a great shot out of our hotel window. I knew my request for a high floor had to be good for something. I actually liked the broth of the ramen at Orochon a lot. Nice and spicey
To bad you didn’t get to review Daikokuya. I have been to the Tokyo plaza and only eaten from the Curry House. I wish I ventured a little in to the unknown ๐
we’ve been to orochon once; like the experience you had, the wait at daikokuya was way too long so we decided to try out this place. no comparison. i’d take the wait at daikokuya over this any day.
(i still have my orochon post to write as well–i guess you see this one in…august??? LOL!)
holy smokes, $1.25 for green onions?! Green onions?! I think that’s another reason for the panic button.
Hey Kirk!
hehe, I agree with Christine about the green onions – that’s crazy! I just went to Yotteko-Ya (near Fook Yuen in the McCully Shopping Center) for dinner today, it’s definitely ramen weather! ๐
Ouch, dude. That’s some serious ramen rapage.
– Chubbypanda
Hmph – all those things should COME WITH – don’tcha think? I can’t imagine being able to order a plain bowl of just noodles and broth in Japan. Maybe you can,…but –
I wish I’d brought my camera for the bowl of tonkotsu ramen I had within minutes of arriving there a week ago. Mmmmm! (And I got 4 slices of delicious meat in mine at no extra charge!)
have you seen the prices for green onions these days? they are selling for 89 cents a bunch! That is high.. they should be around a quarter if not 33 cents a bunch.
even though, it is absurd you have to pay extra for onions. How do they stay in business? Perhaps it is simply the massive wait at Daikokuya that keeps Orochon filled.
Ramen that was over $10 bucks?! If I ever go to that place, I am going to bring my own green onions and bean sprouts in a plastic ziploc bag and pop em’ in there once the broth and noodles arrived at my table. Otherwise, that is crazy! I hope they don’t charge $0.50 for using the pepper shaker.
That’s a lot of itemization for a bowl of soup. Reminds me of the Simpsons where Krusty is busted for tax evasion and Krustyburger rebranded a “IRSBurger”:
Homer: Let’s see, I’ll have four tax burgers, one IRS-wich, withhold the lettuce, four dependent-sized sodas, and a FICA-ccino.
Squeaky Voiced Teen: Fill out schedule B. You should receive your burgers in six to eight weeks.
Hi CJ – Yes, getting a room on an upper floor paid off with that shot!
Hi Billy – You need to check out some other places in the area…Daikokuya is really good! I’m hoping to get there next time I’m in the area.
Hi Pam – Can’t wait for your Orochon post….. I think I may just suck it up and wait at Daikokuya next time.
Hi Christine – LOL! Maybe that’s why they put them there!
Hi Kathy – Yotteko-Ya! I used to live right up the street before I moved to the Mainland!
Hi CP – It did turn out to be expensive…….
Hi Jenn – It was quite strange…..I hope you’re having a nice holiday!
Hi Andy – Orochon looked to be doing bang up business the day we visited…I think alot of people really like it.
Hi PE – That’s exactly the same thing the Missus said! LOL! Great minds……
Hi GC – You crack me up!